The Passion
I'm not a big fan of Mel Gibson. I remember enjoying Mad Max and Tim a very long time ago, when he was Australian, but I can't think of anything else that I have really liked. In interviews he seems like a buffoon, and, I know this is petty, but an American accent is much more irritating out of the mouth of someone who used to have an Australian one. So, when I first heard about Mel's Jesus movie, I wasn't very hopeful about it.
In 1990, on Good Friday, I watched the Jesus movie (that is the most watched movie ever), on the ABC. Actually seeing the whole of Jesus' life on earth, his death and resurrection helped me to understand who he is and what he did for me. I became a Christian right then at the end of the movie - I was so thankful to Christ for suffering what he did on my behalf. The Passion gives a more in depth look at that suffering. To give an indication of the impact of the film:I didn't eat my maltesers.
I have never seen such a violent film. Like many of my generation, I am desensitised to violence. I can easily watch characters in films die bloody deaths. This time, I watched someone I know and love beaten, nearly all his skin flayed, and crucified. It was both horrific, and beautiful, for he did not deserve it, but laid his life down for the rest of us, who, having rejected God, do. When he came alive again at the end it really filled me with joy.
People who have read my earlier blogs will know that I tend to have great problems with films made of books I love. The Bible is my most loved and often read book, and Jesus the man most dear to me. I can't say I enjoyed watching The Passion, I cried through most of it, even cried out in a number of scenes, but I am very glad that I saw it. I kind of feel like I actually saw Jesus. Nearly everything he said in the film, he said in the Bible. I learn best visually, and I will never again take Jesus' suffering for granted, or think it a little thing. And, as horrific as the physical suffering was, I will also remember the pain of Jesus being forsaken by God. I recommend it - see it and read one or all of the gospels, for once it doesn't matter which you do first.
In 1990, on Good Friday, I watched the Jesus movie (that is the most watched movie ever), on the ABC. Actually seeing the whole of Jesus' life on earth, his death and resurrection helped me to understand who he is and what he did for me. I became a Christian right then at the end of the movie - I was so thankful to Christ for suffering what he did on my behalf. The Passion gives a more in depth look at that suffering. To give an indication of the impact of the film:I didn't eat my maltesers.
I have never seen such a violent film. Like many of my generation, I am desensitised to violence. I can easily watch characters in films die bloody deaths. This time, I watched someone I know and love beaten, nearly all his skin flayed, and crucified. It was both horrific, and beautiful, for he did not deserve it, but laid his life down for the rest of us, who, having rejected God, do. When he came alive again at the end it really filled me with joy.
People who have read my earlier blogs will know that I tend to have great problems with films made of books I love. The Bible is my most loved and often read book, and Jesus the man most dear to me. I can't say I enjoyed watching The Passion, I cried through most of it, even cried out in a number of scenes, but I am very glad that I saw it. I kind of feel like I actually saw Jesus. Nearly everything he said in the film, he said in the Bible. I learn best visually, and I will never again take Jesus' suffering for granted, or think it a little thing. And, as horrific as the physical suffering was, I will also remember the pain of Jesus being forsaken by God. I recommend it - see it and read one or all of the gospels, for once it doesn't matter which you do first.
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