Well, I
finally did it. I saw the Passion and I must say, it feels good to be
able to have an opinion based on something tangible. Never in my life
have I seen a movie theater so captivated by a movie. There were times
when you could literally hear a pin drop. Even the foul-mouthed heckler
sitting next to us felt so convicted, he had to shut up half way
through the movie. I will probably never see this movie again, but I am
so glad I did. I actually had to physically make myself watch
the gruesome parts and even then, I knew they weren't as gruesome as
they should've or could've been. The reports that the movie was too
gory just don't hold much weight for me after experiencing it with my
own eyes. And I myself am one of the most squeemish people you will
ever meet. In my most humble and personal opinion, the film exceeded my
expectations. There is the looming sense of Catholicism in the focus on
Mary among other things, but I expected that from Gibson. All my other
issues with the movie can be squashed for the sake of furthering the
Gospel. Many have argued that Gibson needed to tell more of the story,
I say he achieved his purpose of wanting to capture the feeling of
those last 12 hours with the focus on Jesus. I stayed until the end of
the credits -- not because I was trying to be deep, but because I felt
that pulling off a film such as what I'd viewed had to have been a
mighty endeavor, and I wanted to honor and respect the work it took.
There is something happening in the spiritual atmosphere. People will
argue whether or not Gibson really
heard from God to make this movie. That is not really the issue in my
opinion and I don't presume to know. I only hope Gibson himself comes
to receive true Salvation through this process. The real question we
need to be asking is where is God at work right now? And where can we
join Him in His work? It is no mistake that only days leading up to the
premiere of the Passion the homosexual "marriage" controversy
hit the media like a bomb. And let's not be mistaken, mass media would
have you think same-sex "marriages" are taking place in every crevice
of the universe. It's a lie and it just goes to show how much power
they have over the media. The reality, is, compared to the millions of
people that live in America, only about 7-9,000 people are
participating in this gay "marriage" debacle. It is a distraction. The
majority of American citizens are not for gay "marriage" and we're
pretty dense to think otherwise. Even John Kerry can't bring himself to
call the union of two men a "marriage". We need to call things out for
what they are and this debate is a dissipation. We need to give a clear
answer to all the issues being raised and we must be strategic, but we
cannot allow the lie of this issue to dominate the airwaves nor our
lives.
Personally, if I wasn't a believer, I wouldn't see the Passion.
God makes us accountable for everything we've heard, everything we
know, and everything we've seen--especially the Gospel. It has been
argued that the Passion is not a real presentation of the
Gospel. I'd say it's pretty darn close. The Gospel is simple. The
finished work of Christ can be understood even by a child. Christ made
it simple for us through His sinless life. Entering the Kingdom of God
and "working out our salvation" as the Bible declares, is where the
real work begins. There is a certain doorway that has been kicked open
by this film. I'm not sure what the doorway is, but when I find out,
I'll post it in an instant. Those who have eyes to see will recognize
that if God can use a rock and if he can use our unworthy piles of
flesh, he can use anything, no matter how much we Christians may oppose
it.
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