Mel Gibson's film ‘The Passion of the Christ’ passed the $200m
(£108m) mark at the North American box office two weeks after its
opening on 25 February, just short of the returns enjoyed by ‘The
Return of the King’ at the same stage in its box office run. It has
had extravagant things said about it. Here is one example:
"The faith of millions of Christians will become more fervent as
Passion uplifts and inspires them. Passion will propel vast numbers of
unreligious [sic] Americans to embrace Christianity. The movie will one
day be seen as a harbinger of America's third great religious
reawakening." We’ll see.
Many films are judged according to how true they are to the book on
which they purport to be based. Is this film true to the Bible? This is
to ask more than whether it accurately portrays the last twelve hours of
Jesus’ life. In fact I would suggest the film contradicts several
vital Biblical principles:
1. Scripture alone tells us all we need to know about Christ
- The film’s storyline regularly departs from the Biblical,
historical account to follow Roman Catholic tradition. This quickly
becomes obvious with the prominence given to Mary in different scenes.
To quote from the film’s synopsis: ‘On Golgotha, Jesus is nailed
to the cross and undergoes his last temptation – the fear that he
has been abandoned by his Father. He overcomes his fear, looks at
Mary, his Holy Mother, and makes the pronouncement which only she can
fully understand, "it is accomplished"’.
Mel Gibson, who has described himself as a pre-Vatican II Roman
Catholic, regards Mary as co-redemptrix and co-mediatrix (interview in
‘Christianity Today’, March 2004). As well as the Gospel accounts,
the scriptwriters used as their source material taken from a book called
‘The Dolorous Passion of Christ’ by a mystic nun, Anne Catherine
Emmerich (1774-1824). The Pope reportedly liked the film, but the
Vatican promptly issued a denial that he had seen it.
- Much of the film’s violence is unwarranted from Scripture. A
secular reviewer in the USA wrote: ‘On a purely cinematic level,
‘The Passion of the Christ’ is a punishing film to behold...
From the moment the first whip is cracked until the final nail of
his crucifixion, every effort is made to capture the brutality of
Jesus' torture. Watching this extended process… you can't help but
feel like you've been beaten over the head by an over-abundance of
graphic violence.’ Gibson’s Jesus was beaten by the Jewish and
Roman guards almost every step of the way from the Garden of
Gethsemane to the cross; he was dropped off a bridge while bound and
chained; and when he was finally nailed to the cross, in sheer spite
the executioners turned the cross over twice with Jesus nailed to
it. The arrest in the Garden of Gethsemane features a drawn out
fight scene in the film. By contrast in the Gospels it is limited to
one blow with the sword.
2. The physical sufferings of Jesus are not the main thing
The Gospel writers are very reticent about the sufferings of Jesus.
There are no gruesome details. Having scourged Jesus, [Pilate]
delivered him to be crucified (Matthew 27:26b).
The New Testament’s primary focus is not on
Christ’s physical suffering. The Roman Empire of the first century AD
crucified hundreds of criminals on any given day. These men were all
subjected to slow, humiliating, agonising deaths. The death of Christ is
unique because of who he was. He was not only man, but also God the Son.
The agony of the cross is that of One who faced
abrupt and total separation from the love and fellowship of God the
Father that he had known from all eternity. His aversion and agony were
expressed in his cry from the cross: My God, My God, why have you
forsaken me? (Mark 15:34). It is surely the suffering of his soul
that is to the fore in the New Testament. We read in Luke’s account of
Gethsemane that Being in agony he prayed more earnestly. And his
sweat became like great drops of blood falling to the ground (Luke
22:44). In Mark’s account Jesus began to be troubled and deeply
distressed. Then he said to them my soul is exceedingly
sorrowful, even to death (Mark 14:34).
3. Christ’s humiliation is finished
Any representation of Christ is unhelpful, but the heart of the
believer especially recoils from images of the suffering Christ. I
remember how distressing it was when I saw for the first time a wayside
shrine in rural France with a full-colour Christ on the cross. It was
distasteful in an aesthetic sense, but I was repelled because the image
cheapened Christ, demeaned him. The time of his humiliation is over,
praise God! His sin-bearing work is finished. I have no wish to see it
publicly re-enacted.
The Roman Catholic doctrine that the mass is a sacrifice in which
Christ is repeatedly offered underlies Mel Gibson’s devotion and the
ethos of the film. It is an unwarranted representation of his death. We
have one proper means of remembrance - the Lord’s Supper. It is in
this that we proclaim the Lord’s death. Do we welcome
unbelievers to observe this Biblical setting forth of our Saviour?
4. Faith comes by hearing
The film will generate misplaced piety and spurious
spiritual experiences. Jim Caviezel, the actor who plays Jesus, recounts
‘conversions’ among actors and crew during the making of the film.
Every day mass was celebrated to prepare for filming. The whole
experience was evidently a very moving one for those involved.
But the right response to the sufferings of
Christ is not pity or pious devotion to some image of his suffering. On
his way to the cross the Lord actually turned away sorrow and
sentiment over the physical sufferings he was about to endure: Daughters
of Jerusalem, do not weep for me, but weep for yourselves and for your
children (Luke 23:28). The right response is heartfelt repentance
and genuine sorrow for the sin that put Christ on the cross, with trust
in his promise of forgiveness and new life.
In the New Testament we are given no descriptions of what Jesus
looked like as a man. But we are told how three of his disciples
glimpsed his heavenly glory on the mount of transfiguration. We
beheld his glory (John 1:14). We are meant to rely on the apostles’
testimony concerning the Lord Jesus Christ. That which… we have
heard, which we have seen with our eyes… and our hands have handled…
we declare to you (1 John 1:1-3).
‘The Passion of the Christ’ was due to open in the UK on 26
March. Our God is sovereign and merciful. There will be gospel
opportunities. Let us be ready to say, ‘Don’t watch the film, read
the Book!’
