I saw The Passion of the Christ last week, on Ash Wednesday. I held off on blogging because of my Lent commitment, but here are my thoughts finally.
The movie was very moving, driving it home to me the seriousness and gravity of what Jesus did for me. I agree with Joshus Claybourn's review which emphasizes Jesus' isolation from His father, which I believe was the ultimate, and invisible to us, punishment. There was a point during the first trial scene where I thought that the Jewish leaders were made to look pretty mean and vengeful, but just a little later the Romans were made to look even worse. The opening scene where Satan is tempting Jesus, telling Him He can't take on the sins of mankind, drive the point home that Jesus is no mere martyr, that it is God's will that He do this - provide His life as a sacrifice for the world, including me, and you the reader.
During the time when He was being nailed to the cross, the thought came through my head "they're treating Him just like an animal", and it hit me - that's what He is - the Lamb of God. We all like to think of lambs being cute, cuddly animals (following Mary to school as bedtime stories say), but at Passover, that lamb (which lived in the house for a while - imagine the reaction of the children!) was killed and eaten. Just as the blood of the lamb provided for the Jews to escape from Egypt, Jesus' blood provides for our escape from sin and its accompanying judgment.
Now, there is another movie out there which has received very little attention, and it deserves it. The Gospel of John. This movie is a word-for-word (based on the Contemporary English Version) rendition of the gospel of John, with Christopher Plummer as narrator, and Henry Ian Cusick as Jesus.
While both movies are excellent productions in their own right, I actually enjoyed The Gospel of John more as it covered the entire gospel. It was very moving to see Jesus' signs portrayed on film: turning the water to wine, healing the nobleman's son, the man at the pool of Bethesda, feeding the five thousand, walking on water, healing the man born blind (my favorite chapter of John), the raising of Lazarus, and of course the Resurrection and all of Jesus' appearances to His disciples after He had risen from the dead. Chapters 13-17 of the book, as portrayed in the movie are very moving as Jesus teaches His disciples in the Upper Room, then on the rooftop under the stars, then walking through a vineyard (chapter 15), and finally in the Garden of Gethsamane where Judas betrays Him.
My major complaint about the movie is the version of the Bible they chose to use. While I am not a KJV-only advocate, I also think that a more literal version could have served the message of the gospel better. In my opinion, the CEV, being a less-literal dynamic-rendering, uses 'softer' words than a more literal rendering, such as what the New King James or the New American Standard would provide. Regardless, seeing the words of the gospel acted out in such a way that the viewer could imagine seeing the original event was very meaningful. Andrew running to tell Peter "We have found the Messiah!", the Samaritan woman's excitement at Jesus' telling her "all things she ever did", the nobleman's love for his son, the relief of the man afflicted for thirty-eight years, the stress and thankfulness of the woman caught in adultery followed by Jesus' words "go, and do not sin again", and a very moving chapter 10, where Jesus tells how He is the good shepherd, right in front of a actual sheepfold where the sheep are actually led out and we see how dedicated sheep really are to their shepherd. Children are prominent within His audience.
Some minor complaints: I thought the treatment of Jesus' trial and crucifixion were treated a bit more gently than what really happened (a lot less violent than Mel Gibson's The Passion of the Christ). One scene I did not like was when Mary Magdalene first saw Jesus after His resurrection. In order to emphasis that she thought she was the gardener, Jesus was shown stooping down, as though He were planting a bush or a tree, almost as if He were deliberately hiding His face from her. That was not at all the way I picture the scene when visualizing the text. All in all though, a very good, uplifting, and educational movie.
Posted by joelfuhrmann at February 29, 2004 08:49 PM