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Commentaries
on The Passion of the Christ
The
Bigger Picture
By Simon
Cohen What
is the worst thing you have ever done? Did you curse
yourself afterwards, feel a deep sense of shame, and
make an empty promise that you would never do anything
like it again, and you would be a good person for the
rest of your life? That’s how I felt after watching The
Passion of the Christ.
Gibson
repeatedly stabbed my conscience with a two-hour reminder
of my personal shortcomings and the dire state of humanity.
With every spit, kick and punch, I was compelled to think
about the magnitude of humanity’s sins and the
sacrifice required to redeem them. According to Christian
theology, Jesus lived to suffer and die for our sins
- all our sins. The time I stole from my father’s
wallet. The time I picked on a kid at school. Caiaphas
and the Jewish mob may have condemned Jesus, but all
of humanity killed him. Maybe if we hadn’t been
such a sinful bunch, Jesus’ suffering might have
been limited to the odd bone-crunching whack, stoning
and the crucifixion. The fact is, life just ain't like
that. A reflection of the last twelve hours of Jesus’ life
is in essence a reflection of the weight of sin that
pervades humanity. The Passion places the enormity
of Jesus’ sacrifice in explicit perspective. The
fact that we can empathize so much with the hatred and
violence in Gibson’s first century world is our
problem, not the director’s. We may not go round
stoning or crucifying each other, but we are all far
from perfect. For those that denounce the violence in
the Passion as gratuitous, I ask you one question:
what is the worst thing you have ever done?
The
Passion was never going to be a comfortable ride.
Gibson takes us on a roller coaster of intense emotions.
Some people leave the film in tears, some in silence,
some in disgust. I felt ashamed, but I also felt inspired.
The portrayal of humanity’s sins juxtaposed against
Jesus’ love makes the Passion one of
the greatest cinematic tales of good versus evil. The
Dalai Lama once said, "whether one believes in
religion or not - there isn't anyone who doesn't appreciate
kindness." In the eyes of this agnostic, the altruism
and compassion Jesus displayed in the face of adversity
represents a benchmark for morality that we can all
aspire to. The rare glimpses of the life and teachings
of Jesus in the film are eclipsed by the scenes of
blood and brutality. For those people who see the film
without a prior knowledge of the gospels and the Christian
doctrine of redemption, the spiritual impact of the
film will be unquestionably diminished. Only by having
an insight into the person of Jesus and his unique
relationship with God, can we truly appreciate the
devotion he displays in the last hours of his life.
In the absence of the bigger picture – the context
that the Bible provides - the viewers are left with
the gospel according to Gibson, a subjective half-day
snapshot of a holy man’s life. There is nothing
sacred about a spirituality based on a movie man’s
interpretation of the final hours of Jesus’ life.
Only a pro-active search for the historical and theological
context surrounding the film can lead to a truly spiritual
Passion experience.
The
sacred Hindu poem the Bhagavad Gita states, "If
you want to see the brave, look at those who can forgive.
If you want to see the heroic, look at those who can
love in return for hatred." If you want to see the
bravest hero of them all, read the gospels and go and
see The Passion of the Christ. But be warned,
for every hero there must be a villain. What’s
the worst thing you have ever done?
Copyright ©2004
Simon Cohen
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