I understand that nearly everybody is making comments about this film, and doing so here is nothing extraordinary. But it adds to the dialog and discussion, and it helps me to form my faith even more. In the process, perhaps it will help others in some small way.
I want to focus on the three things that I remember most. These things may be small, or they may be in the context of what I am currently learning in terms of theology and religion.
Flashback : : Riding the Donkey
This flashback was very brief in comparison to the others, but it stuck in my mind. Jesus must have been thinking, while carrying his cross, “Just a week ago they were hailing me as their King…how things change.” This may only strike me as special because I do this, where I compare the past to what is currently going on, especially in contrasts. The idea that Christ was hailed as a king, and then was beaten and crucified, strikes me as an indication on how our hearts our toward him. Earlier today I was thinking of simply my own pleasure without God, yet tonight he is my joy as I write this and think about him. Yes, things change. But no, they don’t. It’s a small lesson, to be sure, but something that caught my attention.
“Crucify Him!”
While being tried by Pilate, the Jews seemed to be intent on having this man condemned in some way. Pilate seemed to at least in some way not completely understand why, and so he inquired. When he found no fault in Jesus of Nazareth, he sent him away. When he was returned, he had to deal with this man. “What do you want me to do with him?” he asks. “Crucify him!” the crowd (particularly the religious leaders). The tone of the movie changed, as did Pilate’s countenance. The look on his face I will always remember. It was one of confounding misunderstanding. “These Jewish leaders,” he must have thought, “reallyl hate this man, so much so they want him crucified!?” As they say, a picture is worth a thousand words, so if you see it, it may move you the same way.
“Look Mother, I make all things new.”
While Christ came to die for the sins of the world, he also came for a broader purpose: to restore Creation unto himself (see Colossians 1:15ff). Not only was his sacrifice sufficient to atone for the sins of many, it was also necessary in order to restore Creation to its origin, such as it was like in the Garden of Eden. When Jesus says to his mother, “I make all things new,” I’m sure he was not only speaking of those lives who would be changed by his revolution, but all things. At the Second Coming, this restoration will be complete and fully known.
The implications for this third point are staggering for many. While we focus solely on the restoration of souls (which is, of course, the most important aspect of this restoration), we seem to ignore the rest of what Christ came to do.
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