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The Passion of the Christ
- 01/15/04
- 8
Thousands of churches are still in the midst of Rick Warren's 40 Days of Purpose and little do they know that if they do not hurry it up, they are going to miss out on the best outreach opportunity of the past 2000 years! Yes indeed, Mel Gibson's movie "The Passion of The Christ" is proclaiming itself just that. They have even created a Web site geared specifically to this purpose. I have to admit, I cannot remember the last time a movie was released that included an outreach timeline along with outreach postcards. They really know the evangelical world as Powerpoint slides are coming soon too! If you are really interested you can order any number of posters, door hangers, etc.
The support for this movie is overwhelming. The Notable Quotes section reads like a who's who of Protestant and Catholic clergy and theologians. It is interesting that all the Protestants are listed first, followed by Catholics. They even have some prominent Jews proclaiming that the movie is in no way racist. Evidently the site and the outreach program are geared mostly at evangelical churches.
You do not have to look far to find all sorts of early reviews for the movie. By and large the reviews are very positive. It seems that the reports of Jewish people being upset by a perceived negative portrayal of their forebearers were mostly media hype. I am not sure if it is a positive or a negative that neither Protestants nor Catholics are claiming the account of Jesus' death is inaccurate. Perhaps this means the movie is all story with little theology (which is probably a good thing since it spans denominations which have different views about parts of the story and its implications). The only person I know who saw the movie said it was "accurate with some artistic license." Another reviewer said “It truly is a great depiction of the passion of Christ with the theological emphasis on Mary’s role in the Church, the wickedness of Satan, and the Eucharist in connection with the crucifixion itself.” Uh oh. Of course that may be someone interpreting events through his theology rather than stating what the movie actually shows.
I look forward to seeing how this movie impacts the evangelical world. I don't doubt that it will provide a powerful portrayal of Jesus' suffering and death. I don't doubt that many people will be touched by this movie and that it will probably be instrumental in bringing some to Christ.
Despite this, I have mixed feelings about the movie. If my wife was brutally murdered, would I want to see a movie about it? If I love Jesus more than my wife, why would I want to see a graphic, brutal portrayal of His death? Do I really need to see His death to truly understand it? What will the movie do that reading the account will not do? Might it be that all I will walk away with is an emotional reaction, but nothing that really penetrates my mind? At this time I do not have answers to all of those questions, but I do intend to think and pray about it over the next few weeks.
I am a follower of Jesus Christ, a husband to Aileen and a father to three young children. I worship and serve as a pastor at 
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Comments (8)
Tim,I agree with you somewhat (about seeing the death of Christ), but I think the real value is for those who are lukewarm. Perhaps the reality and the brutality depicted in the film will give them encouragement to take their faith more seriously. I agree that it is a great opportunity for Christians to get out and pound the pavement.
By the way, the one person I know who’s seen the movie is very, very religious, but he noted that the movie changed his life by making the Crucifixion more real than he could imagine. It just may affect us in the same way.
God bless,Jay
That raises an interesting question and something I’ve been thinking about lately. Heck, I’ll probably do a full post on it soon. How long do you have to wait after an experience before you can call it “life-changing?” I would imagine in the case of your friend he only saw the movie a couple of weeks ago. Isn’t it a bit too soon to say whether it really was life-changing? I’m not looking to pick a fight or anything…it just brought that thought to mind. I wonder if a year from now he’ll still consider it life-changing…
Gah!!!
We posted on the same topic, on the same day, and cited the same goofy website!! Do you post on Derek Webb’s site?
No, I don’t post on Webb’s site. I’m a big fan of his music, though. I didn’t know he had forums. I’ll have to stop by and check them out.
An interesting question came up on a forum I occasionally read. The poster wondered if perhaps the big push by evangelical churches to make this an “outreach event” will actually backfire and turn non-Christian people away from seeing it the more closely it becomes assocaited with the church (as opposed to being an independent work of art created by Mel Gibson). What’s your take?
Interesting question. I doubt this is going to happen if for no other reason because Mel Gibson is so popular these days. I think his name attached to this movie gives it a credibility that it wouldn’t have if it was directed by “just any” director. And certainly the controversy the movie is generating is not hurting it any.
I did an informal poll on a Web site I frequent and did find that many unbelievers are intending to see it even if the only reason is to see what all the hype is about.
Tim,Uh oh!? That is exactly what the Holy Eucharist is all about. That Jesus willingly sacrificed Himself for us. and scriptture says thet Mary’s heart would be “pierced” with her son’s suffering
THE PASSION OF THE CHRIST The Passion of the Christ : Not a Hollywood Movie where you are shown a beautified panoramic story , rather you see the story as if you were a by stander struggling to understand.
I watched “The Passion of the Christ” twice on opening day. The ” Passion of the Christ” threw me in a drastically different world. I left the theatre the first time with dried tears and a painful feeling deep within. Since I feared I didn’t grasp the depth of what is being presented , I bought another ticket and watched the movie again. And even after watching it a second time , I was left with the same indiscribable deep feeling.
The “Passion of the Christ” is a visit to 1st century Israel , you suddenly find yourself there with Jesus and the disciples. You see events the same way they saw them , you feel the world of injustice , fear and insecurity. You realize the tension that exists within the human soul , and within the city walls of Jerusalem. The Passion of the Christ is an experience of being there as a witness to an event , which seems rather common in 1st century Israel , but that appears to have eternal consequences. It shows you the struggle of a people under the Roman occupation and the light-mindedness of the instruments of torture. The torture , cruicifixion , injustice , deceit and lies were always there in 1st century Israel , but now God put His Son in this boiling pot in order to save the World. Man acted as sinful as he always acted , but now God used man’s very harmful behaviours to bring greater benefit to all of us.
The Passion of the Christ helped me love Pilate , Caiaphas , Herod and even the Roman guards , who all seem to think they are doing the right thing according to their presuppositions and circumstances , while they are all trapped and enslaved to a darker force bigger than themselves which even creep to the depth of their hearts.
The Movie made me love the Jews for their confusion and suffering under the Roman occupation. It made me love Caiaphas who showed jealousy to the Holy of Holies and who tried everything to protect the temple and the Jewish Religion. It made me love Pilate who wanted to save his household from the tyranny of Politics and Ceasar. It made me love Peter for his denial to the Lord , because I would have done the same if I were in his shoes. It made me realize that humanly speaking all these people did what was dictated by their culture and the rules of the time , but it also made me realize that we all are victims no matter how much we transgressed , for our natural behaviours are the very torturing tools that victimize all of us.
And Christ , God the Son , came in the midst of human turmoil to bear the marks of our sins ( politics , indifference , greed , hate , ignorance , ungodliness , adultery….) evidenced by His torture , but also to be a ransom for all who believe in Him , with a promise to make all things new.
“The Passion of the Christ” was so close , so realistic , so true and so human : An embodiement of all the Jewish scriptures’ prophecies about the suffering Messiah ( Isaiah 53 - Psalms 22 ..) and Christ’s lines are all from the Tehilim ( the Psalms). I learnt that the true meaning of Jesus’ mission was to be forsaken that we may be found , to be left out that we may be received , to be alone that we may always have Him on our side , to be separated from the Father that we may be His children forever , to be scourged that we may be healed and to be crushed that we may be restored.
I went out of this theatre with grief , pain and insecurity , that later on were transformed to peace , love and a renewed person who wants to be the best human being I can ever be and to enjoy the free gift of life in Jesus Christ the Risen Lord.
“The Passion of the Christ” is a 100% Hebrew film about what the God of Israel did for the Hebrews and the non-Hebrews.