His agony in the Garden of Gethsemane, his horrible experience of ridicule and humiliation before unjust accusers, his endurance of tortuous beatings at the hands of sadistic soldiers, and his excruciating death on an old rugged cross were all essential elements of the process that brought salvation to humankind.  In the words of the prophet Isaiah: “He was wounded for our transgressions, He was bruised for our iniquities; the chastisement for our peace was upon Him, and by His stripes we are healed.” (Isaiah 53:5; NKJV) 

As we reflect on all that Christ has done for us in his life, death, burial, and Resurrection; let us do so with praise on our lips and thanksgiving in our hearts!  If you have not already done so, please go see Mel Gibson’s The Passion of the Christ.  Even if you have seen the film, I strongly encourage you to see it again.  The Passion is nothing short of a cinematic masterpiece.  It is not only a great “Christian” film; it is a great film period!  The Passion explores the beauty of sacrificial love and the ugliness of human cruelty, revealing humanity at its highest and lowest points, and at all points in between. 

 The Passion will undoubtedly strengthen the faith of Christians as it vividly portrays the redemptive suffering of the Savior.  Even many non-believers will come to appreciate the depths of human depravity, the need for salvation, and the power of forgiveness.  I believe that most people who view this film will take from it something of spiritual value and eternal significance.  Many people have given their lives to Christ after viewing the film and some have reported the experience of physical and/or emotional healing after contemplating the events depicted.  Mel Gibson himself has said in a recent interview, “My wounds were healed by His wounds; I had to tell the story of those wounds.”  Indeed, millions of people have been blessed because of Gibson’s labor of love.

I have seen The Passion five times.  Each cinematic experience moved me to tears as I reflected on my own culpability in the death of Jesus.  I could blame neither the Jews nor the Romans for killing Christ.  I killed Christ.  My sins placed Jesus Christ on the Cross.  I praise God for Christ’s ultimate victory over sin and death at the Resurrection, but I must never forget the price that He paid to win that victory.  The Passion is a sober reminder of the Savior’s intense suffering.

The Passion inspired me to revisit the Passion narratives in the Gospels.  One thing that I truly appreciate about the movie is that it creatively dramatizes the Biblical accounts, but also remains faithful to the message of the text.  I was pleasantly surprised by how closely the film follows Scripture.  The film’s only major creative liberty is the inclusion of Satan into a few of the scenes where he is not explicitly present in the Gospel narratives.  Evidently, Satan is included in these scenes in order to accentuate his role in opposing Christ and promoting evil.  The inclusion is an effective move because the Christ event in actuality was a defeat of the powers of darkness.  As Paul declares in Colossians 2:15, Christ triumphed over Satan and all evil spirits through the Cross.

The Passion sensitively presents the principal characters of the story without idealizing or over-sentimentalizing them. Mary, Pilate, and Simon of Cyrene all become emotionally accessible to the audience.  “The Passion” is particularly balanced in its portrayal of Christ’s humanity.  The Son of Man honestly struggles with the enormity of the burden that he alone must carry.  “The Passion” sparked within me a concern for Jesus Christ far greater than that sparked by any other film.  Someone that I care about was on that movie screen! 

I believe that the release of The Passion at this moment in American history is spiritually significant.  We are living in a time of war, terrorism, social unrest, economic instability, and declining morality.  Our nation truly needs God, but the enemy is working feverishly to turn the hearts of people away from the Lord.  The Ten Commandments are under assault.  Some wish to secularize the Pledge of Allegiance by removing the phrase “under God.”  The spirit of homosexuality, especially the issue of same-sex marriage is flaring up across the nation.  The enemy is working overtime.

The challenges that we face in our country may seem insurmountable from a human viewpoint.  Yet, no challenge is too great for the power of God.  As Paul says in Romans 5:20, where sin increases, grace increases even the more.  Even when the enemy rages with fury, God will never be left without a testimony to his grace, his mercy, his love, and his power.  I believe that The Passion is such a testimony.