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The Passion of the Christ

I saw "The Passion of the Christ" yesterday. All-in-all, an excellent film. Going into the movie I had two apprehensions. First, I wasn't sure I wanted to watch two hours of unspeakable brutality, and second, I wasn't too sure how much Gibson's Catholic background would influence the film. The movie was less difficult to watch and more biblically founded than I anticipated.

The violence was disturbing--particularly because it is accurate. Scourging is a horrific punishment and crucifixion is unspeakably cruel. Gibson clearly shows the injustice of Jesus' execution without compromising on Jesus' power to avoid the whole ordeal. What drives the message home is Jesus' love and compassion on those inflicting this horror upon Him. Jesus is not the victim. Jesus choses to die. Gibson states this essential Christian message with power and clarity. Christ layed down His life for us--He accepts our punishment in our stead.

I understand the symbolism of the Satan character presented throughout the films. I thought it was clever way of showing the underlying epic battle of Jesus crushing Satan. Some symbolism that struck me as odd was Satan's "children" harassing Judas and the raven who pecks at the unbelieving criminal. Both were extrabiblical and didn't seem to fit.

I liked the focus on Mary and Jesus's relationship. As a new father I can readily identify with the heartbreak of watching my child suffer. Emily recently had pink eye and we had to administer eye drops. For the first few days she would scream and cry, looking at us as if she had been betrayed by her most trusted caretakers. Emily's suffering is nothing compared to Jesus's suffering. Gibson captures a mother's anguish while mainting a strong Mary who understands Christ's necessary death.

Although the movie vividly reminds me of Christ's sacrifice, I'm not sure how clearly the gospel message is conveyed. It seems one must be reasonably familiar with the gospel to extract meaning from the film. The movie greatly impacted me, but I'm not sure what impact it would have on a non-Christian. It could be nothing more than a violent film about a great man who suffered unspeakable torture. I hope that the film creates an opportunity for good discussion between Christians and non-Christians alike and the controversial rhetoric surrounding it's release won't distract from it's important message.