The Passion
of the Christ
A Personal
Review
By Lisa
Sarrach
Hollywood-Hero
Well, after 8 months of highlighting and
promoting The Passion of the Christ on our pages here at Hollywood-Hero, I finally saw the finished product yesterday on Ash
Wednesday, its opening day.
Overall, the film is a masterpiece and a
must-see for Christians and Jews alike.
As has been stated in other reviews, this is not entertainment, but an
experience. Not a popcorn, escapist,
forget your troubles for a couple of hours, but a declaration that our
troubles, whatever they are, pale in comparison to the pain inflicted on Jesus,
and the pain he endured for all of us.
We should first look at two of the
criticisms of this film. One that it will stir up anti-Semitism and the second that is too
violent. As to
the first, this film in NOT Anti-Semitic. To say that the film is anti-Semitic, you
must say that the Gospels are anti-Semitic.
And there are those who believe to this day, Christians and Jews alike
that the Gospels are indeed anti-Semitic.
In our view, both would be wrong.
In the time of Jesus, there were Romans and
Jews. While true, it was the Jews that
wanted Jesus crucified, Jesus himself, and his disciples were Jews as
well. Why do we always conveniently
forget that? The history of Christianity
has us forever linked to our Jewish ancestors of which we are a branch of their
tree. (I heard
that analogy given by Billy Grahams daughter yesterday and it is right on
point.)
Jesus was a prophet and was speaking of
beliefs, making of miracles, and preaching forgiveness and loving your enemy. That frightened the very people he lived amongst. He was
betrayed by one of his disciples and denied by another. He spoke with no fear, for he knew his
destiny. He was on Earth for a very
specific purpose for God had seen too much sin in the world and knew it had to
stop so that the very people he created could enter the
The greatest sacrifice in the history of the
world has now been given new life on our movie screens in The Passion of the
Christ. And make no mistake, as to the
second point of criticism, the film is violent.
Its brutal and very difficult to watch.
I averted my eyes a few times, but could still
hear the scourging. And while Jews
inflicted pain on Jesus before handing him over to the Romans, their pain was
inflicted out of fear and frustration over what they did not understand, it was
the Romans who were gleeful in inflicting pain for pains sake; not having the
faintest clue as to why this was necessary.
They were just following orders and enjoying their task, going beyond
what was asked of them.
As a non-theologian, I
asked myself the question as to why both Jews and Christians believe in God,
but Jews to this day, dont believe that Jesus was the Son of God. As depicted in The Passion, after the
crucifixion, a Roman soldier is asked to make sure Jesus is dead and pokes him
with his spear. The
soldier witnesses the free flowing of water emanating from Jesus side and is
awakened to the miracle of God.
No Jews who demanded his death were there to witness this event. Upon returning to their temple, the rabbis
find their temple spilt asunder. They
never make the connection. Alas, if they had, we
wouldnt just have God and our combined history in common, wed also share
Jesus religious heritage as well.
But even today, as we disagree as to whether
Jesus is the Son of God, Jews and Christians have much more in common than we
have differences.
Its often said that our country was founded
on Judeo-Christian principles. Today for
the first time, I truly understand what that means.
The Passion of the Christ is being attacked
by the Liberal Elite in this country.
Look at where the negative reviews are coming from; The New York Times,
They dont get it, they never will. But we do, between 90 to 95% of the people in
this country are either Christians or Jews.
The Passion of the Christ grossed $23 million in two days of previews
and opening day.
I hope that
Yes, this movie is brutal and violent. We contend that the violence was a necessary
component to understand fully the pain Jesus endured for all of us. Can the same be
said for the typical
As usual,
Mel Gibsons gift to the entertainment world
and humanity at large is that on radio and television stations and websites
across America, we are publicly talking about Jesus; his life, death and
resurrection and NOT about Madonna, Brittany Spears and Janet Jacksons
wardrobe malfunction.
Jesus has risen
again, halleluiah. Take that