A WORD ABOUT "THE PASSION OF THE CHRIST"


They brought Jesus to the place called Golgotha (which means The Place of the Skull). Then they offered him wine mixed with myrrh, but he did not take it. And they crucified him. Dividing up his clothes, they cast lots to see what each would get.

It was the third hour when they crucified him. The written notice of the charge against him read: "The King of the Jews." They crucified two robbers with him, one on his right and one on his left. And the scripture was fulfilled that says, "He was counted with the lawless ones."

Those who passed by hurled insults at him, shaking their heads and saying, "So! You who are going to destroy the temple and build it in three days, come down from the cross and save yourself!" In the same way the chief priests and the teachers of the law mocked him among themselves. "He saved others," they said, "but he can't save himself! Let this Christ, this King of Israel, come down now from the cross, that we may see and believe." Those crucified with him also heaped insults on him. (Mark 15:22-32)

AT THIS TIME OF YEAR I REMEMBER the first time I saw "The Passion of the Christ"  the movie by Mel Gibson.  I want to encourage everyone to re visit this movie.  But beware because it is an interpretation like all movies.  It is a retelling of history with a few embellishments  and...it talks mainly of the physical...the physical suffering of Christ.  Pastor Don has said that he missed seeing the details of what happens after the death of Chirst...what happens when Christ descends into hell and overcomes the devil?  I personally would have liked to see an emphasis on the  resurrection of Christ.  Isn't that what we really celebrate?
Also I did not like the visual representation of so much of the physical violence.

For Jesus Christ, although the physical pain certainly was terrible to bear, the inner pain was far greater. The inner pain was this: The whole reason that the Lord came to this earth was to reach out to people in love, and to show people the truth. And what he got from most of the people, in the end, was rejection, insults, and murderous hatred toward the truth, goodness, and love that he brought to them. That was what he met on earth.

The greatest passion of Christ was not the physical suffering. It was knowing that people were digging their own graves by rejecting the love and the goodness and the truth that he was bringing to them. It was knowing that people were making a life of hell for themselves, and shutting themselves out of the heaven that God longs to give us.

Christ's suffering was not for his own sake. He could take the physical and emotional pain. He knew that he had a connection with his divine Father. And he looked out and felt a terrible pity and compassion for the people. When he came to the city of Jerusalem on Palm Sunday, he wept over it (Luke 19:41). Later, while he was teaching the people in the Temple, he said, "O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, you who kill the prophets and stone those sent to you, how often I have longed to gather your children together, as a hen gathers her chicks under her wings, but you were not willing" (Matthew 23:37).
I will close by saying that, "the passion of the Christ",
 movie is all about the physical; it is not about the spiritual at all. A vast number of Christians focus on the physical side of things rather than on the spiritual--which is the true meaning and reality of the crucifixion.
This year as Easter approaches, let us all focus on the spiritual and make that part of our lives.
I also would like to ask everyone to pray for our Pastor and his family.  We sometimes forget our leaders.  We should pay extra attention to their needs.
Thank you and God Bless you.
Rev. Natalie