Last night I read the article in Newsweek about the death of Jesus and the controversy surrounding Mel’s movie. Here’s an excerpt from a paragraph early in the piece:
The fight about God, meanwhile, has been good for Mammon: Gibson has made what is likely to be the most watched Passion play in history. Prerelease sales are roaring along. Evangelical congregations are buying out showings, and religious leaders are urging believers to come out in the film’s opening days because of the commercial and marketing significance of initial box-office numbers.
Don’t get me wrong, I’ll go see this film. I’ll weep, I’ll grimace, I’ll leave the theatre with a greater love for God and appreciation for what Jesus suffered on the cross for my sins. I’ll make reference to it in my sermons. I’ll use it as an evangelistic tool if it seems appropriate to do so.
But I must admit that it strikes me as a bit odd or at least ironic that some Christians are hyping this movie the way they are. It is supposedly the most graphic and realistic depiction of the crucifixion ever captured on film. We’re lining up to go see it, reserving theatres so that we can watch. What kind of crowd gathers to watch a man get tortured and die? What kind of people buy tickets in advance to witness an execution?
My guess is the same kind of people who cried “crucify him!” 2000 years ago. If we had been there when it actually happened, I wonder how many of us would have gathered to watch? If Rome sold tickets to crucifixions, how big a block would we have reserved? And for what reason? Would we have invited a friend to come along? “Hey man, come with me and watch this guy get tortured.”
I wonder how many early Christians actually witnessed a crucifixion? When Paul said, “I preach Christ crucified,” did they know EXACTLY what he was talking about?
If someone had caught Jesus’ actual crucifixion on tape, I wonder if the first Christians would have replayed it every Sunday before communion?
Telling Stories, Asking Questions, Learning Lessons