Never in any films about Jesus has that "sacred head" been wounded more than in The Passion of the Christ, Mel Gibson's gory saga of the last 12 hours of Jesus' life. Not in the crude 1914 Passion of Our Savior, or Cecil B. DeMille's 1927 potboiler King of Kings, or the overblown spectaculars of the 60s—King of Kings and The Greatest Story Ever Told—or the more recent revisionist films The Last Temptation of Christ and Jesus of Montreal. Most films about Jesus set the last hours of his life in the context of his ministry of preaching, healing and relating to his disciples. They depict the trials, scourging and crucifixion of Christ almost as discreetly as do the sparse texts of the gospels.

Not so in Mel Gibson's film. This is not a film for the sensitive—and definitely not for children. At a little more than two hours in length, the film has plenty of time to indulge in exploring virtually every blow, real or imagined, inflicted upon Jesus. Borrowing from the imaginings of a German nun who lived and wrote some 200 years ago, Sister Anne Catherine Emmerich, Gibson even has the enchained Jesus thrown over a bridge. He dangles helplessly in the air above the water, and then the guards haul him up like some large fish.

During his interrogation by Caiaphas and the other priests, Jesus is struck repeatedly until one of his eyes is swollen shut. From Sr. Emmerich's book The Dolorous Passion of Our Lord Jesus Christ Gibson's script (co-written with Benedict Fitzgerald) takes the scornful words Pontius Pilate addresses to the priests when they haul Jesus before him in the movie, "Do you always punish a man before you judge him?"

After a fruitless attempt to dismiss the case against Jesus, Pilate turns Jesus over to his soldiers, who conduct the prisoner to the courtyard for scourging. The officer in charge indifferently (he's seen what is about to happen hundreds of times) orders his burly underlings to begin the whipping. These goons, with their hulking bodies and cruel faces, look as if they stepped out of a Hieronymus Bosch painting. In Bosch's "Ecce Homo" and "Christ Carrying the Cross" the features of Jesus' brutal captors and mockers are so distorted that they almost become caricatures of Evil.

The scourging tears away pieces of Jesus' flesh, especially when rods are replaced by flails with bits of iron and stone tied to the ends of the leather straps. The fallen Jesus struggles and then manages to stand up. The crowd is awed at this great effort and courage, but the guards are upset, interpreting this as an act of defiance.

Then begins the long, tortuous carrying of the cross, the guards flailing at Jesus almost every step of the way. Simon of Cyrene is forced to help carry the cross. A compassionate young mother wipes Jesus' face with a cloth and tries to give him a drink of water. Mary, Jesus' mother, along with Mary Magdalene and the apostle John, try to keep up as they make their way through the watching throng. All of the seven last words are included, beginning with "Father forgive them" as Jesus is nailed to the cross.

Is the film anti-Semitic?
Thus far controversy over The Passion has focused on whether or not the film is anti-Semitic. The answer will probably vary from viewer to viewer. Certainly this is a film that could be used by bigots to arouse prejudice. But so could a film like Jesus Christ: Superstar, in which the nature of the priests is even more negatively biased.

Gibson follows the Gospel writers—especially John, who definitely blames Christ's death on Caiaphas and his allies. In Gibson's film two members of the Sanhedrin object to the way Jesus is being treated, but Caiaphas uses his authority to expel them so he can get on with his agenda.

The Romans come off as the real sadists: in the scene of Jesus' scourging the priests become so sickened by the brutality of the Roman guards that they turn and walk away. Pilate knowingly allows an innocent man to be killed when he gives in to the voice of the priests and mob. It is fair to say that Gibson's film pins most of the blame on the Romans, which is where it should be. Only they had the power to inflict the death penalty.

Too much graphic violence?
Now that the film has opened in theaters, I suspect the controversy will move on to its violence. The Passion stretches the R-rating category more than any other film I've seen. I suspect 20 years ago it would have been awarded an X-rating.

Should every detail of Jesus' ordeal be shown so graphically (at the crucifixion there is literally a shower of blood when a soldier pierces the side of Jesus with a spear)? This question will, and should, be debated. Some evangelical reviewers say, "Yes," because it shows how much Jesus loves us—that he was willing to endure such torture at the hands of his barbarous captors. Maybe, but I have felt the same thing from viewing films with much less graphic violence.

On the other hand, gory depictions of the crucifixion can serve a purpose, as in the artist Mathias Grünewald's "Isenheim Altarpiece," which might well have provided a model for Gibson. In Grünewald's painting of the crucifixion every inch of Christ's body is scarred, with some of the bits of steel and thorns still embedded in his flesh. Grünewald painted this for the chapel of a hospital. The patients, most of them victims of terrible skin diseases, reportedly took great comfort from the gruesome painting, realizing that their Savior had shared in suffering similar to theirs.

Perhaps the most touching flashback takes place when Mary sees Jesus fall under the weight of the cross. She thinks back to a time when he fell down hard as a boy and she rushed to pick him up and comfort him. Now she can only watch helplessly. Such artfully placed scenes are helpful, but not nearly enough to convey to a non-believer the scope of Christ's reconciling ministry.

Positive contributions
Church leaders wrestling with the question of whether to take a youth group to see The Passion should see it themselves before deciding. While the film is certainly worth seeing, it is not for everyone.

Christians can be grateful for all the discussion it has provoked. Christians and Jews have come together in some cities to discuss issues raised by the film—during a time when there are signs of a growing anti-Semitism in this country and in Europe. The film also provides an opportunity for believers to talk about the nature of the Gospels. Gibson approaches them uncritically from a Catholic fundamentalist stance. For that matter, so did many earlier filmmakers, ignoring contradictions among the four Gospels as they tried to blend them into a harmonious whole.

Whether or not you like the film, The Passion can be the occasion for much good. All the debate and discussion surrounding its release shows the power of movies to shape our culture—and even more, that the church's message of a Savior is still relevant in a post-Christian age.

Questions for reflection/discussion

• What were your feelings and thoughts when the film ended? What message do you think Gibson wants to convey? Do you think the message was overwhelmed by the film's graphic violence?
• Does the film include enough about Jesus' life and mission for viewers to understand why he was so hated by his enemies? What would you have added had you been the director? What would you have left out?
• Do you think the film is anti-Semitic? Compare the way the priests and the Romans are depicted—which are the more cruel? Are there passages in any of the four Gospels that could be used to promote anti-Semitism?
• Is this Christ a victim or victor? What does the final scene contribute to understanding him and his mission? Is it enough? Are there any hints in the film that going to the cross was Jesus' own decision?
• What details in the film do not appear in the Gospel accounts? What do these contribute to the story?

Suggestions for discussion leaders
You may want to have on hand reproductions of the paintings mentioned in this review, as well as various other artists' depictions of events from the last 12 hours of Jesus' life. (Your church school picture file is a good place to search, as well as the many art books on the life of Christ.)

You might plan a Jesus Film Festival for summer or next Lent using clips from the dozen or more Jesus films available on video. Do an overview at the first session, followed by viewings of several of the films in their entirety. Check with Christian Video Licensing (www.cvli.org) for a license to show films in a church or other public setting.

Online discussion group
An online discussion group is available through PresbyNet, the online community sponsored by the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.). A limited version of PresbyNet, PresbyNet Lite, is available for free.
[ Learn more about PresbyNet ]

To discuss The Passion of The Christ join the Ecunet meeting "The Passion of the Christ."

Links to other helpful resources

"What Presbyterians Believe" about The Atonement
In this essay Isabel Rogers brings the doctrine of the atonement down to earth through some fresh images.

The following links are provided for your further study. Presbyterians Today does not endorse nor is responsible for material on any Web site beyond our own.

Office of Theology and Worship Passion resources
A short list of links to other helpful resources compiled by the PCUSA's Office of Theology and Worship.

The National Council of Churches USA
The NCC has developed a Reflection Guide to Mel Gibson's Film The Passion of the Christ as well as offers a discussion group and other related resources.

The Passion of the Lord Jesus Christ
Pastor Bruce Gillette of First Presbyterian Church of Pitman, New Jersey has compiled a list of ecumenical and Presbyterian resources related to the Passion of the Lord Jesus Christ.

Survey: moviegoer reactions requested
Assist an interdisciplinary team of researchers at Spring Arbor University (Michigan) and Regent University (Virginia) who are interested in obtaining more complete information on the reactions of moviegoers to the film, The Passion of the Christ. Survey results will be compiled and used for a press release to the mainstream media and academic publications.