Letter to the Editor
Religious reflection on The Passion Of The Christ
Friday, April 2, 2004
Dear Sir,
The movie The Passion of the Christ directed by Mel
Gibson is indeed a graphic portrait of the final 12 hours of Jesus on the
earth.
The movie conveyed most powerfully the meaning and the
relevance of the suffering, pain and death of Christ endured on the cross.
It is interesting to note the background stories why Mel
Gibson produced such a movie. He says that when his own career was booming, he
was struggling with addiction and problems in his life, and his family life
was disintegrating.
Only by turning back to his faith, faith in the
traditional Christianity, did he find some security and purpose and meaning
for his life. His making of this movie was a way of making a statement.
Interestingly Mel Gibson himself did not appear in a
leading role. Instead his only cameo appearance in the film is to be one of
the hands that nailed Jesus to the cross.
Mel Gibson says that this was a reminder to him that it
is his sin that nailed Jesus to the cross. Surely this is a good theological
reminder. Therefore the movie appropriately begins with a quotation from
Isaiah 52:5 “He was wounded for our transgressions, he was bruised for our
iniquities. The chastisement of our peace was upon him. And with his stripes
we are healed.”
Peace and security, healing and well-being are the
deepest longings of all humans everywhere.
Governments put in place all kinds of systems to ensure
peace and security and protection of the public. For example a large portion
of the budget in many countries is earmarked for intelligence and defence. But
in spite of all this, people are more and more insecure and are living in
constant fear and uncertainty.
More than ever, now is the time for a wakeup call for
our faith.
In Christ Jesus alone we receive our peace, our security
and our well-being.
For we are healed by his stripes and the chastisement of
our peace he bore on the cross.
As I watched the movie The Passion of the Christ I find
a two-fold message.
The reality of suffering and God’s solidarity with the
suffering of his people and the mystery of Christ, his redeeming death for the
whole of humanity.
As we hear the news every day, people suffering and
dying in violent circumstances, be it the Middle East, Afghanistan, Iraq,
Africa and all around the world as well as in our immediate neighbourhood, God
is indeed in solidarity with the suffering humanity.
It is sad that most of this violence and suffering comes
in the name of revenge and taking vengeance.
It has been said, “an eye for an eye will only leave the
whole world blind.”
The scripture is clear “vengeance is mine says the lord
and I shall repay it.”
Some leaders by deciding to take law into their own
hands and wanting to take vengeance are trying to play God and leading the
world deeper into violence and suffering and insecurity.
In St Mark chapter 10 Jesus contrasts the leadership of
the world and his own style of leadership.
Jesus says the leaders of this world exercise authority
over the people and lord it over them. But it should not be so. Jesus goes on
to say leaders must be humble servants.
Even as the son of man came not to be served but to
serve and give his life a ransom for many.
The passion of the Christ so well depicts Jesus
practising what he preached.
Jesus preached: Love your enemy, forgive those who
wrongfully persecute you and pray for those who cause pain and suffering to
you.
He not only preached these words. When the time came,
from the cross Jesus prayed, “Father forgive them for they know not what they
do.”
There was love and forgiveness at the cross in the midst
of suffering.
The only way forward for peace in the world is the way
of the passion of Christ on the cross. In the midst of wrongful suffering and
persecution we need to turn to God in repentance and faith; repent not for our
sins only but for the sins of the whole world, and embrace the way of love,
forgiveness and prayer for the perpetrators of violence and suffering, for God
is working out his purpose towards peace, in being in solidarity with the
suffering humanity.
From the cross Jesus was able to convert the soldier who
heard his prayers of forgiveness and loving care.
Even as there was a cross at the cradle of Christ there
was also the new birth to new life at the cross.
May this message of forgiveness, love and prayer for our
enemies sink deep in our hearts and minds even as we are daily bombarded by
fuming vengeance?
Secondly, the passion of the Christ reveals the mystery
of Christ.
One question that is being asked by the non-believers
is, how can Jesus carry the punishment for my sin and the sins of the world?
How can the blood of Jesus cleanse me and heal me?
All that we can reply to such questions is: Come and
experience the mystery of Christ.
The sinners are forgiven and enjoying the brand new
life, even, as Mel Gibson testified about his own experience, and the sick are
healed in the name of Jesus, many whom the doctors have given up, and we do
have so many of them right in our midst and in our own families, just as the
word of God promises us that “the blood of Christ washes away our sins and we
are healed by his stripes.”
Those cruel and unbearable stripes on the body and the
face of Christ and all that blood that was shed all the way to the cross,
which we witness in the movie are not repulsive or frightening but a source of
our forgiveness and healing.
The final event is Resurrection, victory over the cross,
suffering and death. There is the promise of the new life through the Easter
faith.
Traditional doctrines such as atonement, propitiation
and redemption need to be revisited as the mystery of Christ is offered to the
world afresh.
In the same way as we cannot understand everything of
our natural world, like the ever-discovered planetary system, universe within
the universe, it is not possible to understand the ways of God.
For the scripture says “my thoughts are not the same as
your thoughts and my ways are not the same as yours. My thoughts and my ways
are higher than yours says the lord.”
The psalmist says “God’s ways and works are unreachable
and incomprehensible to our minds.”
Someone said: “I do not seek to understand so that I can
believe, but I believe so that I may understand and what is more, I believe,
that unless, I do believe, I shall not understand.”
Therefore let us believe so that we can understand.
We are indeed cleansed by his blood and we are healed by
his stripes. And the chastisement of our peace he bore on the cross.
Even now at this moment we can receive this grace and
blessing of, our sins forgiven and our sickness being healed. Whatever our
condition may be.
It is my prayer that this experience is real in your
life and in mine during this blessed season of Easter.
Happy Easter.
Rev Dr P J Lawrence
Regional Director
Institute for Theological and
Leadership Development
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