Friday, February 27, 2004
“THE PASSION OF THE CHRIST”
Wednesday night Karon and I saw the much-talked about movie, “THE PASSION OF THE CHRIST”, produced and paid for by Mel Gibson.
Last Sunday at Church the service focused on this subject. I preached about Christ’s Passion. At that point we had not seen the movie. I had decided that anything I would say about seeing the movie I wanted to say before people saw it. I also decided that I would not comment about the movie itself until everyone who wished had an opportunity to see it. I don’t want to spoil it for anyone or prejudice anyone either for or against.
But I do want to make some general observations now that I have seen the movie. First, I strongly believe that every Christian should see the film. It has every potential to strengthen their faith. I will never participate in the Lord’s Supper (Communion) with the same attitude again, having seen the film. It definitely made an impact on me.
I definitely think younger children should NOT see it. There have been several ages suggested which children below that age should not see the movie. Some have suggested 14, 13, and 12. I think those are about the right ages to begin to consider whether or not your child should see the film. There is no exact, magical age. It will vary by the emotional and spiritual maturity of the child and their spiritual background. Children from Christian families MAY be able to see the film at an earlier age than children from another type background.
But always, parents should see the film first and prayerfully decided whether or not to have their children see it. And parents should ALWAYS see the film WITH their children and then discuss and process it afterward.
Some have said the film is a good evangelistic tool to bring people to Christ. Having seen the film, I would say, “That depends!” It depends on where you are in the process of leading someone to Christ. If you have been in discussions and study for a while and have developed a relationship then, yes, it could be a good tool. But if you are just in an initial, casual relationship with a non-Christian I’m not so sure the film would be useful.
Having said all that, I would make some specific suggestions regarding seeing the movie:
1. Prepare to see the movie by praying about your decision to see it or not. It is up to each person’s personal convictions whether or not they should see this film. In all matters we are to remember: “….and everything that does not come from faith is sin.” (Romans 14:23b)
2. Read the 4 Gospel accounts of the last 12 hours of Jesus’ life. That’s the period of His life covered in the movie. If you have children, prepare them to see the movie in much the same way you prepare yourself to see it should you decide your children should see the movie.
3. Remember that this isn’t fiction. It really happened. Maybe it didn’t happen just exactly the way you see it portrayed on the screen but it happened. We are so used to the fictional on television and in the movies that we tend to think, “Oh well, this didn’t really happen. This is just a story.” Folks, this happened. In fact, Mel Gibson says he “toned it down” from what it probably was really like. If the screen version is toned down, I don’t want to witness what really happened.
4. Remember, the physical suffering wasn’t the worst part of it. The worst part was when God turned away because Jesus took on Himself the sin of the world. And God cannot look on sin.
For me, there is one downside. It has nothing to do with making the film or the film itself. It is the commercialism of it. And I’m not talking about the selling of tickets. There is nothing wrong with that. I have no problem with Mel Gibson recovering his $25+ million dollars it cost to make the film. I don’t even have a problem with him making a profit.
I believe in the free enterprise, capitalistic system. But it was too much for me when, on my computer screen at home, a well-known Christian bookstore flashed a classy advertisement with the invitation: “GET YOUR PASSION ITEMS HERE WHILE THEY LAST. PASSION COINS, PASSION CARDS, PASSION…….I can’t remember what all else!”
*Sigh* I guess it shouldn’t bother me. They did the same thing with the Prayer of Jabez; the Lord of The Rings, and who knows what else. But I have to admit it did cheapen the whole thing for me for awhile. But I didn’t let it detract from the main focus—the Passion of the Christ.
Yes, seeing the movie is quite an experience. One for which you should adequately prepare yourself.
Jim
posted by jim 3:21 PM 0 comments
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