"The Passion of The Christ"
People are asking me about my opinion of the film “The Passion of The Christ”. So, here it is. First of all, Mel Gibson did what he set out to do and he did it well. The word “passion” comes from the Latin word for “suffering.” As applied to Christ, it refers to the period following the Last Supper and includes the Crucifixion. Gibson intended to tell the story of the Passion as recorded in the New Testament in graphic detail and he did.
Secondly, the film puts more emphasis on the details of the sufferings of Christ than does the New Testament. Jeff Jacoby wrote that it “has to be the most graphic and brutal death ever portrayed on film.” Years ago, after hearing an evangelist graphically described the crucifixion of Christ, someone said to me that the New Testament never does that. From a New Testament point of view, the film is too graphic.
Thirdly, it makes Mary more prominent in the Passion than do the Gospels. Bill Murchison says Mary is “a mother rent by pain almost equal to her Son’s.” That’s going too far.
My opinions aside, the question is, “Who is responsible for the death of Jesus?”
The Romans Jesus was “condemned by Pontius Pilate” (Lk. 23:13-25). The Romans actually killed Christ, but the question is not, “Who killed Christ?” The question is, “Who is responsible?” A “hit man” may pull the trigger; the question is, “Who hired him?
The Jews of the Day Are the Jews responsible? Yes, at least the leaders and the crowd that was there that day (Acts 2:23, 3:14-15; 1 Thess. 2:14-16).
Should that be the basis for anti-Semitism? No, not any more than the fact that the Romans were responsible and that should not make us anti-Italian. The Japanese leaders and their followers of the 1940s bombed Pearl Harbor, but that does not mean that today we should be anti-Japanese. The German leaders and their followers of the 1940s killed millions of Jews and others, but that does not mean that today we should be anti-German. Some Arab leaders and their followers flew planes into the World Trade Center, but that does not mean that today we should be anti-Arab.
God I understand Christ died for the sin of the world, but I am not aware of any passage of Scripture that says we all killed Him and I know of several passages that specifically say who is responsible and it is not us. Jesus voluntarily laid down His life (Jn. 10:18) and God the Father planned it (Isa. 53:10; Jn. 3:16; Acts 2:23; Rev. 13:8). God did to demonstrate His love (Rom. 5:8), to provide a sacrifice for sin (1 Pet. 3:18) and an example of suffering (1 Pet. 3:18 in the context of 1 Pet. 3; see also Phil. 3:10; Heb 12:1-4). God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son that we might have forgiveness and an example of suffering.
See the film, but remember this is what God did, not the Romans, the Jews, or just us.
© G. Michael Cocoris, 3/42004
Secondly, the film puts more emphasis on the details of the sufferings of Christ than does the New Testament. Jeff Jacoby wrote that it “has to be the most graphic and brutal death ever portrayed on film.” Years ago, after hearing an evangelist graphically described the crucifixion of Christ, someone said to me that the New Testament never does that. From a New Testament point of view, the film is too graphic.
Thirdly, it makes Mary more prominent in the Passion than do the Gospels. Bill Murchison says Mary is “a mother rent by pain almost equal to her Son’s.” That’s going too far.
My opinions aside, the question is, “Who is responsible for the death of Jesus?”
The Romans Jesus was “condemned by Pontius Pilate” (Lk. 23:13-25). The Romans actually killed Christ, but the question is not, “Who killed Christ?” The question is, “Who is responsible?” A “hit man” may pull the trigger; the question is, “Who hired him?
The Jews of the Day Are the Jews responsible? Yes, at least the leaders and the crowd that was there that day (Acts 2:23, 3:14-15; 1 Thess. 2:14-16).
Should that be the basis for anti-Semitism? No, not any more than the fact that the Romans were responsible and that should not make us anti-Italian. The Japanese leaders and their followers of the 1940s bombed Pearl Harbor, but that does not mean that today we should be anti-Japanese. The German leaders and their followers of the 1940s killed millions of Jews and others, but that does not mean that today we should be anti-German. Some Arab leaders and their followers flew planes into the World Trade Center, but that does not mean that today we should be anti-Arab.
God I understand Christ died for the sin of the world, but I am not aware of any passage of Scripture that says we all killed Him and I know of several passages that specifically say who is responsible and it is not us. Jesus voluntarily laid down His life (Jn. 10:18) and God the Father planned it (Isa. 53:10; Jn. 3:16; Acts 2:23; Rev. 13:8). God did to demonstrate His love (Rom. 5:8), to provide a sacrifice for sin (1 Pet. 3:18) and an example of suffering (1 Pet. 3:18 in the context of 1 Pet. 3; see also Phil. 3:10; Heb 12:1-4). God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son that we might have forgiveness and an example of suffering.
See the film, but remember this is what God did, not the Romans, the Jews, or just us.
© G. Michael Cocoris, 3/42004
