A blessed Easter, and welcome back


A blessed Easter to all our friends family and colleagues.... Some comment on The Passion of the Christ.

A blessed Easter to all our friends family and colleagues. To all the learners of the the College, welcome back after a well deserved rest! I trust that you had a wonderful opportunity to reflect upon the significance and true meaning of the sacrifice of Christ over Easter this year.

I have found this Easter to be a particularly vivid and real experience of the sacrifice of Christ. What has made it so significant is the release of Mel Gibson's movie "The Passion of the Christ".


I had the good fortune of seeing the film twice over the last couple of weeks, and it has had a remarkable effect on me. I was somewhat concerned by the remarks of the Methodist Church of Southern Africa's Presiding Bishop (Bishop Ivan Abrahams). He has spoken out against the film in a number of public forums, and from what I can understand his main objections are firstly that the film could possibly lead to anti-Semitism, due to it's negative portrayal of the Jews at the time of Jesus, and secondly that the film is not a historically accurate portrayal of the events of the death of Jesus of Nazareth.

I can understand that a person who occupies an office of influence would need to make statements that are cautious and prudent. However, I feel that it was unwise to recommend that Methodist in particular, and the people in general, should not see this film. Of the sampling of people who I have spoken to who have seen the film there seems to be a very different attitude to that of our Presiding Bishop.

My own view is that the film is worth seeing, if only to gain a new perspective of the sacrifice of Christ. However, there are a few other good reasons why I believe Christians, and other people, should see this film. Firstly, I think that it exemplifies the very best and the very worst of the human condition. In the portrayal of the person of Christ one can see some of the most admirable traits of human nature. He is forgiving, self-effacing, humble and servant like to the very end. In this portrayal of Jesus, which is obviously not historically accurate, the Christian will be able to gain a vivid and emotive insight into the Lord whom we love and serve. Whilst I recognize that many of the events are overly dramatized, they still allowed me to gain insights that I had not previously held. In short, I watched the film not to learn about the history of the events of the passion of Christ. Rather, I watched it much as one would listen to a good piece of music, or read poetry. The aim is not to gain facts, but the have the imagination enlivened and the heart inspired! This certainly happened for me on both occasions. "This is true love, that someone would give up his life for his friends". What a saviour! Truly an admirable example to follow in a world that is hostile to people of faith and service. Moreover, it was not only the person of Christ that portrayed these admirable qualities, but also selected less prominent individuals in the account, ranging from Mary the mother of Jesus, Mary Magdalene, the wife of Pilate, John the beloved disciple, Simon of Sirene, selected members of the Jewish High council and some Roman soldiers, and various members of the crowd.

I must confess that I also found the way in which the film related to the Stations of the Cross very moving at Easter. It brought a new depth and understanding to the meaning and significance of both the work of Christ, and the acts of kindness and sympathy shown by the bystanders during that time. Even my trip to Israel, walking along the Via Delarosa, was not as insightful an experience as this movie.

However, the movie is worth watching not only for the positive elements that it portrays through the characters, but also for the insights that it offers into the very worst of human nature. There were a number of individuals who exemplified the very worst of human sinfulness and greed. Of course one could mention Judas, one of the bandits who was crucified with Christ, the High Priest and his cronies, the crowds who were swept into a frenzy and many other obvious individuals and groups. However, what I found most shockingly portrayed in the movie was the manner in which the Roman soldiers went so much further than they needed to in punishing and crucifying Christ. Their actions were deliberately cruel to the point of being evil. They seemed to be almost possessed, enlivened and overcome by the evil of torture. The scene of the scourging of Christ was particularly upsetting since it reminded me of the propensity that humans have to overdo things. Just this week we remembered how over 1 Million innocent people were butchered in Rwanda as groups of militia were swept up in a violent frenzy that lasted almost 100 days. Just as the bystanders were slow to step in and put a stop to the punishment of Jesus, so too are we slow to put a stop to injustice and abuse.

This issue in particular has made me think about the American occupation of Iraq, which seems to be escalating into further violence, rather than fostering and developing peace and prosperity for the people in that oppressed nation. And, the world is simply standing by, like the crowds in the day of Jesus, we are only too happy to watch from the sidelines. We allow the priests of our day, the mass media, to indoctrinate us with lies and deception.

I know that I am reading a great deal into this film. However, I did say right at the start that I watched it not to learn, but to be inspired. I guess that what is needed is not to tell people not to see the movie, but rather to encourage them to consider what it could possible mean for them. No, it is not historical, but then neither are the Gospels. Just as each of the Gospels has a particular intent in recording the events of the death of Christ, so too does this film. For the Biblical scholars, one could say that this film fits into a particular genre, it is not history, it is not fact, it is a stretch of the truth, whatever that may be. So, don't go to see it to get the facts. Rather go and see the film so that your heart can be touched and moved.

Now, there were two elements of the film that I found quite disappointing. Both of them are omissions of episodes that occur in the Biblical narratives of the events of the death of Christ. The first major omission that I found disturbing is the confession of faith of the Centurion at the cross ("Truly this man was the son of God"). This is such an essential element of the Biblical recollection of the events of the death of Christ. It conveys, in a meaningful manner, the very reason why Jesus offered up his life on the cross. It shows that even the perpetrators of violence and abuse can come to saving knowledge and be set free. Secondly, the sudden ending of the film at the resurrection of Christ. I guess one could argue that at least Mr Gibson included the resurrection, which shows some understanding of the faith element associated with the death of Jesus Christ. However, I personally felt that the emphasis on the passion of Christ, and lack of emphasis on the resurrection of Christ, displays a clear bias in the mind of the film maker. Clearly, it was his intent to show in as graphic a manner as possible the suffering and sacrifice of Christ. This shows a lack of understanding of the importance of the resurrection as the definitive event in the Christian faith. The cross is a significant symbol of salvation, but without and adequate emphasis on the victory of Christ over sin and death it is nothing more than an act of human brutality and senseless violence against an innocent victim.

I read an interesting email last week that asked the question of how different the responses of people would be if Mel Gibson ever made a sequel to the Passion of the Christ. The message said that people leave the Passion of the Christ somber and broken, however, upon leaving "The resurrection of Christ" they would be enlivened, not victims, but victors, not oppressed by guilt, but set free for life! That is also the message of the cross, the time of greatest evil and suffering, is the time of greatest victory and love.

I guess that such sentiments just don't sell as many seats in the theatres!

All in all, I do believe that the movie is well worth seeing. It has given this Easter a renewed meaning for me. However, I acknowledge that this is a personal view and may differ significantly for other people.

A blessed Easter to all, hoping that you will find living in the 'in between times' , between Easter Friday and Easter Sunday, between the resurrection and the ascension, between Easter and Pentecost, between the ascension of Christ and His return, to be a significant, fruitful and blessed time!

Posted: Mon - April 12, 2004 at 07:01 PM      

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