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We are a Christian Fellowship meeting in North London with a strong interest in teaching the Bible and understanding our time in
the light of Bible prophecy
“The Passion” film - helpful or harmful?
I went to see "The Passion" not for entertainment, but so I could say first
hand what I thought of it to the many people who were asking me about it. On
the positive side one has to say that it does quote the Gospels more or less
accurately. The words of Jesus have power regardless of the setting in which
they are spoken. Also in a society, much of which wants to rub Jesus out of
the picture altogether, it has created a talking point on the fact of His
death and resurrection.
On the negative side the violence of the film was overwhelming, gratuitous
and in my opinion the product of a sick mind that delights in showing sadism
and cruelty on the screen. Of course the flogging and crucifixion were
horrible in real life, but there was no spiritual purpose in having to watch
all this blood and gore for so long. There was actually far more time spent
of the flogging of Jesus than the crucifixion which is the main event in the
Gospels. In fact the Gospels do not focus on the horror but on the meaning
of the sacrifice of the Lord Jesus. The film had Jesus being beaten and
tortured in places where there is no mention of this happening in the
Gospels (e.g. on the way from Gethsemane to the trial before the High
Priest). It subjected Him to a level of violence which was so intense that
in real life it would have killed Him before He got to the cross.
It also portrayed Him as a pitiable figure, a helpless victim in the hands
of His captors. In the Gospels He voluntarily hands Himself over to the
authorities in order to be the sacrifice for the sins of the world. Despite
this He remains in control of events from the moment of His arrest, through
His trials before the Sanhedrin and Pilate and even on the cross as He
chooses the moment of His death once the atoning sacrifice has been
completed. There was no attempt to explain the spiritual meaning of Jesus
death and resurrection (which is hardly surprising since Mel Gibson is not a
Bible believing Christian) and a non believer seeing the film would come
away with little or no idea why Jesus endured this horrible torture and
death.
As well as feeding the public appetite for gratuitous violence on screen,
the film also fed the appetite for demonic manifestations with the
appearance of Satan in the Garden of Gethsemane and the demons appearing to
torment Judas Iscariot. This was totally unbiblical and another product of
the modern media’s obsession with the dark side of the supernatural. Through
much of the film, especially at the high points in the crucifixion the
background music created a spooky / spiritual atmosphere which I felt led
into a New Age occult spirit. These kind of mystical wailings are completely
at odds with music glorifying the Lord and focusing on His love revealed at
Calvary.
The film is highly influenced by Roman Catholicism. Mary, the mother of
Jesus, appears all over the place, despite the fact that in the Gospels she
only appears once in John 19.25-7, where she plays a very minor role. After
denying the Lord, the film has Peter kneeling down before Mary seeking
forgiveness. Mary appears strengthening Jesus through the ordeal of the
flogging, the carrying of the cross and the crucifixion itself. This ties in
with the Catholic idea of Mary as being somehow involved in our redemption
which is entirely unbiblical. The film also uses the Catholic myth of
Veronicas handkerchief in which the face of Jesus is supposed to be
imprinted on a handkerchief which a woman called Veronica is supposed to
have used to wipe Jesus face on the way to the cross.
Apparently Gibson derived some of the source material for the film from the
work of Sister Emmerich (1774-1824), a Catholic visionary. Her writings The
Dolorous Passion of Our Lord Jesus Christ are the basis of some of the more
stunning, non-biblical scenes in Gibson’s movie - from Jesus confrontation
with Satan in the Garden of Gethsemane to the explicit details of His
scourging by Roman guards, to a crucifixion scene in which His arm is pulled
out of its socket and the thief on the cross has his eyes pecked out by a
raven. Emmerich’s work definitely is anti-Semitic, although the anti-Semitic
parts of it did not come into the film. In The Dolorous Passion she sees
Jewish priests passing out bribes to get people to offer false testimony
against Jesus and even tipping the Roman executioners. She also describes
seeing Jesus cross being built in the courtyard of the Temple in Jerusalem.
Emmerich’s 19th-century biographer, the Rev. C.E. Schmoeger, wrote about how
she had one vision of an old Jewess Meyr, who confessed to her that Jews
in our country and elsewhere strangled Christian children and used their
blood for all sorts of suspicious and diabolical practices.
Gibson denies any anti-Semitic motivation for producing the film, although
this has been a major concern of the Jewish community. The film does cast
the Jewish religious leadership in a bad light (as does the New Testament).
On the other hand it does show that Jesus and the disciples are Jewish,
speaking Aramaic and celebrating the Passover (admittedly with leavened
rather than unleavened bread). It is doubtful that many uninformed people
will have enough knowledge to make the connection that both the friends and
enemies of Jesus are Jewish. The film does quote the verse where Jesus says,
No one takes my life from me, I lay it down of my own accord (John 10.18).
This should show people that Jesus death was voluntary and His own decision
in order that He might be the sacrifice for the sins of the world. However I
doubt if many people will be able to make that connection without having it
spelled out to them. So the film may provoke some anti-Semitism in the kind
of people who are already hostile to Jewish people. However in my opinion
there are other forces at work in our society far more likely to create real
anti-Semitism than this film, notably the extreme hostility to Israel being
promoted by much of the media today and the growing influence of militant
Islam.
On this issue the challenge to believing Christians is to teach clearly the
truth that the blood of Jesus speaks of mercy not vengeance and that any
idea that Christians should hate, persecute or kill Jews because of the
crucifixion is the exact opposite of Jesus teaching and intention. The
cruelty inflicted on Jesus in the film and in the Gospels was carried out by
the Romans. Despite washing his hands of the case Pontius Pilate bore the
ultimate responsibility for Jesus death. The New Testament spells out
clearly who was responsible in Acts 4.27-8: Herod and Pontius Pilate met
together with the Gentiles and the people of Israel in this city to conspire
against Your holy servant Jesus whom You anointed. They did what Your power
and will had decided beforehand should happen. In other words both Jews and
Gentiles were responsible but they were carrying out what was ultimately God
s purpose in order that Jesus might be the sin offering for the whole
world. Messianic Jew, Steve Maltz, has produced an excellent leaflet
answering the question Who killed Jesus? which is available for
distribution. There is also a chapter in my new book The Messiah Factor
answering this question.
As to the idea that many churches and Christian organisations are putting
over that this film will lead to a revival of Christianity I consider that
impossible for the following reason. Apart from having produced some
appallingly violent films, Gibson is a member of a very traditional Roman
Catholic sect. He has said contradictory things about salvation that there
is no salvation outside the Roman Catholic Church and that all roads lead to
God. James Caviezel, who plays Jesus in The Passion, claims to be a devout
Roman Catholic who credited the Marian apparitions at Medjugorje in Croatia
as his inspiration for taking on the role of Jesus. In these visions Mary
is supposed to have given ten secrets, messages which purport to contain
the final chapters in the history of the world, including impending
chastisements along with their dates. Monica Belucci who plays Mary
Magdalene in the film is an Italian porn star.
The films endorsement by leading Christian ministries like the Billy Graham
Organisation and London Premier Radio is another step in the direction of
endorsing the Church of Rome as an authentic Christian church which, it is
claimed, is no different in essence from Protestant churches. In fact Rome
is steeped in the blood of martyrs who died for the cause of biblical
Christianity, like William Tyndale, the great translator of the Bible into
English who was burnt at the stake as a heretic. Historically Rome has
always opposed the spread of the true Gospel and remains today a powerful
opponent of authentic Christianity. The fact that so many Protestant
churches and church leaders are rushing to embrace her is a sure sign of the
apostasy of the last days of this age. The message of the Bible is Come out
of her, my people Revelation 18.4.
