The Passion

I suppose it was inevitable that I address this movie here eventually. Now seems as good a time as any. My wife and I went with a group from our Church to see it opening night. The range of human emotions ran through me, but in a way that was unexpected even to me. To understand my response one needs to know that I cannot view a sappy cartoon without crying. I fully expected this to be my primary reaction as I witnessed the brutality against my God. I did weep, but not as much as I had expected.

What hit me hardest was that this level of brutality was even necessary. My separation from God was so real, so absolutely complete that Christ had this terrible price that needed to be paid to redeem me. Others who do not understand the Holiness of God see this as an example of God's wrath. If God had chosen wrath, it would have been simpler to start over to wipe us all off the face of his earth. Instead he chose to redeem us. To buy us back as it were.

One of the things that touched me was the reaction of Judas. He was tormented because he had betrayed the Son of Man. Yet his sin was no more severe then that of Peter, who betrayed him three times. So what was the source of his torment. You cannot come away without realizing that Satan was behind the torment. But he was behind Peter's as well. Some of the last words Jesus spoke to Peter was that Satan had asked to sift him. (ok my paraphrase). Judas had but to reach out to Christ, rather then take matters into his own hands and I believe like Peter he would have been restored.

Depression leads many to contemplate, attempt and even succeed at taking there own lives. I have been there, and have seen suicide from many different angles. Just recently our landlord took his own life, only days before he had planned on seeing this movie himself. The odd thing is all I saw was a man who was making my life difficult, and was causing us to loose our housing. I did not see him as a man for whom Christ died, and in need of salvation.

While I know the desperation that pushes a person to suicide, one of the main things that I came away from this movie with was a sense of acceptance. Judas felt condemnation, but Jesus offers us forgiveness in exchange for the condemnation that Satan offers. I still find myself listening to the condemnation, but the images of the beating help to bring me back. They help me focus on the reality that Christ did that for me. I must be worth something for him to have paid such a terrible price to redeem me.

It has also had another unexpected result. It makes me think twice when temptations come. Temptations come to all of us. It has helped me to focus, so I know what the end result of those temptations. The result of all temptation to sin is found in the crucifixion. Christ's death paid the price for my sin, both those I have committed and those I will commit. I now have a clearer picture of what that "little sin" really costs.