Wednesday, February 25, 2004

How can I say this...

It has been just over three hours since I saw "The Passion of The Christ" and I am still trying to process what I saw. The only word I can think of to describe it is "powerful."

It didn't affect me the way I thought it would. I thought I would be more emotional....crying at the drop of a hat and that sort of thing. But I'm not. I mean, I do get teary eyed when I think of Christ's suffering, but more than that, I am deeply reflective. It's a rather strange feeling.

Although the images of His torture, as depicted in this movie, will forever be with me, it is the quiet flashbacks of His life that had the most impact on me. Through the marriage of the horrific scenes of Him being beaten and the calm, quiet flashback scenes that show where He connected with people personally, Mel Gibson has created the most thought provoking film I can ever remember seeing. It's almost hard to put into words all the thoughts and emotions that are swirling around in me.

The one thing I wasn't expecting to take away from this movie is a new realization of Christ's human-ness. He was one of us AND at the same time He was God. I never have really understood that, I guess.

***MOVIE DETAILS***DON'T READ THIS IF YOU WANT TO SEE IT FOR YOURSELF!***

Here is an example: in the movie, we see Jesus has been beaten by the temple guards as He's being dragged before the Sanhedrin. As He is waiting for them to assemble, he focuses in on a carpenter who is working on something in the courtyard. We then are taken back to a point in Jesus' life where He is working as a carpenter, evidently before His earthly ministry began. He is building a table and you hear his mother call him. "Yashua.....Yashua" (Jesus - or more correctly Joshua, in Aramaic) She comes out to where He is working and we see Him crouched down, examining His handiwork. She asks Him if He is hungry and He says "yes". As they begin to walk back into the house, she tells him to take of His dirty apron and wash his hands, so He dips His hands in the water, splashes her and then kisses her on the head before running into the house. We are then taken back to the trial scene.

There is a bit more to that scene, so I didn't tell all of it, but I wanted to share that little bit. It showed a totally human Jesus, who loved people. There's an old song that says "when He was on the cross, we were on His mind." I'm sure throughout the entire ordeal, He was thinking of those He loved in His circle of family and friends, and perhaps those of us who were yet to be born. I think this scene really embodied that aspect of who Christ is. As I said before, it was a really thought-provoking film.

***END OF MOVIE DETAILS***

In addition to a new realization of Christ as God in the flesh, I came away with a new sense of just how bad our sin is. You know, in this day and age, we tend to sanitize our sin. Especially our "pet" sins - those things we know are wrong but haven't quite given up. We don't see them as totally bad. Oh, we're quick to speak of the evils of homosexuality, drinking, drug abuse or any other sin we categorize as "bad", but those sins are no worse than the times I gossip or am dishonest or think about things I shouldn't. Those sins that no one knows about are just as evil as the "bad" sins and they all are costly. The price of sin was high - blood had to be shed - and we could never pay that price. The sacrifice had to be perfect and Christ was the only One who qualified.

Christ endured unimaginable pain and suffering, and worse than that, He was separated from His Father so that I wouldn't have to pay the price for sin. I tell you, I don't know that I'll look at sin the same way. At least I hope I won't.

I want to give my everything to the One who gave His everything for me. It's not about earning my salvation. I don't have to do that. It is a free gift because of Christ's sacrifice. I want to be like the woman who washed the feet of Jesus with her tears and dried them with her hair. I have been forgiven much and want to show Him my love by knowing Him and serving Him with my life.

As I left the movie, there was a struggle within my emotions - a part of me wanted to really be sad. Sad and sorrowful for all of the suffering Christ chose to endure for me. Yet, at the same time, I felt so blessed and so totally and completely loved. Joyousness isn't the word to express the emotion, but a deep, deep sense of peace and awe. Like I said, it's hard to express just what I'm feeling even now.

All I know is this: everyone should see this movie. One cannot help but be impacted in some way. Mel Gibson and his cast and crew have created a masterpiece and I do truly believe he was inspired by God to create this film. I can't wait to see what happens in the lives of millions as a result of this movie. Only time will tell. I just know that I am not the same and I think I will be bolder in sharing the Good News of Jesus Christ.

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