Passion of the Christ movie review

So this Saturday, February 28, 2004 my wife and I along with other friends saw the movie. However, before I give this review, I would like to qualify it by limiting my judgment in light of the director/producer Mel Gibson. He, being a devout Traditionalist Catholic and talented moviemaker, has portrayed what he interprets in his mind what the last 12 hours of Christ.s death and 12-seconds of his resurrection would look like. So it is in that light that I offer my thimble-full movie review. For the purpose of keeping a logical flow, I will separate this review into two parts. The objective part and the subjective part, that is to say, what did the movie say and how did the movie make me feel. If you want to skip to what I thought of the movie, read ahead to the subjective review. Note: if you plan on watching this movie and don’t mind being spoiled by some of the scenes I describe, than stop reading now.

The Objective Review

The movie opens with Isaiah 53:5

.But He was pierced through for our transgressions, He was crushed for our iniquities; The chastening for our well-being fell upon Him, And by His scourging we are healed..

That singular verse introduces the intent of the entire movie. If by some miracle, the movie-watcher happens to have missed all the media hype surrounding this film, this verse prepares them for the oncoming theme and depiction of the Suffering Servant, Jesus Christ.

The introduction of the characters

The opening scene
The opening scene is Jesus praying by moonlight in the Garden of Gethsemane along with the sleeping three disciples Peter, James, and John (Matt 26:36-40). As Christ returns he rebukes the disciples for sleeping and commands them to stay watch and pray. The disciples immediately sense the great anguish and despair that their Lord was experiencing and the focus is returned to the praying Christ. The intensity of his anguish is displayed by the sweat of blood that is on his face (Luke 22:44) as he is praying to the Father.

The devil introduced
This scene is not without the primary antagonist, Satan. He, rather she, is displayed as a bald, lustful yet emotionless, looking woman who tempts Christ as he is praying to the Father. She prods him asking him where is his Father, making him question if his prayers are even heard. She then releases a snake towards the praying Jesus and as the snake is about to approach him, he stands up and crushes the snake with his foot, symbolizing Christ.s be victory over the death that was awaiting him.

.And I will put enmity Between you and the woman, And between your seed and her seed; He shall bruise you on the head, And you shall bruise him on the heel.”. (Genesis 3:15)

The death of Christ was a non-fatal blow. It could be thought of as a non-fatal snakebite. Christ.s death and resurrection however, was a fatal-blow to the Devil.s grip on the of death mankind. It was a bruise on the head of Satan signifying a blow of fatality on his enslavement of mankind to death. Notice what the writer of Hebrew says

.Therefore, since the children share in flesh and blood, He Himself likewise also partook of the same, that through death He might render powerless him who had the power of death, that is, the devil, and might free those who through fear of death were subject to slavery all their lives.. (Heb 2:14-15)

Through Christ.s death, he rendered the Devil.s power of death upon all mankind, powerless.

The traitor
The last character that leads us towards the capture of Christ is Judas. He is initially shown as selling out to chief priests (Matt 26:14-15; Luke 22:3-6; John 18:2), in return for the location and arrest of Jesus. Jesus is then arrested as Judas points him out by a kiss before the chief priests (Matt 26:49). However one of the three, Simon Peter, draws out a dagger and cuts off the ear of one of the chief priests (John 18:10). In this scene, the theme of Christ.s message of loving your enemies is displayed as he says:

“Put your sword back into its place; for all those who take up the sword shall perish by the sword..
(Mat 26:52)

However the following verses were kept absent:

“Or do you think that I cannot appeal to My Father, and He will at once put at My disposal more than twelve legions of angels? “How then will the Scriptures be fulfilled, which say that it must happen this way?” At that time Jesus said to the crowds, “Have you come out with swords and clubs to arrest Me as you would against a robber? Every day I used to sit in the temple teaching and you did not seize Me..
(Mat 26:53-55)

The revealing moment for the theological intent
This was a definitive point regarding the theological underpinnings of the movie, in that much of Christ.s poignant proclamations of His Deity was absent or not fully explained. Another scene that came to mind was when Christ gave up his spirit on the cross and the earth shook, the Centurion soldier did not verbally say, .this was indeed the Son of God!.

It must be noted that the suffering or passion of Christ seems to be a major focal point in Roman Catholicism. Where .Stations of the Cross. are Catholic devotions as a way to commemorate the suffering of Christ. Each station representing a place to pray and remember the event represented in that particular station. There are 14 stations commonly accepted by Roman Catholics:

(1) Jesus’ agony in the garden
(2) Jesus is betrayed by Judas and is arrested
(3) Jesus is condemned by the Sanhedrin
(4) Jesus is denied by Peter
(5) Jesus is condemned by Pontius Pilate
(6) Jesus is scourged and crowned with thorns
(7) Jesus is made to carry the cross
(8) Simon of Cyrene helps Jesus with His cross
(9) Jesus meets with the women of Jerusalem
(10) Jesus is crucified
(11) Jesus promises paradise to the repentant thief
(12) Jesus speaks to John and Mary on the cross
(13) Jesus dies on the cross
(14) Jesus is buried in the tomb.

This is the framework from which this movie undergoes its plot, with the addition of the resurrection in the last 12 seconds of the movie.

Subjective Review

Now that we.ve seen what the movie attempted to say, let.s look at how the movie made me feel as a movie watcher. If titles will help, I am a born-again Protestant Christian, who believes in the infallible Word of God, and one who fully affirms the Doctrines of Grace. I would now like to highlight scenes that personally moved me and illustrated for me the humanity of Jesus Christ.

The denial of Peter
To see those that were closest to Him, such as Simon Peter, betray Him was absolutely moving. When Peter denied knowing Jesus three times and then his eyes locking with that of Christ.s, you could feel the guilt and betrayal that is so familiar. How many times have I denied the Lord in my silence? How many opportunities have I failed to declare my Savior and God to those who mock him and curse His name! The humanity of Christ was fully displayed in that scene as you saw the heart of the Savior broken. You not only feel the guilt of the betrayer, but you also feel the broken heart of the betrayed.

The scourging of Jesus
The scourging of Jesus was an awful reality to watch. If the scourging was over the top, it was the absolute humiliation and mockery of Him by the Roman Soldiers that enflames you and makes you say, .Don.t they know who they are mocking?!. The varying degrees to which he suffered, revealed the words of the writer of Hebrews who said:

.Although He was a Son, He learned obedience from the things which He suffered..
(Heb 5:8)

The obedience of Christ
Jesus learned obedience in that with every temptation, every betrayal, every disappointment, every lashing, his obedience became more and more difficult to bear yet he remained obedient. Notice what Paul says to the Philippians:

.Being found in appearance as a man, He humbled Himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross.. (Phi 2:8)

Christ was not only obedient, but he was obedient to the point of death. The death was not any mere death it was the worst kind of death . death by crucifixion.

The graciousness of God
Near the end of Christ.s death, the most gracious act of Christ.s suffering is displayed as He takes with Him the confessing criminal on the cross to paradise:

.One of the criminals who hung there hurled insults at him: “Aren’t you the Christ? Save yourself and us!” But the other criminal rebuked him. “Don’t you fear God,” he said, “since you are under the same sentence? We are punished justly, for we are getting what our deeds deserve. But this man has done nothing wrong.” Then he said, “Jesus, remember me when you come into your kingdom.” Jesus answered him, “I tell you the truth, today you will be with me in paradise.” (Luk 23:38-42)

It is amazing to see even at the last moments of Jesus’ life that he displays the Gospel and its offer to all men. The Gospel is made effectual upon the sinner when there is confession of their sin and thus faith in Christ and repentance. We see all three in this last scene. The thief recongizes his sin, proclaims Christ to be Lord and God, and repents telling the other thief he too must see his sin and fear God, that is revere Him as Lord!

The conviction of Caiphas
Lastly, as Jesus cried out to the Father saying, .Father forgive them for they know not what they do,. the confessing criminal said to Caiphas who was walking away from Christ, .Don.t you know that this man prays for you!. Caiphas pauses, and at that point you see the hardness of man.s heart. The pause of Caiphas reveals to us that he knew that the one whom he has sentenced to crucifixion was indeed the Son of God but it was too late to reverse his accusation.

Conclusion

The Passion of the Christ will indeed go down in history as one of the most controversial movies ever made. To many, this movie has raised the benchmark of detail and accuracy to a whole new level. I came into the theatre knowing the gore and blood that awaited me but all that will certainly not prepare you for what you will see. There are far more movies that I have watched with more blood and gore, however, this movie added a new level of realism in light of the main character that it presents.

As a Christian, I could not help but be moved by a 2-hour display of the humanity of my Lord and Savior. This movie reminded me just how human Jesus Christ really was. For years I have studied and defended the Humanity and Deity of Christ yet oddly enough, it was harder to picture in my mind His humanity. It is this aspect of this movie that was so moving. However I would not say that this movie increased my faith, increased my intimacy with God, increased my knowledge of God. What it did however was heighten the brutality of the crucifixion, the human suffering of Christ, the human joys and pleasures of Christ, and the undeniable love of God to a sinning world.

Warnings
This positive effect could also be a negative effect on many people. What do I mean by that? Well it would be tragic if the world receives the “biblical” Christ to simply be a man who suffered for them. They don’t see the true suffering of receiving the wrath that far exceeds what we can humanly think! God the Father crushed the Son!

“But the LORD was pleased To crush Him, putting Him to grief; If He would render Himself as a guilt offering, He will see His offspring, He will prolong His days, And the good pleasure of the LORD will prosper in His hand. As a result of the anguish of His soul, He will see it and be satisfied; By His knowledge the Righteous One, My Servant, will justify the many, As He will bear their iniquities.” (Isa 53:10-11 NASB)

God crushed or killed the Son, Jesus Christ! If we say that it was the Jews, Romans, or Gentiles who killed Christ then we are only partially right. We must not forget that it was God who killed the Son! Why was it that God killed the Son? Why couldn’t God just kill a man to offer as a sacrifice for all? Jesus Christ had to be the one and only sacrifice because only the perfect lamb, the spotless one, the one without sin, could be offered to satisfy or appease the wrath of a holy a righteous God!

“The former priests, on the one hand, existed in greater numbers because they were prevented by death from continuing, but Jesus, on the other hand, because He continues forever, holds His priesthood permanently. Therefore He is able also to save forever those who draw near to God through Him, since He always lives to make intercession for them. For it was fitting for us to have such a high priest, holy, innocent, undefiled, separated from sinners and exalted above the heavens; who does not need daily, like those high priests, to offer up sacrifices, first for His own sins and then for the sins of the people, because this He did once for all when He offered up Himself.” (Heb 7:23-27 NASB)

The sacrificial death of Christ, unlike the sacrificial death of animals, offered by the high priests in the Old Testament (OT), was a once and for all sacrifice. The OT sacrifices were daily, asking for the forgiveness of the priest’s sins and the sins of the people through the shed blood of animals.

Christ’s death was a once and for-all perfect death. It was a perfect sacrifice because he was a perfect man in that he was without sin. Only a perfect man, a perfect sacrifice could satisfy the justice of a perfect God. An imperfect man would never satisfy the requirements of a perfect God.

Another warning is that people may depend on their devotion to Christ from feelings that they walk away with. The movie is without a doubt very moving, but how long will that feeling last? Just like the zeal for righteousness or justice that america felt after 9/11, so will this zeal for the suffering of Christ, pass. If we are dependent solely on movies or feelings, than devotion to Christ, allegiance to Him will be very shallow, superficial, and temporary. Christians love their God because of their understanding of His love for them. Love based not on His human suffering but also on His divine suffering and victory over sin. The greatest love is this:

“For while we were still helpless, at the right time Christ died for the ungodly. For one will hardly die for a righteous man; though perhaps for the good man someone would dare even to die. But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.” (Rom 5:6-8 NASB)

Love was displayed to man not at man’s best, but at man’s worst. Christ died for the ungodly and unrighteous like you and me! We did not have to commit to a system of good deeds because in light of His holiness they all fall short (Rom 3:23)! God does not want us to come to him with our good deeds or works, but in our sinful state. Unless we recognize our sinfulness before Him, we will never see how He is the Savior so that we confess Him to be Lord.

Lastly, the issue of man’s offense to a Holy God is not addressed fully in the movie. People must understand that man’s eternal death-indicting sin in light of a Holy and Perfect God! We must present the Gospel to be that Christ was victorious over sin, in that in His death He paid the perfect and costly price that God required. Christ not only conquered sin through his death, but by His resurrection we have new life with God! Christ conquered the power of death in that He rose from the dead!

The Good News
How a person be forgiven of their sins? One must place their faith in Christ, believing Him to be the only way that they can be saved from the indictment of sin resulting in eternal death. They must see the bad news before they can see the good news. They must see that their sin is what seperates them from God and that through their faith in Jesus Christ as the one who died and rose again, they can be united to God, to be reconciled to God! The good news is that they can be with God in this life and the next because Christ conquered sin on their behalf!

I highly recommend this movie to believers and unbelievers. It can be used as a great aid for our witness for Christ and to illustrate in great measure the humanity and love of the Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.