Mel Gibson's 'Passion' For The Truth

December 10, 2003

There's a lot of controversy swirling around Mel Gibson's new film project, ‘The Passion of The Christ.'   Some who have never seen the film complain that it is anti-Semitic.   They claim that Gibson is using the story of Christ to, once again, blame the Jews for the death of Jesus.   It's almost amusing to hear their brooding.   Sure, Caiaphas and his henchmen were evil but the star of the show was a Jew, too.   Not to mention Mother Mary and the Disciples.   It's primarily a Jewish story with Romans employed as executioners.   To say that the story of The Passion is anti-Semitic is like saying the making of Julius Caesar is anti-Italian.

 

These critics have not seen the film.   I have.

 

Mel Gibson brought the film to Nashville and I was fortunate enough to be included in a group of people invited to view it.   I had been warned of its graphic scenes.   The warnings were correct.   No doubt this film will carry an ‘R' rating but it is not gratuitous violence.   It is necessary violence, necessary from the standpoint that we all need to see it.   We all need to understand - Christian and non-Christian alike - just what the most influential figure in the history of the world went through.   As Mel says, you didn't have to be Hindu to see the movie ‘Ghandi.'   Neither do you need to be Christian to see ‘The Passion of The Christ.'  

 

I've been to a lot of movies but never have I seen a picture where grown men in the audience openly sobbed.   We men love to pride ourselves on being able to contain our emotions and I tried to hold out as long as I could.   One particularly poignant moment, where Mary watches helplessly as Jesus struggles with the cross, brought another dimension to the story into clear focus.   We often forget that Jesus was also a mother's child.   That's down at a level where we, as parents, can easily relate.   The exchange between mother and son at such a desperate time pierced my stiff resolve like a sword.   As tears streamed down my cheeks I thought, “What if that were my son?”   Perhaps I got a taste of what God must have been feeling.

 

Mel Gibson is committed to this movie.   He's bankrolling this project with his own funds.   Although he didn't go into great detail, I inferred that there may have been some difficulty in securing a distributor for this film.   I cannot fathom why.   To me, there's no doubt that a masterpiece such as this will enjoy a full theatrical release.   Nevertheless, they aren't taking any chances.   They have set up a toll-free number for ticket orders, a way to demonstrate to movie chains the support for this film prior to its February 25 th release.   This is also a great way for churches to buy tickets in bulk and enable entire congregations to view this important piece of work together.   The toll-free number is 1- 888-227-1152.

 

The strange and interesting part is the movie has begun to affect me even more after viewing it than it did at the time I saw it.   It's as if it has seeped in, slowly penetrating my psyche.   I suspect that's exactly how the story of ‘The Passion' affected Mel Gibson over the 12 years it took him to bring his vision to the screen.   Tent revival-type conversions are fine.   They hit you like lightning.   Sometimes they last for a lifetime.   Sometimes they dissipate over time.   Mel Gibson's ‘The Passion of The Christ' will forever serve as an accurate and powerful cinematic reminder.   Just in case we lose our way.