Saw "The Passion of the Christ" today...my review

[timNms]

I know there are other posts on this but I decided to start a new one.
This is my opinion, for what it's worth.

I must say that I was a little disappointed in the movie. Don't misinterpret what I'm going to say, but there were some things in the movie that I disagreed with.

While I thought that the scouraging and cruxifiction were done in a manner that truly showed His suffering, I found that there were some discrepancies in the way Mel portrayed the story and the way my Bible tells it.

Here are the things that I disagreed with:
1. Satan was not in the garden while Jesus prayed, yet the movie shows him there.
2. I have not read that Jesus was beaten while being carried to the high priest, yet the movie shows the men beating him and pushing him off of the side of a street, where he falls almost to the ground, then stops short because of the ropes and chains he's being held by.
3. Simon, who carried the cross for Jesus, did not speak, yet in the movie he had several lines.
4. My Bible only tells of one time that Jesus fell beneath the weight of the cross, yet the movie shows him falling several times while carrying the cross.
5. Judas was shown in the movie being tormented by demons in the form of children before he hung himself. My Bible makes no mention of that happening. What my Bible says is that Judus tried to get the priest to take back the silver, but was told no. Then he went out and hung himself.

Again, let me say that the scourging and cruxifiction was very realistic and reminded me of just how much my Saviour suffered for me. However, if given a choice of movies to see, I'd chose to see "Jesus of Nazareth" over "The Passion". While I think the Passion goes into more detail in showing the beatings, almost 2 hours of that is almost too much for one to watch. The viewer needs to see the whole story, from birth to death, to ressurection, in order to get a clear view of God's amazing plan.

[Skywatch_NC]

Like I've said in an earlier post elsewhere...I'll take "The Greatest Story Ever Told", "King of Kings" and "Jesus of Nazareth" before I'd ever see "The Passion of the Christ". I don't need a prolonged period of violence and gore
to get a message across as portrayed in this latest movie.

My brother-in-law who also is a born-again believer, doesn't want to see "The Passion of the Christ" either.

Thank you very much for those observation points, Tim.

Eric

[Miss Mary]

Like I've said in an earlier post elsewhere...I'll take "The Greatest Story Ever Told", "King of Kings" and "Jesus of Nazareth" before I'd ever see "The Passion of the Christ". I don't need a prolonged period of violence and gore
to get a message across as portrayed in this latest movie.

My brother-in-law who also is a born-again believer, doesn't want to see "The Passion of the Christ" either.

Thank you very much for those observation points, Tim.

Eric

I agree with you too Eric, I don't need to see the gore to appreciate the message. But apprarently Mel thought otherwise. I think he wanted to reach people who had fallen away from church, who possibly haven't prayed in a long time. He wanted to shake people up and from what I've read, he's doing just that.

Mary

[Josephine96]

I have always believed in Jesus and God but am not going to see this movie..

I'll probably go see the Lindsey Lohan movie instead lol

[Lindaloo]

The purpose of the movie was to show the last 12 hours of Jesus Christ's life. And to show what Jesus went through for us. Everyone is missing the whole point here.

Not liking 2 hours of the beating He took does not say a whole lot. Like it or not that is exactly what He went through.

[sunnyday]

Lindaloo, I agree wholeheartedly with you.

[streetsoldier]

This came up at church...and, I have to tell you all, modern 21st Century people have NO idea how to "take" that kind of suffering, even within the "safe" confines of a movie.

For those who saw the movie...magnify what you saw by 100, make that an everyday occurence in Judea alone, then imagine stretching it out from Persia to Spain to Britain, and you have an idea of the Roman world.

Roman youth were encouraged to be aggressive; they were sent to "glory" in watching blood sports all over the Empire, to desensitize them for future civic virtu as a legionnaire. Even the least and poorest plebeian counted himself as "Master of the World" by reason of his Roman citizenship, and considered it his duty to crush every barbarian people he came across under his hobnailed sandals in nomine Senate et Populi qui Roma..."In the name of the Senate and the People of Rome"..."SPQR", folks.

To toughen him more, if ANY Roman soldier showed fear, cowardice or doubt in the heat of battle, his centurion would single him out of the hundred under his command, and take nine more...then, the remaining 90 would stone, beat and batter them to death...no "soldier's death" here, no weapons...and the broken bodies were displayed on high for the entire Legion to view...a lesson in Roman stoicism and "strength".

THIS was the world in which God sent His Son...the ugliest and most brutal imaginable...to take OUR sins upon Himself, and deliver us from His Father's wrath.

Don't respond...just think CAREFULLY on these things, and keep them in your hearts as you go to church tomorrow morning to worship Him.

[Skywatch_NC]

The purpose of the movie was to show the last 12 hours of Jesus Christ's life. And to show what Jesus went through for us. Everyone is missing the whole point here.

Not liking 2 hours of the beating He took does not say a whole lot. Like it or not that is exactly what He went through.

Linda, there are just those that have weaker stomachs is all when it comes to things like this particular movie.

I love the Saviour very much for what He did for us though.

Eric

[timNms]

The purpose of the movie was to show the last 12 hours of Jesus Christ's life. And to show what Jesus went through for us. Everyone is missing the whole point here.

Not liking 2 hours of the beating He took does not say a whole lot. Like it or not that is exactly what He went through.

I realize that the purpose of the movie was to show the last 12 hrs of Jesus's life. The beatings shown in the movie were graphic and realistic. They reminded me of some of what my Saviour went thru for me. If we could have been there when it all took place, I bet the movie only scratches the surface of the suffering He endured!

My major complaint about the movie was that it did not follow the scriptures like it should have. If one is going to make a movie about Jesus, he/she should follow the scriptures to the letter....not add to, nor take away from the story. While the last 12 hrs of Jesus's life was important, I feel that the movie would have been better had it shown the whole story...from conception to ascension. I believe it would be more beneficial to the viewers.

[azskyman]

I have not seen it, and may or may not decide to go. It is a heavy movie that evokes deep sadness over Jesus' sacrifice for us, and in that way it reminds us of that gift. I'm just not sure I want to see it nonetheless.

We chose to see Cold Mountain last night over "The Passion" and it was a very good film. Like most these days, however, it would have been close to a great film if editing had removed a grand total of 6 minutes of blood, gore, and sexual scenes.

Thanks for your review. If nothing else, I've heard from people who have really suggested I go to those who say it is simply too heavy and sad to watch.

[azsnowman]

Well....here's MY take on this. The scriptures have been translated SO many times, in SO many different languages, there are missing books of the Bible and we REALLY DO NOT KNOW exactly what happened. Mel Gibson simply portrayed Jesus in his own interpretation of the Gospels. My beliefs and interpretation of the Gospels may differ from your views, that's the AWESOME power of the written word, Gods spokn word, that's why there are so many different religions, beliefs, Gods word has many different meanings to different people....be it Catholics, Pentacostal, Methodists, Mormon, Baptists. Bottom line, Jesus IS the WAY, the Light and the Life, the everlasting TRUTH!

Dennis

[GalvestonDuck]

There's no doubt Gibson took artistic license in making the movie. It wasn't based completely on the Gospels. He also used the diaries of St. Anne Catherine Emmerich (collected in "The Dolorous Passion of Our Lord Jesus Christ") and "The Mystical City of God" by St. Mary of Agreda.

[timNms]

Well....here's MY take on this. The scriptures have been translated SO many times, in SO many different languages, there are missing books of the Bible and we REALLY DO NOT KNOW exactly what happened. Mel Gibson simply portrayed Jesus in his own interpretation of the Gospels. My beliefs and interpretation of the Gospels may differ from your views, that's the AWESOME power of the written word, Gods spokn word, that's why there are so many different religions, beliefs, Gods word has many different meanings to different people....be it Catholics, Pentacostal, Methodists, Mormon, Baptists. Bottom line, Jesus IS the WAY, the Light and the Life, the everlasting TRUTH!

Dennis

While it is not my intention to start a big argument over whether the Bible is right or wrong, or has changed through translations, I will say this. The Bible says that God is the same today, yesterday and forever. Would that not apply to His word also?

I can't recall the exact scripture, but didn't satan "misquote" God when he tempted Eve? He changed the scripture to fit what he wanted it to say. If I recall correctly, he changed the words around in a manner that led Eve to believe she would be god-like and know all things.

I believe that the Bible is the inspired word of God and while it may have been translated thousands of times, being the inspired word of God, it should not have lost anything (been changed) in the translations. Guess I'm just from the old school and it is my belief that if we tell the story of Jesus, we should stick to the scripture. When we add to or take away from what God says, it can change the meaning, as in the example I gave above.

"Bottom line, Jesus IS the WAY, the Light and the Life, the everlasting TRUTH!" On this, I completely agree with you!