(I have this typed up in word with a different format, but lost all of that here. If you would like a copy of the word document, just drop me a note and let me know.)
The Passion of The Christ, A Warning
Although my Spidey-senses have been tingling, my fingers have been busy elsewhere. I apologize for the lateness of this post. I hope that you will finish reading this post before you throw it down in disgust and forever decide that you will never read my blog again. I must lay down a few things that this writing is NOT intended to do so that I can’t be accused of saying something I didn’t. I will not say that anyone that has went to see this movie is a horrible Christian, a blatant sinner, or even kicks puppies. I will not say that I will never watch this movie. I probably will when it comes out on video. I will not say that some people may make a life-changing decision with this movie as the catalyst. I believe God is sovereign and can use anything he chooses to bring a new child into the Kingdom. There are some things that I want to throw out as a caution on this movie. I know that many people have gone to see it. People in my church and youth group have gone to see it. I have told them my cautions when I’ve been asked about it.
Cautions about “THE PASSION OF THE CHRIST”
1. Turn to the Book of Icon Productions, Scene 1, Paragraph two… or “TPOTC IS A MOVIE”
Although this is an obvious statement it is a very important truth. TPOTC is a man’s view of a small portion of scripture. (Only 10.6% or 402 verses out of 3779 in the gospel tell the story of the crucifixion, and I am being generous enough to include the Last Supper and the Garden of Gethsemane in that)There are many things in this movie that are not scriptural at all, many things that the scriptures are silent on, as obviously God’s focus of the Crucifixion was not for visual consumption. Mel Gibson “assumes” that certain words were spoken in Aramaic, Hebrew or Latin. No where do we know what language Christ was arrested in, what language he spoke on the cross in or for that matter what “path” he trod on the way to Golgotha, these are insignificant for the purpose of salvation. And make no doubts about it the crucifixion was solely for the purpose of salvation. I will address that more in a short while. In the Old Testament we see one of the Ten Commandments address a danger of this film. “Thou shalt not make unto thee any graven image, or any likeness [of any thing] that [is] in heaven above, or that [is] in the earth beneath, or that [is] in the water under the earth: (Exodus 20:4)” (Please don’t be obnoxious enough to say that I am condemning any graven image I am giving the reason for the commandment.) The reason God did this is that many people willingly attribute HIS DIETY and HIS POWER to created things or created beings. “Who changed the truth of God into a lie, and worshipped and served the creature more than the Creator, who is blessed for ever. Amen. (Romans 1:25)” An interesting thought occurs to me that the truth of God is found only in the WORD of GOD.
To many people this may be the only account of the crucifixion they will ever know, and I daresay that it is not far fetched to see this movie in some way “canonized” as a legitimate alternative to the Bible. Do you think that I exaggerate? Check out the “Shroud of Turin”, the “Wood of the Cross”, any Catholic relic, or icon (Hmmm, that’s the name of Mel’s production company). All are man made items assigned with a certain “power or holiness” to them, and all are extra-biblical. For those who did not know it, TPOTC follows the very uniquely Catholic “Stations of the Cross” which also contains extra-biblical material.
I find it disturbing that we need a visual representation to bring a saving knowledge of Christ to the world, as Christ himself says… Jesus saith unto him, Thomas, because thou hast seen me, thou hast believed: blessed [are] they that have not seen, and [yet] have believed. (John 20:29).
2. To be almost saved is to be completely lost or “TPOTC leaves people on the doorstep of Salvation and abandons them their; it is an incomplete gospel. “
I have talked to three of my teenagers who attended the movie. One set was a brother and sister who went with their unsaved Dad. When he went into the movie, he was unsaved. When he came out of the movie, he was unsaved. I asked them, did the movie seem to have any impact on their Dad, and they said yes it did. When he was bringing them home for church Sunday morning, he said that he definitely wasn’t going to church because like Jesus he can pray at home.
What does this story have to do with my point? A great deal really. It highlights a few things in fact. TPOTC takes you on an emotional journey that is visually stunning. And this could really be a sub-point of TPOTC is a movie. The fact is that because so much is attributed to this movie, that the church has been used to promote it almost gives this movie a feeling of “legitimacy” of being “church” endorsed, this is a bad thing because so much hope and money (over 115 million at the time of this posting) have been invested in the movie and the Good News of Christ’s resurrection isn’t told. Wait, it shows Jesus and the empty tomb (I can hear a cacophony of voices saying… “We got him now”) but it does NOTHING to explain the key components, the good news, the “what does this have to do with me” of salvation. The key components being… 1. Realizing we are sinners. 2. Realizing that there is a penalty for our sin (a real fiery literal hell) 3. Realizing that a sinless Christ died FOR our sins and 4. realizing and acknowledging that “Whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved,” Romans 10:31. Now this wouldn’t be a bad thing if this were just another movie… but you can’t treat the plan of salvation and the cross of Christ as just another ANYTHING. Many people who are hopelessly and completely lost and heading straight for hell will go see this movie and gain a sense of security because they have a HEAD KNOWLEDGE of Christ’s death and no HEART APPLICATION of the reason and purpose for it. It will hopelessly bind millions of “christians" (85% of Americans claim they are Christians) into a belief that because they were “moved” by this emotional roller coaster that all they have to do is go back to their church, cult, or group and be good “christians". There is danger there. If you have a friend that wants to go see it, tell them you will go with them so that you can explain salvation to them. Don’t be satisfied to let them “experience” the movie unless you are satisfied with their spiritual destination after seeing any other movie. Don’t leave them at the doorstep of salvation and expect them to walk through. Show them HOW to walk through.
3. Jesus sells tickets… or “TPOTC is consumerism at its best, yet there is a silence about this.”
The penchant of the “next generation” of Christians is the evilness of consumerism. Just so you know, I tend to agree with this although probably not to the extent that some have taken it. I sort of like what the Bible call’s it. “For all that [is] in the world, the lust of the flesh, and the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life, is not of the Father, but is of the world. (1 John 2:16)” It’s lust, let’s call it what it is. This lust for worldly things runs rampant in the movie, if you don’t think so, go the website and see how to order your official “The Passion of Christ” Coffee Mug. It is a lust of the eyes that takes people to see the movie. The lust to SEE the horribleness of the cross and to bask in all it’s gore. There is more on this late on. You can call me skeptical but I often wonder how strategic Mel Gibson and his production company were in the release of certain aspects of this movie. He courted ALL the most important “Christian” sources to get his movie out. There was an almost guaranteed controversy from the Jews just because of his Traditionalist Catholic connections and their belief that the Holocaust was somewhat exaggerated or even fictitious. Let’s face it when you get the Christian Media Mafia behind you, endorsing you, you are going to sell some tickets. The Rick Warrens, Dr. Dobson’s, the Moody Broadcasting’s… they provide the product you provide the cash. I have heard ALL of these individuals or groups chastised when they spoke against any number of things in the “pomo/emerge” church for being guilty of practicing “Christian Consumerism”, but most of the people who would condemn this have attended this movie, some not even willingly but because they feel that they “HAVE” to. So after obtaining all these endorsements by the big names, then comes the licensing of the products. The coffee mugs, the “Isaiah 53” Nails, the sound tracks, don’t forget the book rights and then of course all the study materials. And residuals, and associated sales. Think I am blowing this out of proportion. I challenge you to walk into ANY book shop that isn’t INSIDE of a church and ask for something from “TPOTC” or a “crown of thorns”. There aren’t many folks. And I get tired of everyone singing the praise of Mel. What did he do? Make a movie and use some shrewd marketing to make sure that every “christian" in America would hear about it??? Maybe I will be wrong and he will donate all profits from the movie to send Missionaries into the world and tell others about Christ. But I won’t hold my breath. If you look at this movie as ANYTHING other than entertainment you would be better off saving your $10.00 and giving it to a missionary.
4. Saint Mel or “Defense of TPOTC is greater than defense of the scripture.”
Some of you have read this to this point and are already writing down comments and responses just teeming to explain to me or prove me wrong that TPOTC is more than a movie. You are waiting to correct me about some obscure point of the movie. But will gloss over the fact that anything that I have said with Biblical importance is supported Biblically. Maybe you are concerned that I have tarnished Mel’s stellar record or that I am being judgmental of him. The truth is we are trying to take a man, who is a sinner and from his own mouth, probably not saved and put upon him all the onus of Revival in America. [Gasp] Well read this: http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/4224452/
Here is an excerpt:
Gibson was interviewed by the Herald Sun in Australia, and the reporter asked the star if Protestants are denied eternal salvation. “There is no salvation for those outside the Church,” Gibson replied. “I believe it.”
He elaborated: “Put it this way. My wife is a saint. She’s a much better person than I am. Honestly. She’s, like, Episcopalian, Church of England. She prays, she believes in God, she knows Jesus, she believes in that stuff. And it’s just not fair if she doesn’t make it, she’s better than I am. But that is a pronouncement from the chair. I go with it.”
Gibson also said in the interview that he was nearly suicidal before he made his controversial film. “I got to a very desperate place. Very desperate. Kind of jump-out-of-a-window kind of desperate,” he said in the interview. “And I didn’t want to hang around here, but I didn’t want to check out. The other side was kind of scary. And I don’t like heights, anyway. But when you get to that point where you don’t want to live, and you don’t want to die, it’s a desperate, horrible place to be. And I just hit my knees. And I had to use ‘The Passion of the Christ’ to heal my wounds.”
Gibson’s rep wasn’t available for comment.
[end excerpt]
“I go with it (The Catholic Churches pronouncement of no salvation outside of itself)” doesn’t leave me a lot of hope that this movie was made to see people saved. Maybe to turn people to Catholicism… but not saved. Sorry all. If I am being harsh or judgmental in your eyes… re-read what MEL GIBSON says and get back to me with your justification of Mel. And after that you can read this http://www.theage.com.au/articles/2004/02/24/1077497565061.html?from=top5 and justify this to me too:
Here is an excerpt:
The freelance journalist, to use Mel's own analogy in his recent conversation with US journalist Diana Sawyer, is the very same who first tried "to drive a wedge between me and my father".
In stirring up publicity for Passion, Mel has been eager to make enemies. (Of New York Times columnist Frank Rich, Gibson was reported as saying: "I want to kill him. I want his intestines on a stick. . . . I want to kill his dog.") Noxon can lay legitimate claim to being the first "enemy" accused by Mel of attempting to discredit his faith and his film's pro-Christian message.
[end excerpt]
5. What a man… or “The deity of Christ is not clearly established.”
Approximately 90% of the Gospels are used to show the DEITY of Christ. It starts with His miraculous birth, His sin free life, and his many miracles. There is a reason for this. Christ’s death means NOTHING if he weren’t completely God. If he sinned one iota YOU and I have NO CHANCE for Salvation. As I stated above: Only 10.6% or 402 verses out of 3779 in the gospel tell the story of the crucifixion, and I am being generous enough to include the Last Supper and the Garden of Gethsemane in that. In other words, the crucifixion is only a part of the story. A climatic part and crucial to Salvation, but not without the other facts. Many people will walk into this theatre thinking that Jesus was a good man, but he was more than that, he was a perfect man and completely God. There is a decided lack of conveyance of Christ’s sinless nature and a concentration on his physical sufferings.
6. The Jerusalem Chainsaw err… Nine-Tails Massacre or… “TPOTC focuses deeply on the physical agony but not the spiritual agony.”
I am sorry but I fall into the line that the movie’s intense focus on Christ’s physical agony misses the point of the crucifixion. The Bible talks about the blood of Christ as a precious thing that offers redemption but it always ties it to a couple things. The perfect God “But with the precious blood of Christ, as of a lamb without blemish and without spot: (1 Peter 1:19)”, and the hope of our salvation “If in this life only we have hope in Christ, we are of all men most miserable. But now is Christ risen from the dead, [and] become the firstfruits of them that slept. For since by man [came] death, by man [came] also the resurrection of the dead. For as in Adam all die, even so in Christ shall all be made alive. But every man in his own order: Christ the firstfruits; afterward they that are Christ's at his coming. (1 Corinthians 15:19-23)” Christ physical suffering were great but not greater than the thousands of others who were crucified. It is not greater than the man who is consumed in a fire and has no limbs, or is paralyzed in a horrible life-changing accident. So where does Christ suffer such that no man can comprehend? His sufferings come from his perfection and his separation from His heavenly Father with whom He is always in communion. “Looking for that blessed hope, and the glorious appearing of the great God and our Saviour Jesus Christ; Who gave himself for us, that he might redeem us from all iniquity, and purify unto himself a peculiar people, zealous of good works. (Titus 2:13-14)” Christ’s agony was that he had to leave his Father and pay for our sins. His agony was that He being sinless had to take on our sins and that he had to pass through death to claim the keys over hell and death. “I [am] he that liveth, and was dead; and, behold, I am alive for evermore, Amen; and have the keys of hell and of death. (Revelation 1:18)” It was because we brought death into this world that he had to face it not because he was afraid of suffering but because he despaired being separated from the Father. All of creation hung in the balance when the Creator Hun on the cross. What do I mean? You may ask. I mean that Christ WILLINGLY gave that which no other could give to give that which no other could have. He rejoices in the fact that he is alive for evermore and that we can be too.
I am sure many people will go to see this movie because they are intrigued about the visual effects of it. The one teen told me… “You could see his ribs, it was sick…” I thought, yup, that will definitely pull people in. The best story could have been told AFTER the crucifixion, after his body was abused, but this generation… instead of seeking a sign, seeks a cinema… “And when the people were gathered thick together, he began to say, This is an evil generation: they seek a sign; and there shall no sign be given it, but the sign of Jonas the prophet. For as Jonas was a sign unto the Ninevites, so shall also the Son of man be to this generation. (Luke 11:29-30)” Can you say… Modern America??? My point is that the crucifixion is given in all the detail God has for us in the Bible, His Word. Do we really need it augmented, does that make it more powerful? Or are we just satisfying the “Lust of the eyes”?
7. Go Ye into all the Theaters and Watch the Crucifixion… or “TPOTC is a crutch for Christians who don’t want to obey the Great Commission.”
Hollywood is not the Church. The Bible, and that “Jesus guy from the Mel Gibson Movie” tell us: “And Jesus came and spake unto them, saying, All power is given unto me in heaven and in earth. Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost: Teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you: and, lo, I am with you alway, [even] unto the end of the world. Amen. (Matthew 28:18-20)” and “And he said unto them, Go ye into all the world, and preach the gospel to every creature. He that believeth and is baptized shall be saved; but he that believeth not shall be damned. (Mark 16:15-16)” Go YE, you all, every saved person, i.e. THE CHURCH, into all the world. Not Hollywood. It is time for all those “BEING THE CHURCH” to get busy DOING the CHURCHES WORK. Quit complaining about your Senior Pastor’s retirement fund, big house, and Cadillac and get busy preaching and reaching. Don’t just “live it” proclaim it. This movie has the danger of being just another crutch for a generation who refuses to obey God and proclaim a “greater truth” that they have found. If the church (hey guys and gals, that’s YOU and ME) were busy for God, a whole generation of Americans wouldn’t find the fact that Christ suffered on the cross so fascinating and entertaining, perhaps they would be preaching and reaching themselves.
Those are my warnings about the movie. I know that has been epic in length and I apologize for that fact but the truth is that I had many other points that I could have made. For those who have seen the movie I would love for you to share the life-changing decision you have made. Perhaps some sin God has convicted you of that you are not longer going to embrace. REVIVAL WILL NOT COME THROUGH A MOVIE BUT ONLY THROUGH THE PRAYER AND REPENTANCE OF HIS CHILDREN. It starts at MY doorstep and continues at YOURS!
