We are now entering the Easter season. Beginning next Sunday ( March 14) and continuing to Easter Sunday (April 11), our focus will be on the passion of the Christ as recorded in the Gospel of John. You are invited to join us as we journey from the upper room, to the garden, through the trials, then to the cross, and finally to the resurrection.

March 14	The Gospel of John, Chapters 13 & 14
March 21	The Gospel of John, Chapters 15 & 16
March 28	The Gospel of John, Chapter 17
April 04	The Gospel of John, Chapters 18 & 19
April 11	The Gospel of John, Chapter 20

Passion about The Passion of the Christ
by Pastor Chris Foreman

On Sunday, February 29th, I saw the movie The Passion of the Christ with several members of Liberty. As compelling as this movie was, I have found public reaction to the movie even more compelling. In the past few months I have read dozens of articles, movie reviews, letters to editors, and web logs which demonstrate tremendous passion for The Passion of the Christ. This is what I have found most amazing about the wide spectrum of reaction to this movie: It was all predicted two thousand years ago by the Apostles Peter and Paul! Dear brother in the Lord, don’t be surprised if some reviewers are offended or scandalized. My sister in Christ, don’t be disturbed if some critics see The Passion of the Christ as foolishness or fable. Be encouraged. Their scoffing is a fulfillment of the very Scripture that they reject. How many of these responses do you recognize?

Response 1. “The Passion of the Christ is anti-Semitic.” This accusation surprises many Christians. After all, the hero of the movie was a Jew named Jesus. I think that the Apostle Paul got it exactly right. In 1 Corinthians 1:23, he explains that Christ-crucified is a “stumbling block” to the Jews. This word “stumbling block” is a translation of the Greek “skandalon”, which has the obvious connotation of “scandalous”. The cross of Christ as presented in The Passion of the Christ is not so much “anti-Semitic”. I could not detect racial or ethic bias against Jews. Rather the stone that the builders rejected has become the chief cornerstone and a block of stumbling to practicing Jews. Presenting Jesus of Nazareth as the Jewish Messiah and Only Begotten Son of God continues to be a scandal in the eyes of many Jewish critics.

Response 2. “The Passion of the Christ is a ridiculous melodrama.” Also in 1 Corinthians 1:23, Paul explains that Christ-crucified is “foolishness” to the Greeks. Unlike the Jews who where scandalized by the cross, non-believers and pagans were both amused and repelled. I read a movie review from an college academic who laughed at the suggestion that one person could take on the sins of the world. One social columnist joked that she visited the ladies room and missed a gruesome part, but then she added that the entire movie was a gross out. Indeed, the preaching of the cross is foolishness to those who perish.

Response 3. “The Passion of the Christ is just a re-telling of a mistaken myth”. One writer commented to the San Francisco Chronicle that the Passion story was fictional and similar in nature to Helen of Troy. Another critic said we must watch the movie with the same eye we would watch the Hercules and Xena TV series. Two thousand years ago, Simon Peter wrote that we should expect false prophets. He tells his readers that the cross of Christ is not based on “cunningly devised fables” but on “eyewitnesses” accounts. (2 Peter 1:16)

Response 4. “The Passion of the Christ misrepresents the true message of Christianity which is love”. Some critics write that the suffering and blood of Christ offends their religious sensibility. Many who call themselves Christian deny the deity of Christ and hold that Jesus was a righteous sage who suffered needlessly. To these post-Christian Christians, the Word of God has no exclusive claim to truth. Peter tells us that to these who stumble at the word, the cross of Christ is a “rock of offence” (1 Peter 2:7-8). Religious leaders were the most offended in the time of Jesus. Why am I not surprised that so many religious leaders are offended today?

My response. “The Passion of the Christ is a gut-wrenching spiritual journey through the final hours in the life of Christ”. I could nit-pick many of the details: The movie is too “Catholic” with many non-canonical scenes. A Jesus in that tortured condition could not have possibly walked to Calvary, and much more.

I cannot say that I “enjoyed” the movie, but as one called by Christ, The Passion of the Christ demonstrated to me once again “the power and wisdom of God” (1 Corinthians 1:23). Jesus suffered all this for me.

I do believe that this movie can be an effective outreach tool, especially as a beckoning call to those raised in the church. For those who carry intellectual objections to the Gospel, this movie may bypass the head and goes straight to the heart. At bottom this motion picture is a devotional tribute by Mel Gibson. Without devotion to its central figure, much of its impact and appeal is lost.