Clarifying Controversies about Christ’s
Passion
By Pastor John Lee
Let’s remember that the movie is primarily based on the four Gospels of the Bible. So let’s answer some questions that surround the movie and the actual Passion of Christ. As Christians, we must stand ready to answer questions from our friends about the movie. First of all, what is the Passion of the Christ? It refers the suffering of Christ. This brief but intense period begins in the Garden of Gethsemane and ends at the cross at Golgotha.
Does the movie accurately portray the events about the last painful hours of Christ before his crucifixion? Yes, the main events are based from the Gospels (Matthew 26-28, Mark 14-15, Luke 22-23 and John 18-19), though Gibson did consult other sources. (See Catholic response below.) Since it is a movie, we realize that some creativity and imagination are applied to enhance the depictions and emphasize the meaning of the actual events. Some call this artistic license. One example of this is the focus on Satan who is rarely mentioned in the Gospels during the Passion. Satan, the deceptive serpent, tempts Jesus to avoid the cross and save himself. At other times, he is seen walking among the crowd, enjoying what is happening to Jesus. Another example is the use of flashbacks that offer momentary relief from the violent suffering of Jesus. Happier days stand in stark contrast with the horrifying agony of the moment.
Is the film anti-Semitic? Though the Christian church has mistreated Jews in the past, particularly during the Middle Ages in Europe, Evangelical Christians in the United States are strong and loyal supporters of Israel and its people. The film is not anti-Semitic. Consider comments from some Jewish people. Movie critic Michael Medved says, “In the past, passion plays sometimes fomented Jew hatred by linking the New Testament persecutors of Jesus with contemporary Jews. These renditions depicted the Temple authorities wearing prayer shawls, phylacteries, sidelocks, beards and hook noses that emphasized their ‘Jewish’ identity in ways modern Europeans would readily recognize. Gibson’s film pointedly avoids such inflammatory stereotypes.”
Rabbi Daniel Lapin wonders who Jewish people actually fear – Christians coming out of churches or Muslims coming out of mosques? He also asserts, “If it is appropriate to blame today’s American Christians for the sins of past Europeans, why isn’t it okay to blame today’s Jews for things that our ancestors may have done? Clearly both are wrong and doing so harms our relationships with one of the few groups still friendly toward us today. Jewish groups that fracture friendship between Christians and Jews are performing no valuable service to American Jews.”
Romanian Jewish actress Maia Morgenstern who plays Mary, the mother of Jesus, had parents who were Holocaust survivors. She does not consider the film anti-Semitic. David Klinghoffer, a columnist of Forward, a Jewish-American newspaper, opines, “Like the Christian gospels that form the basis of Gibson’s screenplay, Jewish tradition acknowledges that our leaders in first-century Palestine played a role in Jesus’ execution. If Gibson is an anti-Semite, so is the Talmud and so is the greatest Jewish sage of the past 1,000 years, Maimonides.”
Is the film promoting Roman Catholicism? A small portion of Christians have criticized this movie because it was produced and directed by a Catholic director (Mel Gibson) who consulted a book by a nun, Anne Catherine Emmerich (1774-1824) of France. She described her visions of the crucifixion as she apparently bore marks on her head, hands, and feet, imitating the wounds of Jesus. Yet NewsWeek writer Jon Meacham criticizes Gibson for not following Vatican guidelines in presenting the passion narrative. Apparently the Vatican does not recommend combining passages from the four Gospels which this movie does.
Though significant doctrinal differences exist, Catholics and Protestants agree that Jesus suffered and died for the sins of mankind. This film highlights the depths of that suffering. It does not idolize or exalt Mary, the mother of Jesus. Christians should not attack others that present a portrayal of Christ that is mainly consistent with the Bible. When one disciple complained to Jesus that someone other than the 12 Disciples was casting out demons in Jesus’ name, they tried to hinder him because he was not part of their group. Listen to what Jesus said: “Do not stop him…for whoever is not against us is for us.” (Mark 9:39-40) The film does not promote Catholicism but it does promote Christ.
So who killed Jesus? The gospels note that the Jewish high priest Caiaphas led the Sanhedrin in the indictment of Jesus, condemning him for blasphemy for claiming to be God. Though Pilate tried to release Jesus and washed his hands of guilt, he too is responsible. Then there is the crowd that yelled for the release of Barabbas instead of Jesus. And of course, the Roman soldiers that actually carried out the crucifixion of Jesus are guilty of killing Jesus. But are these all that make up guilty party?
While under arrest, Jesus was not powerless. In political fear, Pilate said to Jesus, “Don’t you realize I have power either to free you or crucify you?” Jesus answered, “You would have no power over me if it were not given to you from above.” (John 19:10-11) No one could forcibly kill him but he was willing to die on the cross. If Jesus had power over the situation, then why would he accept crucifixion? Jesus was born to die for the sins of man. “For even the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.” (Mark 10:45) The Bible indicts all of us as sinners. Mel Gibson understands this. In the movie, it is his hands that hold the nail and the hammer that crucify Jesus. Without the shedding of his blood, we cannot be cleansed and be in the presence of a holy and sinless God. Jesus died to pay off the debt of our sins; a debt we cannot pay. Thus we all bear responsibility for his death.
Why did Jesus die for us? Why would he voluntarily expose himself to all the humiliation, suffering, mocking and rejection of sinful and spiteful people, even to the point of dying on the cross? In one word, the answer is “love”. “For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.” (John 3:16) “No one takes (my life) from me, but I lay it down of my own accord. I have authority to lay it down and authority to take it up again. This command I received from my Father.” (John 10:18)
In a nationally televised ‘Primetime’ interview with Diane Sawyer, Mel Gibson summed up his intention for making this movie. “He was beaten for our iniquities. He was wounded for our transgressions. And by his wounds we are healed. That's the point of the film. It's not about pointing fingers; it's not about playing the blame game. It's about faith, hope, love and forgiveness. It's the reality for me. I believe that.” (See Isaiah 53:4-6.) Gibson wanted to convey the enormity of Christ’s sacrifice and love for fallen and sinful man.
How can we convey this message of God’s love? We can share His love and show His love. Let’s tell our friends the good news of life, hope and forgiveness that can be theirs if they will receive Christ as Savior. Let’s practice his love in our lives. Love not only those who are easy to love but love those who are hard to love. “All men will know that you are my disciples if you love one another.” (John 13:35)