I used to work at Blockbuster Video, and every year around this time, "Passion of the Christ" was one of the most popular rentals. Easter is just a few days away, and it always surprises me how many people want to view this film every year.
I have seen the film twice, I think. And I see the value in revisiting it every year around Easter. There is something that movies can capture in depicting the crucifixion of Jesus that Sunday morning pastors are sometimes unable to tell in their sermons.
It's been a while since I have seen the film and I could probably use a refresher. But there is something about seeing the actor playing Jesus be whipped and tormented on screen that seems to stick with us better than words can. I remember hearing in an interview that Mel Gibson, the director of the film, said he was criticized for overplaying Jesus' flogging and making the movie too gory. He responded by saying that if anything, he downplayed a lot of the gore and tried to make the movie less gruesome.
That alone resonates with me. For anyone to endure such a death, much less the Son of God, makes those scenes that much more powerful. Though I have only seen the film a few times, those images stick with me in powerful ways that sometimes the words cannot. Sometimes words don't do the grisly crucifixion justice. Instead, I think we need this and other films to reveal the enormity of Jesus' claim to be the Son of God--especially seeing as how he knew he would have to endure such pain. Whether you are Christian or not, whether you liked this film or not, I think it serves its purpose in teaching through on-screen images when words are incapable of completely encompassing the price Jesus paid on the cross.
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