I reached the seclusion of my
car and sat alone for a few moments. The engine, wipers and radio came alive
with the turn of a key and for the first time in a long time, I found their
noise intrusive. I needed to be alone with my thoughts and emotions. I
craved silence.
I reflected on the words that
scrolled across the opening screen. Director Mel Gibson hung the key to the
house on the front porch. Unfortunately, many have missed this key and, like a
thief they barge into the house without using the door. If you miss
the key you will miss the point of the movie. Here is the key: "But he was
pierced for our transgressions, he was crushed for our iniquities; the
punishment that brought us peace was upon him, and by his wounds we are
healed." The key is a quote from the Jewish prophet Isaiah who described
the Passion of Jesus like a reporter on the scene. Miraculously, his words were
written over 700 years before the event depicted in The Passion of The Christ.
Isaiah's words are graphic,
offensive and violent: Pierced. Crushed. Punishment. Wounds. Stripes. They are
not gratuitous, they are genuine. The R rating was understandable because
wounds, piercing and stripes were abundant.
I agree with James O. Davis,
Cofounder/President/CEO of Global Pastors Network who said, "My response
then and now is that "R stands for Redemption and it was royal red. For
too long, the world has not seen, heard, and felt what the crucifixion was about
for Christ. The English word, "excruciating" comes from the
word, "crucifixion." If you want to know what really is excruciating,
then you MUST go and see The Passion Of The Christ. Your life will be
changed for the better and for eternity."
The problem with modern
Christianity and hence the reaction to the violence of the movie is that we have
sanitized the cross. It has become a beautiful piece of jewelry and an
attractive adornment on the steeples of our churches. We have forgotten the
warning of Paul that the cross is an offense (Galatians 5:11) and foolishness (1
Corinthians 1:18) to those who have not embraced the flow of its forgiveness. The
Passion of The Christ reminds us that the cross continues to offend and an
army of critics have arisen to decry and distort its message and in so doing
fulfill a Biblical prediction.
The butterflies present in the
pit of my stomach when I entered the theater were absent as I departed. I sat in
an austere calm. How could anything so violent and so vicious be so calming? I
unclenched my fist and looked at the key again. I remembered the final word in
Isaiah's opening prophecy.
Healed.
Somewhere in all the verbiage,
all the controversy, and all the superficial dialogue, the purpose of the
passion is conveniently missed. The punishment brought peace. The piercing
brought wholeness. The crushing brought forgiveness. The ugliness of His wounds
brought healing.
When
man was at his worse, God was at His best. The result is captured in one word: healed.
Click here for Rev. Wright's answers to questions about "The Passion of
the Christ".
