I was just thinking about ...
The
Passion - Unseen, But Not Unfelt!?
I
am just one more voice in many sounding off on "The Passion of the
Christ"; except I haven't seen it yet. I plan to view it later this week
with some members of my church. But I am glad I've had this opportunity to watch
reaction to it as a curious bystander. I've heard several reviews from
believers, non-believers, Jewish leaders, pastors, etc. And what I've noticed
most, is that people seem to get out of it, that which most closely resembles
their own faith or at least, personality.
Some examples: the only ones I've heard claiming it blames the Jews, are Jewish,
and they always seem a bit defensive over the slightest hint of anti-Semitism.
The extremely evangelistic see it as a great tool for evangelism. Those who
deplore violence are turned off by the graphic nature of it, no matter how
historically accurate. Those who are always looking for God's grace and
forgiveness, are overwhelmed by the willingness of Jesus sacrifice himself for
them. And the atheists, well, it was a well-done flick.
I find it hard to believe that a movie would be an earth-shattering event.
Putting aside all thoughts of the profitability of the venture, (it stands to
make a fortune for all involved in it's making) it is still a man-made story. It
speaks from one man's point of view. Well researched, but it is still one man's
view of the Gospel of Jesus Christ. But then, so were the Gospels. The Gospel
according to Matthew, Mark, Luke and John are all given to us via four human
writers, who tell us the story of God's Good News to humanity. How did they
receive the story? By witnessing themselves, by eyewitness accounts or by
the stories told by Jesus' contemporaries, they recorded the Good News with the understood
presence of the Holy Spirit.
So maybe there is something in this movie that will speak to us. From what I've
seen, this movie serves as a mirror of our selves. When watching it, we see our
own fears and questions, our anger and frustrations, our own sense of guilt or
emptiness and our search for forgiveness, grace and meaning. Maybe that in
itself shows that God is behind it and the Spirit of God is with it. With this
in thought, I almost fear going to it. What will I see, the truth? If so, will I
be able to deal with it? What to you think?
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