The Passion Of Jesus Christ

I just finished watching Diane Sawyer’s interview with Mel Gibson on ABC’s Primetime Special and I need to make a few personal comments. It was an interesting exchange. The questions were fair and mostly necessary, and in answering them Mel Gibson was refreshingly animated. I could not help but be impressed by his honesty and forthrightness. Right off the bat, Diane asked if he was anti Semitic. He denied it, later stating that he believed anti Semitism was unchristian; it was a sin, he said.

The controversial film will debut in hundreds of theaters across the country on Ash Wednesday, February 25th. Huge blocks of tickets have been purchased by individual congregations and various ministries. It is anticipated among many Christian communities that The Passion will be the hands-down most effective single tool for evangelism in the past two thousand plus years. However, there are dissenting voices, primarily within the Jewish community and other non Christian groups. Although hardly anyone believes Mel Gibson is anti Semitic, Jewish leaders are troubled, concerned that the content of the film will open old wounds and promote renewed divisiveness among religious groups, perhaps even another holocaust.

It occurs to me, when the Gospel of Jesus Christ is discussed in mixed company it’s a sure bet conflicting opinions will surface. It’s inescapable. Jesus predicted it. His views are, according to any definition, radical. Except in solid Christian communities, the Gospel of Jesus Christ is inevitably controversial. It seems to me that of all the statements Jesus made, there’s one that tops the list. In the upper room, the night before His arrest, trial, and crucifixion, Jesus shared the Passover meal with his followers. Later, He set aside His divinity, girded Himself with a towel, assumed the role of a servant and washed their feet. He told them, as recorded in John 14:6, “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father but through me.” Of all His sayings, that’s the one that causes non Christians to tear their hair. He claimed there was only one way to God. Intolerant? You bet! In other words, to deny Jesus is to lose the way to the Father, the truth of salvation, and the hope of eternal life.

I did, however, disagree with Mel Gibson on one of his remarks. He inferred that the door to heaven was open to everyone, Jews, Muslims, and all faiths. That’s true of course, but only through belief in the shed blood of Jesus Christ as the once and for all atonement for our sins. I’m sure he meant that. After the hour-long interview, Mel closed with a statement that reminded me of Winston Churchill, during the London blitz back in World War II: “Jesus died,” Mel said, “for all men, of all faiths, for all time.” A profound profundity and a quotable quote, I say. So much for a controversial film I’m anxiously looking forward to seeing in a week or so.