Blog on the Lillypad
Monday, March 08, 2004
 | Just saw The Passion
That was a movie that hit hard in the very opening and was pretty unremitting all the way through. I thought it was accurate as far as a story can go. It is artistic expression, not an attempt to correct or clarify doctrine. I think its detractors among Christians should realize that. Mel Gibson tried to be as accurate as possible, but he was still making a movie and his goal was to achieve an impact. He's a responsible artist who uses the structure of the reality (taken from Scripture) to create a framework on which he hangs a cinematic image. So there are artistic interpretations, but nothing that is anti-Scripture or that departs from serving the truth of the Scripture. My one quibble was the raven that showed up. Given the strength of the film at that point, I thought the raven ruined the effect that had just been created. But I won't describe any more because I don't want to ruin it for people who have not yet seen it. |
In terms of the current controversy about anti-semitism, I was surprised at how graphically the film depicted that the Pharisees were behind the death of Christ. That is what the Bible also indicates. Most films about the crucifixion are a little more light handed about it and try to emphasize a mob rule mentality that condemned Christ once He got to Pilate. But the mob that called for His death had been bribed by the Pharisees. They were the movers behind His condemnation.
It was interesting to consider that the most significant struggle between God and sin occurred among a small religion in a small country that had been over run by a world power. The Pharisees are minor figures in the eyes of the cosmopolitan, war hardened Romans. It probably was impossible for any of the Romans to suppose that God, if He would come down to earth, would come to a place like Jerusalem. Any human being would expect that when God has serious business to transact with mankind, He would come to a significant place,and He would interact with world figures.
But instead He carried out the Redemption of man in Jerusalem. And when Christ was condemned to death, He was condemned by legalistic, petty, provincial men who clung to their power hold on a relatively small community. Only by proxy was Christ condemned by Caesar (and even then Pilate vowed he had nothing to do with it and washed his hands of the matter, quite literally). And the powerful Senators of Rome and those who formulated the laws for the whole world at that time never heard of what was happening.
No, a group of men who claimed to love the Law of God but had been rebuked by Him several times for their ignorance of that Law condemned Him to death. Their hatred of Him because He exposed their ignorance of God's Word and disobedience to it is clear in Scripture. He was a threat to their comfortable way of life, and Christ exposed their estrangement from God. They were religious leaders who didn't know their own religion. They loved their power and influence far more than they loved God. And they made people suffer under the weight of their petty rules. Sin was covered up by the Pharisees and denied. You see from the movie that great sins are committed by small people.
But the sheer doggedness of Christ to complete His work was strongly highlighted in the film. And Christ's faith is also strongly depicted. That was a subtle nuance that most other films about Christ miss. Usually He is depicted as strong in knowledge (and of course He was), but Christ also had to walk by faith. And this film does show Him acting (and enduring) in faith. His prayers for his enemies are sincere and real, and because it's a direct, forthright image, it's pretty stunning---especially to Christians.
But it was still grueling to watch. I'm one of those people who get detached from the violence pretty quickly. Once I had seen the scourging, I could watch the rest without being overwhelmed by the blood and did so more with an eye for what the film was saying than for the shock value of the brutality. The part that made me actually sob was the thief on the cross. It startled the people on either side of me because they had been crying and I'd been quiet until that moment.
This is really a film about the Passion of Christ, not about everything regarding our Savior. The resurrection gets only about 20 seconds at the end. The viewer is left with the strong image that He has conquered and is ready to go out and fulfill His office for us. But it's good to remember that this is a depiction about Christ's suffering, and---crucial as that is to comprehend--there is more to the work of Christ.
