Letter to the Editor

The below letter is in response to the front-page article of the Daily Herald in Chicago for Sunday, February 22nd, 2004 entitled "Who Killed Jesus?" regarding the film, The Passion of the Christ:

To the author of the article, “Who Killed Jesus?”

There are several inaccuracies rendered in the article. Allow me to shed light on but a few:

The term and title, Messiah (Jewish) or Christ (Greek for the same word,) means anointed one. First mentioned using this term in the Old Testament book of Daniel, chapter 9, but referenced throughout Scripture from Genesis to Revelation. For the purposes of the rest of this letter, I will use the title, Christ.

The Christ would be “king of the Jews”, but was prophesied to be much more than an earthly political ruler. The Christ, unrealized by many Jews of ancient and modern day, was prophesied in the book of Isaiah, chapter 53 verse 5: “But He was wounded for our transgressions, He was bruised for our iniquities: the chastisement of our peace was upon Him; and with His stripes we are healed.” Jesus of Nazareth was the Passover Lamb. All Biblical Jewish festivals were pictures of the coming Christ. These are but a few guides overlooked by man that there was to be both a suffering Christ that would usher in a spiritual kingdom to last forever and then an earth-ruling Christ to bring all earthly kingdoms under his physical rule. Therefore, to the earnest student of Scripture in the first-century, Christ was to be much more than King of the Jews.

“For Christians, the Passion is the very heart of their faith.” This is not an accurate statement. It is Christ’s bodily resurrection that is at the very heart of faith. It is His vicarious, substitutionary death, burial and resurrection that makes possible forgiveness of sins and grants life everlasting in the presence of our Lord to all those who simply have faith, that is the heart of faith for true Christians.

The “problematic source” you so caustically term, is not historically inaccurate. The only way I can possible understand you making that statement is if you are referring to the modern Catholic canon. The true word of God, 39 books of the Old Testament and 27 books of the New Testament, contains absolutely no historical inaccuracies. The Bible is a work of divine effort. It was written with seamless contiguity over a span of hundreds of years, employing over 40 penmen. Why penmen? The Holy Spirit is the author. 1st Peter 1:20-21 and 2nd Timothy 3:16 testify this fact. There is much more detail that can be examined, but for brevity’s sake, I will refrain.

There is no such thing as Christian anti-Semitism. Why not coin phrases such as lawful-murder or free-taxes?

Jesus of Nazareth was much more than a prophet. If you acknowledge him as a wise and moral teacher, then you must acknowledge that he never lied. He said “I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by Me.” (John 14:6) He also said, “I and my Father are one.” (John 10:30) For that, the Jews sought to stone Him to death. He had declared Himself God. He did not merely claim to be a prophet. Furthermore, any “prophet” who prophesied falsely in the slightest was condemned by Jewish law to be stoned to death. Therefore the punishment and killing of a man who did not prophesy falsehoods was illegal according to Jewish law.

Jesus was born of a virgin, led a sinless life, suffered and died for the sins of the world in fulfillment of a multitude of Jewish, Old Testament prophesies. He rose from the grave, ascended to Heaven and will return in Judgment.

The most famous verse of the Bible, John 3:16 says, “For God so loved the world, that He gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in Him should not perish, but have everlasting life.”

Catholicism believes that more than faith/belief is needed to have everlasting life. Mel Gibson is a Catholic. True Christians have faith as their only key to everlasting life. “For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: not of works, lest any man should boast.” (Ephesians 2:8-9) Grace is defined as unmerited favor. Thus, grace cannot be earned.

You are correct in one thing: “to hate Jews because they are Jews – to hate anyone, in fact – is a sin…for Jesus commands his followers to love their neighbor as themselves.” Jesus teaches and commands love of people, but He also teaches hatred of sin. “Love the sinner, hate the sin” is the cry of Christianity. Jesus, His apostles, and His first believers were all Jews. Christianity is biblical Judaism through the lens of fulfilled prophecies. Modern day Judaism, like Catholicism, bases its teachings not on the word of God, but on traditions of men.

There is no good reason for Christians to support, much less go to see, this movie. A movie can do nothing to increase faith. God breathed His word through human instrumentality to record the pages of the Bible. God does not need a person (who at the core of their “faith” does not have faith in God or believe His Word) to make a movie to save the lost. “For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved. How then shall they call on Him in whom they have not believed? and how shall they believe in Him of whom they have not heard? and how shall they hear without a preacher?” (Romans 10:13-14)

Mel Gibson is no gospel preacher. The “good news” (a.k.a. gospel) must include the resurrection in order to provide hope. This movie is not of God, but of men or much worse. The good news for Mel: he’ll probably make more money on this movie than for all of the Lethal Weapons.