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The Passion of the Christ
By Pastor Jim Duggan, Pointe South Community Church, Riverdale,
Georgia
Recently, I had the honor of attending a screening of the
movie The Passion of the Christ along with my associate
pastor and 5000 other mostly evangelical church leaders at
Willow Creek Community Church in Chicago. I want to share
with you some thoughts about the movie and the entire experience.
The Man
After the viewing, Bill Hybels, pastor at Willow Creek, interviewed
Mel on stage. Mel unashamedly admitted that he recognizes
that the death of Christ on the cross was the substitute for
the sins of each and every man and that one can only be right
with God through the merits of Christ. Pastor Hybels asked
Mel about the prominence of the verse John 14:6 in the film.
The verse is a quote of Jesus in which He says, “I am
the way, the truth, and the life, no one comes to the Father
except through me.” When Pastor Hybels asked Mel if
he was prepared for the onslaught of anti-tolerant accusations
that would come his way, Mel responded that he expected it.
He also stated that he believed that verse, saying, “I’ve
never known Him [Jesus] to practice fibbing.”
The Movie
The movie focuses on Jesus’ relationships with His
mother, Peter, John, Judas Iscariot, Mary Magdelene, Simon
of Cyrene, Caiaphas, and Pilate. The way Jesus interacted
with people in the movie is a reminder that He is a personal
savior who desires an ongoing, personal relationship with
His creatures. Mel is a staunch old-line Catholic, and as
such you could see subtle traces of the Catholic reverence
for Mary. While her inclusion was terrific and helped express
the humanity of Christ, there were some Catholic theological
influences evident. I would encourage you, as you view the
film, do not just view it as a piece of work, but ask yourself
if you would have responded the way these characters did,
and why or why not.
Another interesting component is the way in which evil is
portrayed. Mel said his goal was to present satan particularly
and evil generally as “almost pretty.” That is
very fitting. How often do we think of the devil as ugly and
grotesque. If he were revealed in his ugliness and if we saw
evil as grotesque as is really is, then sin would not be such
a temptation.
The absolutely brutal and violent extent to which Christ
was punished before and during His crucifixion is portrayed
very graphically. While the depictions are graphic, they are
realistic. The brutality has earned the film an R rating,
and deservedly so; yet none of the violence is in anyway gratuitous.
The crucifixion of Jesus was a very graphic and violent act
in history. The scourging, the trip down the Via Dolorosa,
and the crucifixion scene take up a very long time in the
movie and almost seem torturous to the viewer, which again
is the intended effect. Christ’s death was necessary
for atonement for sins, but there were many more ways to die
that were less gruesome, painful, and humiliating as the path
He took. Why did He go to that extent but to show just how
hideous and putrid sin is to God, and to cause us to think
seriously about our sin?
See The Passion of the Christ if you have a Brave
Heart; it is Mel’s most Lethal Weapon yet. The story
of the Cross of Christ will change your life.
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