Passion for "The Passion"

I saw "The Passion of the Christ" last Thursday. The theater was half full for a 12:30 showing; not the norm for a weekday matinee. Being a Christian and a church worker, I felt the need to see the movie so that I could help others deal with the disturbing images that were being promised by the media.

No doubt: This is perhaps the most violent film I have ever seen. And I have seen some pretty gruesome films, including Scarface and Reservoir Dogs. But unlike almost all those films, I found a necessity in the violence. In fact, I believe that if this weren't an account of an actual event, I would be counseling the teens in my ministry to avoid seeing it. As it is, I have told the teens at the church I serve that those over 13 ought to consider seeing it with someone. I would hope that no one would see this alone, although I know that won't happen. David Van Biema writing for Time http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,1101040301-593591,00.html has decided to obsess on the violence and avoid recognition of the purpose for it.

What Mr. Van Biema and others fail to factor into this is the passion which is meant to be stirred up. I told my pastor after we saw the movie that my concern is that people who have no understanding of the Messiah will come out of the theater asking, "Why? Why would he do that?" This movie and its violence will only be appreciated and understood as more than a gore-fest in the context of a Christian understanding of Christ.

The Apostle Paul said this in 1 Corinthians 2:2, "For I determined to know nothing among you except Jesus Christ, and Him crucified." (NASB) It is the Passion and the crucifixion that make this movie powerful. It is the crucifixion and resurrection that make Christianity relevant. Without them, Christianity is a joke. The prophet Isaiah said this, "But he was wounded for our transgressions, crushed for our iniquities; upon him was the punishment that made us whole, and by his bruises we are healed." (Isaiah 53:5, NRSV) Christians generally understand that this passage refers to Jesus of Nazareth, whom we believe was the Christ, God's son. He took the whole body of sin for all people for all time as a sacrifice. The sacrifice killed him. The evil contained in so much sin killed him.

This is why the level of violence in the movie is warranted in my opinion. Am I happy seeing puddles of blood on the floor of the room in which he was tortured? No. Frankly, several of the scenes turned my stomach and disturbed me. But the bigger distrubance is in knowing in my heart that such agony was inflicted in part because of ME. My sins played a part in the need for his sacrifice. I do not agree with those who say that this is a sad movie. I left the movie with a sense of gratitude and a greater sense of God's overwhelming love for each and every one of us.

It will be incumbent upon all believers to step up and help those without a relationship with God to answer the question, "Why??" Yes, it is violent. Yes, it is disturbing. Yes, it can have a real, positive impact on people. We all need to understand the impact of our sins and the magnitude of the gift God has given us through Jesus' death and resurrection. Even many Christians (myself included) will have this reinforced through watching this movie. We can all learn. We can all grow. Thanks, God, for this opportunity.