I’ve been thinking a lot about The Passion of the Christ the past few weeks and have heard mixed reviews and comments ... much of the ... ... in the film. I’ve heard how the film i
I’ve been thinking a lot about The Passion of the Christ the past few weeks and have heard mixed reviews and comments regarding much of the information presented in the film. I’ve heard how the film is “anti-Semitic” and how it presents the Jewish people in a bad light, blaming them for Christ’s death. I’ve heard how horribly violent it is; during a prescreening in my hometown there were countless theatergoers who left the film early because they couldn’t take the brutality portrayed on the screen. I’ve viewed historical programs analyzing the film and how academia has tried, like they always do, to refute everything Jesus did in his all-too-brief lifetime. I’ve seen interviews with Mel Gibson and how the interviewer, and the editor, has tried to paint a negative image of the director. What point are all these scholars, journalists, and even theatergoers trying to make? In my opinion, they are missing the point altogether.
This film is not anti-Semitic. It’s true that a small number of Jewish High Priests were partly responsible for Jesus’ sentencing, as are the Roman authorities. But that small number of Jewish High Priests was alive 2,000 years ago and has nothing, I repeat, nothing to do with the Jews of today, or even the Jews of 1,000 years ago or even 50 years ago. Humanity and its sinful nature is responsible for Christ’s suffering and death. We have no one to blame but ourselves.
This film is violent. It is reality. How are people expecting Christ’s crucifixion to be portrayed? Do they think it was a walk in the park, something any human being could endure? I urge people not to leave but to stay through the whole film. Do not turn your eyes away from the screen each time Jesus’ back is slashed by the Roman whips. Do not turn your eyes away each time a nail pierces his skin. I challenge you to watch as each drop of his blood splatters on the ground. That blood you see was indeed shed for each and every one of us. Look deep into his eyes and feel, through his pain, the tremendous love Christ felt for us. I challenge academia to stop analyzing every detail of the film; stop picking apart the political, religious, and even racial “facts” of this film and start focusing on the beauty of the Passion itself, the reason why it occurred in the first place. For someone to go through what Christ went through and still have the strength to love us, the passion to die for our sins, is quite remarkable. The depth of His love for us knows no bounds, and I think His Passion is proof of that.
The reason for, the Truth of, His Passion is the point, and so many people have missed it.
About the Author Kathy Simcox, Columbus, Ohio, United States hrdude28@hotmail.com Kathy works as an Administrative Assistant in the College of the Arts at The Ohio State University. She holds a BA in Psychology and is currently working on a second BA in Religious Studies. In addition to writing, her passions include hiking, biking, kayaking, photography, and singing in her Lutheran church choir. She is also known to read an occasional book.
