The Weekly Fare . . . February 27, 2004

Is "The Passion" For Everyone?

I have not seen Mel Gibson's "The Passion of Christ." But I know one thing.

It's not for everyone.

My guess is that there are a great many of you already wondering about the depth of my faith based on that statement. So first let me make one thing abundantly clear. I recognize Jesus Christ as my Lord and Savior - the very "son of God." God revealed in the flesh - who as the creed affirms "was crucified dead and buried and rose again on the third day."

Through my life experience, study of the written word and the persuasive and clarifying thoughts of a great many others over the ages, I have come to the inalienable conclusion that the person we have come to know as Jesus of Nazareth was exactly who he said he was . . . God incarnate - who chose to sacrifice himself and become the very means by which a fallen creation is reconciled.

Does this make sense within the reality and context that the modern world provides us?

No.

Can I prove it?

No.

Can it as a minimum be construed as a long shot?

Well . . .

Yet, would I bet my very life on it?

Yes.

And would I fail like Peter?

Seems likely. My guess is that the cock would have never made it to the second crowing before my doubts and fears kicked in. Like the other ten that fled, I suspect that I too would have been looking to save my own skin. Perhaps it would do us well to remember that Judas for all his great sin in forcing Christ's hand, never publicly disassociated himself from him.

Like the dedicated and persistent Disciple Peter, Mel Gibson's heart seems to be very much in the right place. Having seen the recent Dateline interview with Gibson and read numerous main stream articles about his film (and associated controversies), it seems obvious to me that Gibson's motivations are pure. Here is an individual who clearly wishes to share with the rest of the world something of the great mystery that he and a great many Christians experience.

So, how in the world could it not be for everyone?

Because, as the full title of the film implies, it is "Mel Gibson's The Passion of Christ."

Which I would suggest is not necessarily true to our own individual vision and revelation.

It may be "true" in the sense that it accurately depicts the events of that pivotal moment in history. But it might not be true in the sense that the images portrayed and the emphasis's given in the film may be at odds with the images and understandings created in us by the written and spoken word.

I remember being originally fascinated by Franco Zeffirelli's extraordinary film "Jesus of Nazareth"(1977) in which the blue-eyed Robert Powell plays the role of Christ with remarkable depth and passion. In lieu of focusing on Christ's final days and hours, as is done in Gibsons' effort, the movie takes a broader view of the sweeping drama of Christ's life and ministry. It is by all accounts a masterpiece of both cinema and Christian witness.

Yet, some time after watching the film I realized that when references were made to scripture in a sermon or study, I had begun to substitute images from the movie for those that had once been brought to my mind's eye by the words and stories themselves. I remember being dismayed that I couldn't bring forth my own previous images of Christ and uniquely important moments of New Testament Scripture. Clearly this film, like any other, could rob the word's ability to create in our mind the most powerful images possible - that are real to us in ways that no others can be.

It was a scary thought, and one that I never truly got over until such time as the old images eventually began to reform themselves as my memory of those from the film faded. I must confess that it took several years for this to occur.

The experience has given me pause to reconsider viewing what I know are going to be even stronger and more powerfully depicted images in Mel Gibson's current re-creation. For the vehicle of modern cinema has reached a point at which any scene bourne of the human imagination can be portrayed with such realism and clarity as to seem more genuine than life itself.

So I am torn. Part of me desperately wants to see what many have already come to describe as a remarkable work of art, and one of the strongest tools of Christian witness to come along in years. And I know that for many, the movie will play a key role in their spiritual journey and lend itself positively to the ultimate formation of their faith. I firmly believe that Mel Gibson has followed what he feels to be the Spirit's leading in the making of this film - and for this he is to be commended.

But for others who treasure the unique power of the Word to speak its own image in our minds and truth in our hearts, I would suggest that you consider letting it be. For ultimately it is Christ's Passion that is given to each of us - not someone else's vision of it . . . and it can be found nowhere more accurately than in the Word itself.

Wherever we are in our journeys, it is clearly for us to decide. If you're unsure whether to view the movie or not, I suggest you do as Christ did in the garden on the night before his betrayal and ultimate execution . . .

Pray for God's will - and the courage to accept the answer.