I just saw the movie "Passion" last night with my local church's homegroup Bible Study. There is so much to reflect on that I decided to make another page on this. Yes, I humbly admit that I got tearied...ok..a little more than just tearied, which I can't remember I've done this last in a movie theatre since "Titanic". My eyes were less teary in Titanic not just because of the sad story, but my compassion was for more of the dead that didn't know Jesus before they died
Below are some topics that stood out for me personally, which I would like to share with you chronological order as much as possible from scene to scene as you might have similar thoughts on these too:
Garden of Gethsemane
"Jesus Prays in Gethsemane 36 Then Jesus brought them to an olive grove called Gethsemane, and he said, "Sit here while I go on ahead to pray." 37 He took Peter and Zebedee's two sons, James and John, and he began to be filled with anguish and deep distress. 38 He told them, "My soul is crushed with grief to the point of death. Stay here and watch with me...."-Matthew 26:36-56
Other healings…
Q: Do you believe He can heal today?
Q: What evidence is out there?
A: Yes, "Jesus is the same yesterday, today, and forever", check out some true stories of actual healing!
Flashbacks of Jesus
Throughout the movie, Jesus would have flashbacks from his past (growing up as a kid to his teachings as an adult) during his moments of being scourage/torchered. Before we look into his past, I wanted to give you some historical lessons to better understand the Roman control and development of the Jewish Sects (down below) at that time:
Jewish Sects
Did you know the Jewish people were divided in sects as we have denominations now in Christianity? Let's take a look at them as I want readers to not group or stereotype the Jews of the Biblical times:
Dreams
Do you remember the scene where Claudia Procles ( Pilate-Roman Leader's-that had all those decisions to make"-wife) had some disturbing dream...
"When he was set down on the judgment seat, his wife sent unto him, saying, Have thou nothing to do with that just man: for I have suffered many things this day in a dream because of him."-Matthew 27:19
....more on dreams
My eyes were less teary in Titanic not just because of the sad story, but my compassion was for more of the dead that didn't know Jesus before they died. After seeing "The Passion", it kind of makes Christians more challenged to share about this "Good News"-what about it? Let's go! Oh wait, first let's get right with God and ask Him to show us a list of names of people you've hurt or been hurt by to ask forgivness. I'm already doing this and I feel like some weights have been lifted off my shoulder. God has been revealing people through dreams I've been having and many from the past, what about you?
Helpful Resources:
Satan Carrying that Baby
After my homegroup Bible Study got together, one asked about the baby? We were not sure. Then this question came about last night when I was working at the group home. My co-worker feel it was the coming of the Anti-Christ (e.g. movies-"Advocate", Omega Code, Left Behind, etc...), which I didn't understand when I watched it. When you get a lot of people to talk about this movie, you really learn new things. Keep doing this with as many people during and after this movie as long as you can.
Symbolic
During the movie, one can watch it and not understand the meaning. That is how Jesus taught as one reads the Bible. He spoke in parables, which one will understand them one by one as one grow to know Him. I read the Bible morning and evening, and I never get tired of reading it as I’m always finding something new. Yes, there are times when the Bible does get boring, which you have to find some other way to make it more interesting…Personal Input on the Bible
Some of the symbols in the movie are not mentioned exactly within the story in the Bible with the movie. However, they can be interpreted from a Biblical perspective, for example….
Crow that picked on the criminal on the cross scene. My personal intake after chatting with someone about this scene is the wrath of God. He was ridiculing Jesus and the other guy hanging.
Throughout the movie, they would have reflections from his past-childhood to adult:
Tablemaking-as a carpenter, when he sits on it to check it’s stability and washes his hands-then splashing it in the face of his mother
Stumbling-one of his many falls, which his mother Mary ran to him.
Triumphal Entry-Jesus’ view going into Jerusalem (celebrated in Palm Sunday-Luke 19:38)
As I was watching this, it hit me too on my life growing up. Watching glimpses of Jesus’ early years got me to relate to Him more as I remember the good “ole days” growing-up (e.g. childhood, teenager, etc..).
Quoted in the Movie-
-“Love your neighbor, what reward…”
-“You will be persecuted because of me
-“Forgive them Father, for they do not know what they do…
(got Pharisees attention)
-“As the Father has sent me, I am sending you.”-John 20:21
Not Quoted, but portrayed in the Movie-
-“When you are brought before synagogues, rulers and authorities, do not worry about how you will defend yourselves or whay you will say, for the Holy Spirit will teach you at that time what you should say”-Luke 12:11-12
Prophecy
The Bible contains many prophecies or events that will happen in the future. Below are just “some” examples relating to Christ’s last 12 hours:
Luke 9:22 “The Son of Man must suffer many thing and be rejected by the elders, chief priests…”
Luke 18:31-33 “He will be handed over to the Gentiles. They will mock him, insult him spit on him, flog him and kill him. On the third day he will rise again.”
One can’t expect every detail from the Bible to be shown in “The Passion”. I thought Mel did the best he could with his “God given gifts-talents” in protrarying the 12 hours leading to Christ’s death. I just watched the movie for the “second-time” and pondered on some other important Scripture stories-verses to make note of that wasn’t in the movie:
-dream warning to ? from his wife that the Gailean shouldn’t be put to death -blood in our hands after ? said he is not responsible of Jesus’ -ripping of the red curtain after the earthquake
......More (Aramaic, Crucifixion, Forgiveness, other related movies or plays)....
Characters
“The biggest single cause of atheism in the world today are Christians who go to church and deny Christ through their lifestyle when they leave the doors”-D.C. Talk
”If anyone is ashamed of me and my words, the Son of Man will be ashamed of him when he comes in his glory and in the glory of the Father and of the holy angels”-Luke 9:26
Geneaology of Jesus, from life of christ
Jesus' Brothers & Sisters, Daily Bible Study
What Color is Jesus, and other multicultural issues
Did you know Jesus had siblings?
"Among which was Mary Magdalene, and Mary the mother of James and Joses, and the mother of Zebedee's children.-Matthew 27:56
"Is not this the carpenter, the son of Mary, the brother of James, and Joses, and of Juda, and Simon? and are not his sisters here with us? And they were offended at him."-Mark 6:3
"And when the sabbath was past, Mary Magdalene, and Mary the [mother] of James, and Salome, had bought sweet spices, that they might come and anoint him."-Mark 16:1
-Luke 5 “Calling of First Disciples”
Judas Iscariot-betrayed Jesus for 30 pieces of silver
"Then Judas, which had betrayed him, when he saw that he was condemned, repented himself, and brought again the thirty pieces of silver to the chief priests and elders...8 That is why the field is still called the Field of Blood. 9 This fulfilled the prophecy of Jeremiah that says, "They took* the thirty pieces of silver-the price at which he was valued by the people of Israel-10 and purchased the potter's field,
as the Lord directed.*" -Matthew 27:3-10
"thirty", from blue letter bible search
Other Disciples:
-Luke 6:12
Resurrection
Did You Know?
Behind The Scenes
Biblical Background
"At that moment the curtain in the Temple was torn in two, from top to bottom. The earth shook, rocks split apart,"- Matthew 27:51
When the earthquake ripped the temple just when Jesus's spirit was taken to Heaven while he was hanging on the cross, the curtains ripped too. This was a symbolisis that the bridge between "man" and "God" has been bridged through what Jesus did on the Cross
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