The Passion of the Christ

How does one respond to the Mel Gibson movie? As Paul Harvey so aptly put it, it's not a movie as much as it is an experience.

I still do not know how to respond. I've now seen it three times, once alone, then with my son, then with grandchildren. After I took three of the grandchildren, we sat together for three hours talking about life'. It was the single best visit I have ever had with them (ages 17 to 22). They are now adults, making their own decisions how they will live. They asked questions freely and spoke openly about the decisions that confront them daily. There were questions about the biblical accuracy of the film, so that we were often referring to the Scripture. We recalled scenes in the movie and how each of us responded internally, which characters we related to. We probed the eternal meaning of the crucifixion, the reality of the resurrection, and how all this affects our daily lives. And we made plans to get together often to continue the conversation. The evening was worth the price of many tickets to a movie.

Is there anti-Semitism? The world is filled with and is growing in its anti-Semitism, therefore there are those who will use the film as a way of speaking against the Jewish people. We must be very prayerful about this. The film itself is not anti-Semitic, but millions are looking for any reason to blame the Jews for anything they can find.

Yet I can only rejoice that other millions will be brought face to face with the reality of the life and death and resurrection of Jesus. The film is not a depiction of the life of Jesus, but only the last twelve hours of his death, but it will thrust many to dig out their Bibles and read the story. Yes, many will come to know Him as a result of the film.

Let us pray that, as orthodox rabbi Daniel Lapin said on an interview with Pat Robertson, that it could be the impetus that pushes us into another Great Awakening.