The Point of the PassionWritten by Kathy Simcox
I’ve been thinking a lot about The Passion of Christ past few weeks and have heard mixed reviews and comments regarding much of information presented in film. I’ve heard how film is “anti-Semitic” and how it presents Jewish people in a bad light, blaming them for Christ’s death. I’ve heard how horribly violent it is; during a prescreening in my hometown there were countless theatergoers who left film early because they couldn’t take brutality portrayed on screen. I’ve viewed historical programs analyzing film and how academia has tried, like they always do, to refute everything Jesus did in his all-too-brief lifetime. I’ve seen interviews with Mel Gibson and how interviewer, and editor, has tried to paint a negative image of director. What point are all these scholars, journalists, and even theatergoers trying to make? In my opinion, they are missing point altogether.This film is not anti-Semitic. It’s true that a small number of Jewish High Priests were partly responsible for Jesus’ sentencing, as are Roman authorities. But that small number of Jewish High Priests was alive 2,000 years ago and has nothing, I repeat, nothing to do with Jews of today, or even Jews of 1,000 years ago or even 50 years ago. Humanity and its sinful nature is responsible for Christ’s suffering and death. We have no one to blame but ourselves.
| | What Will Your Eyes See?Written by Kathy Simcox
I will lift up mine eyes to hills –from whence comes my help? My help comes from Lord, who made heaven and earth. Ps 121:1-2What a wonderful statement of Christian faith! It gives me profound hope to know that during times of confusion and despair, all we need to do is raise our weary eyes to hills and He will be there to comfort us with outstretched arms. His outstretched arms. I can’t help but think about point of Christ’s Passion. Mel Gibson’s movie had raised much controversy throughout world. I had heard mixed reviews and comments regarding information presented in film. It had been called anti-Semitic and violent. Historical scholars analyzed film to pieces and tried, as academia always does, to deny everything Jesus did in his all-too-brief lifetime. What point is all this leading to? Sometimes as mere human beings we get so caught up in little details of something that we fail to see big picture. It’s all too easy to do. The blood that was shed on Calvary was indeed shed for each and every one of us. We must look deep into Christ’s eyes and feel, through His pain, tremendous love He showed us with his outstretched arms. To focus on beauty of Passion, reason why it occurred in first place, is to understand point of it. For someone to go through what Christ did and still have strength to love us, passion to die for our sins, is pretty remarkable. The depth of His love for us knows no bounds, and I think His Passion is proof of that. What a tremendous gift for a fallen humanity to receive.
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