Reviews — JLB (personal review)

I had never seen an audience sit so motionless and silent after the final scene of a film. I felt the same need to wait, to reflect, and even to relax. All of us were now eyewitnesses to the event.

The sheer experience of watching Jesus endure to the end wore on my emotions. When would it all end? Caught in the first-century crowd, I hoped that following Jesus to the next station of the cross would be less demanding of me. An occasional island of relief came in the form of flashbacks with the image of Jesus I prefer to think about, along the pastoral shores of Galilee. I knew I’d be watching the account I had read so many times, but I didn’t know how much seeing Jesus’ suffering would affect me.

I don’t care for most portrayals of Jesus. This Jesus I believed. The innocence, humanity, and love of Christ are clear and compelling. His deity is reinforced as we observe the divine struggle between a unique Satan, ever present, and Jesus on His mission of sacrifice.

It’s clear that Jesus came to die. Here, as with the biblical record, no Jewish group or Roman army made Him die. They only sang harmony to the ballad of redemption.

See The Passion of the Christ if you can. See it whether you’re a follower of Jesus or not.

—JLB