think: the passion of Christ

official website of "The Passion of The Christ"

sypnosis
this film focuses on the last 12 hours of Jesus' life on earth. from the prayer in the Garden of Gethsemane, to the Last Supper, to the betrayal of Judas, to the trial for blasphemy before Pilate and the crucifixion.

it was adapted from a composite account of The Passion assembled from the four Biblical gospels of Matthew, Mark, Luke and John.

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when i first read about this movie, i was thinking "blasphemy!". it's going to be another film that is trying to compromise Christianity with hollywood, just like "Jesus Christ superstar". but as i read reviews about this show, it started to change my perspective. putting aside its famous director (mel gibson), this show is made to bring the Gospel to screen.

i'm one of those who is looking forward to see this movie at the cinema, but i do have my doubts that it might not even make it through the censorship board. considering the amount of effort the government is trying to maintain religious harmony and the kiasu-ism mindset, i might have to get the dvd version.

it has been reviewed that mel gibson had kept as close to the 4 Gospels as possible. that's why, despite the brutality, i would brave myself and see how he has visioned it to be. i have heard the Gospel many times in my life, i have shared the Gospel not-as-many-times-i-would-like-to in my life, i have not read the entire 4 Gospels yet, but many times, we are people of visuals. seeing the action, and then reflecting on it by reading the Bible would probably have the greatest impact on many people.

i was watching this show, "trip to indulgence" on discovery travel, and they were showing the top 10 places where you can spend your fortune. haute couture in france (US$500k), exquisite glass dinnerware in venice (US$800k, eg. $800 for a wine glass), and perfectly cut 17.43ct diamond in antwerp (US$1.1m, and that's just for the diamond)... this is the amount of money people are willing to spend on luxury. but have we wondered how much we cost? if we were to put a value on ourselves, how much would that be? i am glad that i cost more than any of those things i stated above. Jesus was willing to pay the price for me... it cost Him His life! and not just death, but a painful, humiliating death on the cross. a punishment reserved only for the worst criminals!

however, i agree with two points i have read so far in reviews for the movie.
1. this show is not anti-Semitic
although it did depict that the Jews in the past physically crucified Jesus, we should not dwell on that fact. all man (and women), past and present, have sinned. let us remember that it is our sin that crucified Jesus. if it weren't to redeem us from our sins, Jesus would not need to go on the Cross.

2. look beyond His suffering
we have to acknowledge that Jesus went through a lot of suffering in His last few hours. and that is clearly shown in the movie (it was given an RA rating for degree of violence). we thank the Lord for His obedience to God the Father to give us salvation through His death. but besides focusing on His suffering, let's look beyond that and be grateful for His love. it is His love for us that compelled Him to die for us. and with that in mind, let's be good stewards of the love He has shown us and love those around us.