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- What are the benefits for a Christian in viewing this film? | written by Tim Jackson
I believe many who see this film will come away with a greater appreciation for the price Jesus paid for them. This film doesn’t just tell us that Jesus suffered to save the world from sin; it shows us in a way that makes the story come alive.
We are probably all guilty at times of looking at the suffering of our Savior like we look at the meat we purchase at the grocery store–prepackaged in neat, individually wrapped portions, without any thought or knowledge of the growing, slaughtering, or packing process involved. We can state, “Yes, Jesus died for my sins,” in such a matter-of-fact way that we don’t really connect with what He suffered for us. I fear we are so far removed from the suffering of our Savior that we’ve forgotten what His sacrifice was all about. The compelling images of Jesus’ suffering portrayed in this film have the potential of driving people of faith back to the words of Paul when he wrote:
For Christ’s love compels us, because we are convinced that one died for all, and therefore all died. And He died for all, that those who live should no longer live for themselves but for Him who died for them and was raised again (2 Corinthians 5:14 NIV).
The Communion celebration that Christians practice was instituted by Jesus and intended to symbolically reconnect us with a visual reminder of His death (Matthew 26:26-30; Mark 14:22-25; Luke 22:17-20; 1 Corinthians 11:23-26). This film can also become an additional visual reminder that can remind us of the immense cost that He paid to ransom us from our sins whenever we celebrate Communion with others.
This film also has the potential of becoming a powerful opportunity for Christians to dialog with those outside of the Christian faith who have questions about Jesus, the Bible, and Christianity. More than likely this is what Peter, one of Jesus’ 12 disciples, had in mind when he wrote, “always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have” (1 Peter 3:15 NIV). The Passion of the Christ can lead to conversations around the water cooler at the office, lunchrooms at school, coffee shops, online chat rooms, with neighbors, and anywhere people are talking about it.
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- What are the benefits for a non-Christian in viewing this film? | written by Tim Jackson
For non-Christians, this film is an opportunity for exposure and discovery. While there are many assumptions that are made about Jesus from those outside the Christian faith, many of those assumptions are often not based on an accurate understanding of what the New Testament says about Jesus. This film tells the story of Jesus in a compelling manner that exposes the viewer not only to the haunting images of His suffering and death, but also to the discovery of His teachings through some of the flashbacks to earlier scenes in His life.
It is hoped that the exposure of a non-Christian to the biblical story of Jesus in The Passion of the Christ will stimulate interest in reading the New Testament and promote conversations about the person, work, and purpose for which Christ came to earth. Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John are the New Testament authors who recorded the life of Jesus. Further exploration of those accounts will provide a more complete picture of Jesus.
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- What did Pilate mean by the question, “What is truth?” | written by Tim Jackson
One of the plot lines that Mel Gibson develops in the film is the battle for truth as played out in the character of Pontius Pilate, the Roman governor of Judea. In the film and in the New Testament (Matthew 27:11-26; Mark 15:2-15; Luke 23:1-25; John 18:28-40), Pilate is caught in a precarious and pivotal role between the power of Rome and the power of the Jewish religious leadership in Palestine. To keep the peace and save his own political career, he sacrifices Jesus to appease the demands of the Jewish leadership. But in the process of questioning Jesus, Pilate is amazed at His refusal to defend Himself against the false accusations motivated by the bitter envy of the Jewish leadership (Matthew 27:14,18). And he is confronted with the question of “truth” that Jesus stated He was “born to testify to” (John 18:37-38).
Some who have viewed the film have found Pilate’s character to be especially intriguing, suggesting that Pilate’s point of decision can function as a metaphor for the viewer who must also decide what to do with Jesus. The point of contention is this: If Jesus was sent to earth by God to “testify to the truth” as He claimed, and that “everyone on the side of truth listens to me” (John 18:37), then Pilate isn’t the only one who must decide whether or not he is on the side of truth.
Each person who views this film, whether Christian or not, may be confronted with the same question that Pilate faced: What do I do with Jesus?
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- Who is Jesus? | written by Tim Jackson
The film paints a complex portrait of Jesus as reflected in the New Testament. He is portrayed as both the long-awaited King of the Jews and as the humble son of a carpenter from Nazareth; as both a son with an earthly mother and as the Son of God with a Heavenly Father; as a master-teacher as well as a humble servant and faithful friend. You see a tender human side of Jesus in His relationship with His mother, Mary. You see a determined Savior who, once having set His face to the task of dying on the cross, would allow nothing to deter Him from pleasing His Father in becoming obedient to death (Philippians 2:8). You see Him as a bruised and battered man who dies an agonizing death, and as a risen Savior who is alive again (1 Corinthians 15:3-8).
There is much more to be discovered in the life and teachings of Jesus. The New Testament gospel accounts of Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John would be the best place to start if you are interested in further investigating His claims. Our booklet, Who Is This Man Who Says He’s God? will also provide a place to begin your search to better understand who Jesus was and is.
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- Why did Jesus have to die? | written by Tim Jackson
Some of the questions raised by the disturbing images of this film focus on the purpose of Jesus’ death. Why was the death of Christ necessary? Couldn’t God have figured out another way to save mankind that didn’t require the brutal sacrifice of His own Son?
According to the Bible, the need for Christ’s sacrificial death goes back to the first man and woman in the Garden of Eden. Their sinful rebellion against God sealed our fate, placing all mankind under the sentence of death and separating us from the God who made us (Genesis 3:1-24; Romans 5:12). Christ had to die, because there was no other way to rescue us from the penalty of death (Romans 3:23). Nothing but a perfect sacrifice could have been a worthy substitute for the punishment we deserve (2 Corinthians 5:21). No one but the Judge of the universe could have satisfied the requirements of the law against us (Romans 5:18-19). No one but our own Creator could have offered a sacrifice so infinite in value that it could buy the salvation of anyone who trusts Him.
Jesus’ own words and the words of the New Testament writers provide the best explanation for why He was willing to become a man and sacrifice Himself for the sins of the world:
For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord (Romans 6:23).
You see, at just the right time, when we were still powerless, Christ died for the ungodly. Very rarely will anyone die for a righteous man, though for a good man someone might possibly dare to die. But God demonstrates His own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us (Romans 5:6-8).
For God so loved the world that He gave His one and only Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish but have eternal life. For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through Him. Whoever believes in Him is not condemned, but whoever does not believe stands condemned already because He has not believed in the name of God’s one and only Son (John 3:16-18).
Greater love has no one than this, that he lay down his life for his friends. You are my friends (John 15:12-15).
This is how God showed his love among us: He sent His one and only Son into the world that we might live through Him. This is love: not that we loved God. But that He loved us and sent His Son as an atoning sacrifice for our sins (1 John 4:9-10).
God’s justice demanded payment of the death penalty for our sin. God’s love moved Him to offer His own Son as the only solution to restoring our broken relationship with Himself. It was Jesus’ love for us that kept Him on the cross more than the nails that pierced His hands and feet. The cross of Christ is a symbol of the depth of God’s sacrificial love.
For a more complete response to questions about the need for Christ’s death, take a look at our booklets Why Did Christ Have To Die? and The Passion Of Christ.
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