A Review of The Passion of the Christ

By Rev. Scott Stiegemeyer

It’s hard to imagine that there is anyone on the planet by now who has not heard about the movie “The Passion of the Christ,” directed by Oscar-winner Mel Gibson. It seems like everyone I’ve talked to falls into one of three categories:

• Those who’ve seen the movie,

• Those who plan to see the movie, or

• Those who are intentionally choosing NOT to see the movie.

It’s being talked about in churches, synagogues, classrooms, and everywhere in between.

Please note that this film is rated R. That stands for “Restricted.” Theaters are not supposed to let children or teenagers under 17 into R-rated movies without a parent or guardian over the age of 21.

When parents have asked my opinions about taking their poopsies, I have said that parents probably ought to see the movie themselves first before deciding whether Johnny and Janie can handle it. Pre-teens and early teenagers might want to chill out and wait. It’ll still be around in five years on DVD. Some very tough, flannel-shirted, truck driver, weightlifter macho guys I know will have to squint or peek through their fingers more than once.

It is a very graphically violent movie, but it’s not violent or gory in the sense that you see heads exploding or guts spilling out. So some teens will think, “What’s the big deal? It’s not as bad as the hype.” What makes the violence in this film hard to take is the cruelty and the duration. It’s almost the whole movie. That’s something every viewer should take into consideration.

One Sunday after church, I passed out an informal survey to those in my congregation who’d seen the film. Most of them thought “The Passion” was good, but some thought the violence was over-the-top. Others appreciated getting a clearer picture of what our Lord endured for us. One lady told me, after she saw the film on Ash Wednesday, that now for the first time she really understands the meaning of the word “scourge.”

Many wished there had been more flashbacks to the ministry of Jesus and more focus on the resurrection. Jesus died for our sins, but if He hadn’t been raised, our faith would be worthless, as St. Paul said. One person had this to say, “I was worried about the gore ahead of time, but knowing about the resurrection got me through it.” Amen to that. I thought this comment hit the nail on the head: The movie shows what we believe happened to the baby in the manger. Hopefully, it may be a rude awakening to people who think religion is just making nice-nice to your neighbor.

In a column on her website, writer Ann Coulter pointed out that some folks are “testy with Gibson for spending so much time on Jesus’ suffering and death while giving ‘short shrift to Jesus’ ministry and ideas’. According to liberals, the message of Jesus, which somehow Gibson missed, is something along the lines of ‘be nice to people.’

“In fact, Jesus’ distinctive message was: People are sinful and need to be redeemed, and this is your lucky day because I’m here to redeem you even though you don’t deserve it, and I have to get the crap kicked out of me to do it.”

Yep, she’s right. The lesson of Christianity 101 is that Jesus Christ had to shed His blood as the sacrifice to provide forgiveness for sinners. The cross was not an afterthought of God.The cross was not an accident or a mistake or some kind of plan B. It’s why He came and we’re not ashamed of that fact at all.

“He was pierced for our transgressions, crushed for our iniquities…by His wounds we are healed” (Is. 53:5). Some criticize Gibson’s movie saying the flogging lasted too long, but for that matter, even one single stroke would have been more than He deserved. I find a curious comfort in the flogging of Jesus because God promises that “by His wounds we are healed.” When I see the torn and broken body of my Lord, I know that every single one of my sins has been paid for. And in that case, I feel almost like crying out: “Flog him longer. Flog him harder.” If the blood of Jesus atones for our guilt, then let it flow. If the wounds of Jesus bring us eternal life, then let the soldiers do their worst. It was Peter who said, “No Lord, this shall never happen to you.” And Jesus responded, “Get thee behind me Satan.”

Admittedly, the cross and its accompanying gore can be a real turn-off. That’s why we Christians really are a bunch of weirdoes. Christians are the people of the cross. We hang them in our churches and around our necks. We sing hymns with titles like: “Lift High the Cross” and “When I Survey the Wondrous Cross,” and “In the Cross of Christ I Glory.” You see, we know something that most of the people who were actually there didn’t know or didn’t quite understand. We know that by an instrument of torture, pain and death, God delivers healing, salvation and eternal life.

Rev. Scott Stiegemeyer is pastor of Concordia Lutheran Church in Brentwood, Pennsylvania.