April 2004
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"The Passion of the Christ" It is Lent. According to old church tradition, we're supposed to focus on the suffering of Jesus. In that respect, we have help this year. I'm thinking of Mel Gibson's film "The Passion of Christ." When I watched this film, it struck me how pale my inner images of the suffering of Jesus had become. I had, in a way, gotten acquainted with what happened to Jesus. The movie re-opened my eyes to how gruesome it was that a human was betrayed, convicted, and tortured until relieved by death. To see a man flogged and bleeding for ten minutes is hardly a devotion in itself. "I became sick of close-ups of blood and torture," the Bishop of Oslo said. In France, they have considered banning the film. They are afraid that anti-Semitism will flare up. Remember that even the Norwegian constitution of 1814 of which we are so proud, forbade Jews and Jesuits to enter our country! It would take almost 40 years to get rid of the paragraph about the Jews and 150 years to erase the discrimination of Jesuits. Anti-Semitism is a growing problem in Europe, and Christian churches have too often been a part of it. We should be concerned about freedom of religion and human rights. However, when it comes to Mel Gibson's film, I don't think it blames the Jews for the death of Jesus any more than the New Testament does. Gibson is faithful to the gospels, and his interpretation is trustworthy. It portrays Jesus who of his own free will let himself be captured. We hear him shout from the cross: Father, forgive them, they don't know what they're doing. In some outstanding flashbacks, the Last Supper, for instance, we get to hear words which make the suffering something totally different than just pure violence. The death of Jesus is portrayed as atonement for the sins of the world. Personally, I tend to agree with those who say the film is a masterpiece. It's a success at the box office, too. The good part of that is that the movie is being seen by so many. Now we have a unique opportunity to talk with others about what matters the most to us: Jesus' willingness to suffer for our sake. |
The Norwegian Lutheran Memorial Church · 924 E. 21st St, Minneapolis, MN 55404-2952 · (612)874-0716 |