The Power of Image and The Passion of the Christ

Christians have historically been suspicious of Hollywood. There was concern that films were corrupting the minds, morals and religious sensibilities of America's youth. As late as the early 1990's, Christians were highly antagonistic towards the film industry, offended by the stereotyping of religious people as either radical fanatics or silly and insignificant. Over the past decade, however, Christians have struck up an uneasy love affair with Hollywood. It's not just films like "The Prince of Egypt" and the "Veggie Tales" series; Christians have flocked to major blockbusters like "Lord of the Rings" and "The Matrix," feeling that their worldviews and values are finally being recognized and honored (to a certain degree) on the screen.

But these are still Hollywood films — made for the masses by executives that are more concerned about the bottom line than with the spiritual sensibilities of a segment of the American population.

"The Passion of the Christ" represents a departure from this norm—a Hollywood caliber film not created for its investment potential but out of religious conviction. It is a film that many will feel comfortable calling "Christian". Religious zeal and artistic skill have finally intersected in a picture Christians can call their own.

Many congregations have played the DVD trailer sent to their church and bought scores of tickets for opening night. Finally: a film that is essentially faithful to the core of Christianity. Sure, we could be nitpicky and complain about details, but it seems that Mel Gibson has got the essence of the last hours of Jesus' life onto film in a way that honors the sacredness of scripture and the traditions that help us understand the story of the Passion.

Yet this raises an interesting question: is it good to make a film about Jesus, and more specifically one that focuses completely on his death?

For the most part, I am all for historical films — they help us feel and experience history in ways that were otherwise impossible. Sure, we have to be wary of the interpretations the director and screenwriter may be bringing to the material, but if we approach these films as reasonably informed viewers, they can add to our knowledge and appreciation of history.

One of my most significant experiences in a movie theater was after seeing "Saving Private Ryan." No one talked as they left the theater. Eventually silence turned to wonder and amazement. I began to see the horrors and heroics of war. What was once a subject of video games and action films was now personal and authentic. My view of war, and particularly the generation that fought in World War II was forever changed.

But there is something different about Jesus. I firmly believe it is essential to the validity of the Gospels that Jesus was an historical figure that walked the earth 2000 years ago. Yet for my personal faith as it is lived out in my community, this fact does not have a day to day importance for how I relate to others and my God. What is essential is the way in which Jesus meets me in the midst of my story and welcomes me to join in the history of what he has been doing in the world for thousands of years. My story becomes wrapped up with Jesus' story, so a film like "The Passion" becomes intensely personal.

This seems to be a good thing — to have a personal experience of Jesus in a movie theater. Yet there might also be the potential for loss in viewing "The Passion." Our imagination, which is so essential to how God meets us and communicates to us, can become so filled with the powerful images that Mel Gibson has painted that we may become unable to see Jesus any other way. I cannot be certain as to whether this will be the case with every person, but it should at least give us reason to pause and consider the helpfulness of seeing this film. I worry that for many people Jesus could become the figure that Mel Gibson has imagined in his highly personal adaptation of the last days of Jesus' life.

But what about other images of Jesus? Paintings, sculptures, other films? Haven't they formed my picture of Jesus? No amount of photographs, paintings or romanticized films prepared me for seeing "Saving Private Ryan." There is something about an expertly crafted movie that engages us so immediately on such a visceral level that we are unable to step away unaffected. This is one of the great gifts of film. My picture of Jesus and the story of his life on earth is drawn from so many sources, yet a film like "The Passion of the Christ" has the potential to trump my own picture to such a degree that it may become a disservice to my spiritual life. Perhaps I am wrong here. It may be that if I am to see "The Passion," my understanding and appreciation of the sacrifice of Jesus would increase ten-fold, yet I want to consider that there may be other effects from seeing the film.

I also wonder about the value of meditating so intensely on a particular moment in Jesus' life. Without doubt, Jesus' death and resurrection is the turning point of all history. His death on a cross is the tip of the iceberg of the pain and shame that the incarnate God experienced to redeem those he so intensely loves. Yet by meditating so specifically on the physical pain, do we begin to overlook the spiritual significance of what Jesus accomplished? It seems that what is essential to the story is not the gory details of how Jesus died (unless we are talking about the fulfillment of Old Testament prophecy), but why God would choose to suffer and die. For some, this emphasis on physical suffering will cause them to cross the line from meditating on Christ's death into morbid voyeurism and guilt tripping of which we must be cautious.

I have yet to decide whether I will see "The Passion of the Christ". From an artistic point of view, I have little doubt that it will be a masterpiece. There is also something incredibly engaging about so clearly and vividly seeing the sacrifice that Jesus made. However, I worry about what I may lose: once I allow those images into my mind, there is no going back. A couple of weeks ago I saw "In America." It's a story about a family of Irish immigrants trying to make sense of the death of their youngest child. The oldest daughter spends much of the film recording their lives on a camcorder. At the end of the film she decides to turn the camcorder off. She says she doesn't want to remember Frankie (her brother) that way. When she closes her eyes and sees Frankie, that is how she wants to remember him - as part of her experience in life, as part of her story. I think that sums up my feelings about the Passion. Story is so essential and important to our existence. It is what gives our lives meaning and significance. When seeing The "Passion of the Christ" it is important to remember that we are seeing how the story of Jesus has impacted and intersected Mel Gibson's personal life experiences. Given the power of moving images, for some, this may have an adverse effect but for others it will no doubt be the most powerful two hours they experience in a theater.

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