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The Passion of the Christ
A News Anchor’s Perspective
on “The Passion of the Christ”
Jody Dean
Dallas/Ft. Worth anchor, CBS News
There have been tons of
e-mails and forwards floating around recently
from those who have had the privilege of seeing Mel Gibson’s The Passion
Of The Christ prior to its actual release. I thought I’d give you my
reaction after seeing it last [week.]
The screening was on the
first night of “Elevate!” a weekend-long
seminar for young people at Prestonwood Baptist Church in Plano. There
were about 2,000 people there, and the movie was shown after several
speakers had taken the podium. It started around 9:00 and finished
around 11:00…about two hours in length. Frankly, I lost complete track
of time – so I can’t be sure.
I want you to know that
I started in broadcasting when I was 13 years
old. I have been in the business of writing, performing, production and
broadcasting for a long time. I have been a part of movies, radio,
television, stage and other productions – so I know how things are done.
I know about soundtracks and special effects and make-up and
screenplays. I think I have seen just about every kind of movie or TV
show ever made – from extremely inspirational to extremely gory. I read
a lot – and have covered stories and scenes that still make me wince. I
also have a vivid imagination, and have the ability to picture things as
they must have happened – or to anticipate things as they will be
portrayed. I have also seen an enormous amount of footage from Gibson’s
film, so I thought I knew what was coming.
But there is nothing in
my existence – nothing I could have read, seen,
heard, thought or known – that could have prepared me for what I saw on
screen last night.
This is not a movie that
anyone will “like”. I don’t think it’s a movie
anyone will “love”. It certainly doesn’t “entertain”. There
isn’t even
the sense that one has just watched a movie. What it is…an experience –
on a level of primary emotion that is scarcely comprehensible. Every
shred of human preconception or predisposition is utterly stripped away.
No one will eat popcorn during this film Some may not eat for days
after they’ve seen it. Quite honestly, I wanted to vomit. It hits that
hard.
I can see why some people
are worried about how the film portrays the
Jews. They should be worried. No, it’s not anti-Semitic. What it is, is
entirely shattering. There are no “winners”. No one comes off looking
“good” – except Jesus. Even His own mother hesitates. As depicted,
the
Jewish leaders of Jesus’ day merely do what any of us would have done –
and still do. They protected their perceived “place” – their sense
of
safety and security, and the satisfaction of their own “rightness”.
But
everyone falters. Caiphus judges. Peter denies. Judas betrays. Simon
theCyrene balks. Mark runs away. Pilate equivocates. The crowd mocks.
The soldiers laugh. Longinus still stabs with his pilus. The centurion
still carries out his orders. And as Jesus fixes them all with a glance,
they still turn away. The Jews, the Romans, Jesus’ friends – they all
fall. Everyone, except the Principal Figure. Heaven sheds a single,
mighty tear – and as blood and water spew from His side, the complacency
of all creation is eternally shattered.
The film grabs you in the
first five seconds, and never lets go. The
brutality, humiliation, and gore are almost inconceivable – and still
probably does not go far enough. The scourging alone seems to never end,
and you cringe at the sound and splatter of every blow – no matter how
steely your nerves. Even those who have known combat or prison will have
trouble, no matter their experience – because this Man was not
conscripted. He went willingly, laying down His entirety for all. It is
one thing for a soldier to die for his countrymen. It’s something else
entirely to think of even a common man dying for those who hate and wish
to kill him. But this is no common man. This is the King of the
Universe. The idea that anyone could or would have gone through such
punishment is unthinkable – but this Man was completely innocent,
completely holy – and paying the price forothers. He screams as He is
laid upon the cross, “Father, they don’t know. They don’t know..”
What Gibson has done is
to use all of his considerable skill to portray
the most dramatic moment of the most dramatic events since the dawn of
time. There is no escape. It’s a punch to the gut that puts you on the
canvas, and you don’t get up. You are simply confronted by the horror of
what was done – what had to be done – and why. Throughout the entire
film, I found myself apologizing.
What you’ve heard about
how audiences have reacted is true. There was no
sound after the film’s conclusion. No noise at all. No one got up. No
one moved. The only sound one could hear was sobbing. In all my years of
public life, I have never heard anything like that.
I told many of you that
Gibson had reportedly re-shot the ending to
include more “hope” through the Resurrection? That’s not true. The
Resurrection scene is perhaps the shortest in the entire movie – and yet
it packs a punch that can’t be quantified. It is perfect. There is no
way to negotiate the meaning out of it. It simply asks, “Now, what will
you do?”
I’ll leave the details to
you, in the hope that you will see the film –
but one thing above all stands out, and I have to tell you about it. It
comes from the end of Jesus’ temptations in the wilderness – where the
Bible says Satan left him “until a more opportune time.” I imagine
Satan
never quit tempting Christ, but this film captures beyond words the most
opportune time. At every step of the way, Satan is there at Jesus’ side
– imploring Him to quit, reasoning with Him to give up, and seducing Him
to surrender. For the first time, one gets a heart-stopping idea of the
sense of madness that must have enveloped Jesus – a sense of the evil
that was at His very elbow. The physical punishment is relentless – but
it’s the sense of psychological torture that is most overwhelming. He
should have quit. He should have opened His mouth. He should have called
10,000 angels. No one would have blamed Him. What we deserve is obvious
But He couldn’t do that. He wouldn’t do that. He didn’t do that. He
doesn’t do that. It was not and is not His character. He was obedient,
all the way to the cross – and you feel the real meaning of that phrase
in a place the human heart usually doesn’t dare to go. You understand
that we are called to that same level of obedience. With Jesus’ humanity
so irresistibly on display, you understand that we have no excuse. There
is no place to hide.
The truth is this: Is it
just a “movie”? In a way, yes. But it goes far
beyond that, in a fashion I’ve never felt – in any forum. We may think
we “know”. We know nothing. We’ve gone 2,000 years – used to the idea
of
a pleasant story, and a sanitized Christ. We expect the ending, because
we’ve heard it so many times. God forgive us. This film tears that all
away. It’s is as close as any of us will ever get to knowing, until we
fully know. Paul understood. “Be urgent, in and out of season.”
Luke wrote that Jesus reveals
Himself in the breaking of the bread.
Exactly. The Passion Of The Christ shows that Bread being broken.
Go see this movie.
Jody Dean is the Dallas/Ft.
Worth anchor for CBS News.
Paul Harvey & David
Limbaugh
Paul Harvey Comments on
“The Passion” by Mel Gibson
The majority of the media
are complaining about this movie. Now Paul Harvey tells “The rest of the
story” and David Limbaugh praises Gibson. Most people would wait and see
a movie before giving the reviews that have been issued by the reporters trying
to tell all of us what to believe. Paul Harvey’s words:
I really did not know what to expect. I was thrilled to have been invited to
a private viewing of Mel Gibson’s film “The Passion,” but I had also
read all the cautious articles and spin. I grew up in a Jewish town and owe
much of my own faith journey to the influence. I have a life long, deeply held
aversion to anything that might even directly encourage any form of anti-Semitic
thought, language or actions.
I arrived at the private viewing for “The Passion”, held in Washington
DC and greeted some familiar faces. The environment was typically Washingtonian,
with people greeting you with a smile but seeming to look beyond you, having
an agenda beyond the words.
The film was very briefly introduced, without fanfare, and then the room darkened.
From the gripping opening scene in the Garden of Gethsemane, to the very human
and tender portrayal of the earthly ministry of Jesus, through the betrayal,
the arrest, the scourging, the way of the cross, the encounter with the thieves,
the surrender on the Cross, until the final scene in the empty tomb, this was
not simply a movie; it was an encounter, unlike anything I have ever experienced.
In addition to being a masterpiece of film-making and an artistic triumph, The
Passion evoked more deep reflection, sorrow and emotional reaction within me
than anything since my wedding, my ordination or the birth of my children. Frankly,
I will never be the same. When the film concluded, this “invitation only”
gathering of “movers and shakers” in Washington, DC were shaking indeed,
but this time from sobbing. I am not sure there was a dry eye in the place.
The crowd that had been glad-handing before the film was now eerily silent.
No one could speak because words were woefully inadequate. We had experienced
a kind of art that is a rarity in life, the kind that makes heaven touch earth.
One scene in the film has now been forever etched in my mind. A brutalized,
wounded Jesus was soon to fall again under the weight of the cross. His mother
had made her way along the Via Della Rosa. As she ran to him, she flashed back
to a memory of Jesus as a child, falling in the dirt road outside of their home.
Just as she reached to protect him from the fall, she was now reaching to touch
his wounded adult face. Jesus looked at her with intensely probing and passionately
loving eyes (and at all of us through the screen)and said “Behold I make
all things new.” These are words taken from the last Book of the New Testament,
the Book of Revelation. Suddenly, the purpose of the pain was so clear and the
wounds, that earlier in the film had been so difficult to see in His face, His
back, indeed all over His body, became intensely beautiful. They had been borne
voluntarily for love.
At the end of the film, after we had all had a chance to recover, a question
and answer period ensued. The unanimous praise for the film, from rather diverse
crowd, was as astounding as the compliments were effusive.
The questions included the one question that seems to follow this film, even
though it has not yet even been released. “Why is this film considered
by some to be ‘anti-Semitic?” Frankly, having now experienced (you do not
“view” this film) “the Passion” it is a question that is
impossible to answer. A law professor whom I admire sat in front of me. He raised
his hand and responded “After watching this film, I do not understand how
anyone can insinuate that it even remotely presents that the Jews killed Jesus.
It doesn’t.”
He continued “It made me realize that my sins killed Jesus” I agree.
There is not a scintilla of anti-Semitism to be found anywhere in this powerful
film. If there were, I would be among the first to decry it. It faithfully tells
the Gospel story in a dramatically beautiful, sensitive and profoundly engaging
way.
Those who are alleging otherwise have either not seen the film or have another
agenda behind their protestations. This is not a “Christian” film,
in the sense that it will appeal only to those who identify themselves as followers
of Jesus Christ.
It is a deeply human, beautiful story that will deeply touch all men and women.
It is a profound work of art. Yes, its producer is a Catholic Christian and
thankfully has remained faithful to the Gospel text; if that is no longer acceptable
behavior than we are all in trouble. History demands that we remain faithful
to the story and Christians have a right to tell it. After all, we believe that
it is the greatest story ever told and that its message is for all men and women.
The greatest right is the right to hear the truth.
We would all be well advised to remember that the Gospel narratives to which
“The Passion” is so faithful were written by Jewish men who followed
a Jewish Rabbi whose life and teaching have forever changed the history of the
world. The problem is not the message but those who have distorted it and used
it for hate rather than love. The solution is not to censor the message, but
rather to promote the kind of gift of love that is Mel Gibson’s filmmaking masterpiece,
“The Passion.”
It should be seen by as many people as possible. I intend to do everything I
can to make sure that is the case. I am passionate about “The Passion.”
You will be as well. Don’t miss it!
This is a commentary by
DAVID LIMBAUGH about Mel Gibson’s very controversial movie regarding Christ’s
crucifixion.
MEL GIBSON’S passion for
“THE PASSION” How ironic that when a movie producer takes artistic
license with historical events, he is lionized as artistic, creative and brilliant,
but when another takes special care to be true to the real-life story, he is
vilified. Actor-producer Mel Gibson is discovering these truths the head way
as he is having difficulty finding a United States studio or distributor for
his upcoming film, “The Passion,” which depicts the last 12 hours
of the life of Jesus Christ.
Gibson co-wrote the script and financed, directed and produced the movie. For
the script, he and his co-author relied on the New Testament Gospels of Matthew,
Mark, Luke and John, as well as the diaries of St. Anne Catherine Emmerich (1774-1824)
and Mary of Agreda’s “The City of God.” Gibson doesn’t want this to
be like other sterilized religious epics.
“I’m trying to access the story on a very personal level and trying to
be very real about it.” So committed to realistically portraying what many
would consider the most important half-day in the history of the universe, Gibson
even shot the film in the Aramaic language of the period. In response to objections
that viewers will not be able to understand that language, Gibson said, “Hopefully,
I’ll be able to transcend the language barriers with my visual storytelling;
if I fail, I fail, but at least it’ll be a monumental failure.”
To further insure the accuracy of the work, Gibson has enlisted the counsel
of pastors and theologians, and has received rave reviews. Don Hodel, president
of Focus on the Family, said, “I was very impressed. The movie is historically
and theologically accurate.” Ted Haggard, pastor of New Life Church in
Colorado Springs, Colo., and president of the National Evangelical Association,
glowed: “It conveys, more accurately than any other film, who Jesus was.”
During the filming, Gibson, a devout Catholic, attended Mass every morning because
“we had to be squeaky clean just working on this.” From Gibson’s perspective,
this movie is not about Mel Gibson. It’s bigger than he is.” I’m not a
preacher, and I’m not a pastor,” he said. “But I really feel my career
was leading me to make this. The Holy Ghost was working through me on this film,
and I was just directing traffic. I hope the film has the power to evangelize.”
Even before the release of the movie, scheduled for March 2004, Gibson is getting
his wish. “Everyone who worked on this movie was changed. There were agnostics
and Muslims on set converting to Christianity…[and]people being healed of
diseases.” Gibson wants people to understand through the movie, if they
don’t already, the incalculable influence Christ has had on the world. And he
grasps that Christ is controversial precisely because of WHO HE IS – GOD incarnate
“And that’s the point of my film really, to show all that turmoil around
him politically and with religious leaders and the people, all because He is
Who He is.”
Gibson is beginning to experience first hand just how controversial Christ is.
Critics have not only speciously challenged the movie’s authenticity, but have
charged that it is disparaging to Jews, which Gibson vehemently denies. “This
is not a Christian vs. Jewish thing. [Jesus] came into the world, and it knew
him not. Looking at Christ’s crucifixion, I look first at my own culpability
in that.” Jesuit Father William J. Fulco, who translated the script into
Aramaic and Latin, said he saw no hint of anti-Semitism in the movie. Fulco
added, “I would be aghast at any suggestion that Mel Gibson is anti-Semitic.”
Nevertheless, certain groups and some in the mainstream press have been very
critical of Gibson’s “Passion.”
The New York Post’s Andrea Peyser chided him: “There is still time, Mel,
to tell the truth.” Boston Globe columnist James Carroll denounced Gibson’s
literal reading of the biblical accounts. “Even a faithful repetition of
the Gospel stories of the death of Jesus can do damage exactly because those
sacred texts themselves carry the virus of Jew hatred,” wrote Carroll.
A group of Jewish and Christian academics has issued an 18-page report slamming
all aspects of the film, including its undue emphasis on Christ’s passion rather
than “a broader vision.” The report disapproves of the movie’s treatment
of Christ’s passion as historical fact.
The moral is that if you want the popular culture to laud your work on Christ,
make sure it either depicts Him as a homosexual or as an everyday sinner with
no particular redeeming value (literally). In our anti-Christian culture, the
blasphemous “The Last Temptation of Christ” is celebrated and “The
Passion” is condemned. But if this movie continues to affect people the
way it is now, no amount of cultural opposition will suppress its force and
its positive impact on lives everywhere. Mel Gibson is a model of faith and
courage.