Violence In "The Passion"
Category: Faith... Movies...
Posted Thursday, February 26, 2004 at 05:21 PM [GMT-6]

[Note: If you're getting tired of reading my thoughts about Mel Gibson's movie, I'm sorry. I do actually have some other things to write about, but I feel compelled to first address something that has eternal significance, unlike those "other things." Feel free to browse elsewhere for the time being. And, if you're seeking a "real" review of the film, you'll find none better than Jared's over at The Thinklings.]

Yesterday's viewing of "The Passion of the Christ" has caused me to reflect anew on some things I'd forgotten or have taken for granted regarding the suffering and death of Jesus Christ. I've also tried to place those things within the context of the ongoing discussion about the violence that was depicted in the film. I came to the realization today that Mel understated the suffering of the Christ. It could have been...no, should have been so much worse, if we really wanted to understand it.

Fortunately for us, no filmmaker in the world could capture the reality. Why is that fortunate? Because no audience in the world could endure it.

From a purely physical aspect, Jesus' suffering was short-lived. Even Pilate was amazed at how quickly He died (see Mark 15:44). Crucifixion was intended to be a drawn-out agonizing means of death, with the victim usually suffocating or dying of thirst. The breaking of the legs of the men on the cross was, in fact, a mercy (if you can call it that) intended to speed up their death, as their inability to support themselves would bring about that suffocation more quickly.

Jesus' suffering through His arrest, "trial" and scourging was horrible, but, again, of relatively short duration. One can't help but compare this trial to those of POWs in various wars who suffered through literally years of daily torture. The stories coming out of Iraq reveal that man's ability to inflict cruelty on his fellows has not waned over time.

No, the point is that there are worse things than physical torture and death. And once we come to that understanding, we can begin to catch a glimpse of the real pain that Jesus suffered, the spiritual agony of becoming a living sacrifice for humanity past, present and future.

He Who knew no sin, became sin, so that we might be saved. "He Himself bore our sins in His body on the cross..." (1 Peter 2:24) This, I believe, is the real violence done to Jesus: the turning away of His Father, and the acceptance of the sins of the world, combined to create an agony that we can try to contemplate, but will never understand. All the physical torture and brutality which can be conceived by the fallen mind of man absolutely pales in comparison to that kind of spiritual suffering. (In the movie, Satan acknowledges that fact, in a scene that borders on "throw-away" but which, in fact, is one of the pivotal moments.)

This is one reason why I think that the message of this movie is largely lost on non-believers. If you don't believe that Jesus is the Son of God, then you cannot conceive of the kind of suffering He endured on your behalf. You cannot see past the physical suffering, and while you will no doubt be revulsed by it, the truth is, you don't know the half of it. Not nearly.