The Lesson of the Christ
I was at a friend’s house last night helping him work on his computer. When we finished, we decided that we wanted to watch a movie. After a little debate, he threw in the DVD that he got from his parents for Christmas – The Passion of the Christ. Even though I’ve seen it before, I still enjoyed it; after all, one doesn’t need to be a religious person in order to appreciate the artistic value of this film.
As I watched the movie, I came to realize that is has a much deeper meaning than just the blood and gore. This movie carried a very powerful, very important lesson – a lesson that is as relevant today as it was during Biblical times. It was a lesson that has echoed throughout all of history. It was a lesson that I once embraced back in the days in which I carried the title of Christian, myself; back when I thought that becoming a preacher was a good and noble goal. It was a lesson that I had rejected at some point during the painful years of my youth.
What was this powerful, even earth-shaking, lesson?
Conform or die.
Christ died on the Cross - not for our sins, but for his own. His fatal sin was that he preached a religious view that ran contradictory to the views of those in power. Because he did not toe the line that was drawn by the religious leaders of the time, he was deemed to be a dangerous heretic – so dangerous that they would choose to release a murderer rather than to release the non-violent Christ. Christ was severely beaten, tortured, had a crown of thorns thrust upon his brow, and crucified because he dared to be different.
As mentioned before, this is a scenario that has echoed throughout all of history. From Tomas de Torquemada to Jerry Falwell, from the Prophet Mohammed to Iranian cleric Muqtada al-Sadr, “conform or die” has been the silent (sometimes not so silent) mantra of those who hold the reins of religious leadership.
This may not be the lesson that Mel Gibson wished to convey when he made this very well put together movie, but it is a valuable lesson nonetheless.
As I watched the movie, I came to realize that is has a much deeper meaning than just the blood and gore. This movie carried a very powerful, very important lesson – a lesson that is as relevant today as it was during Biblical times. It was a lesson that has echoed throughout all of history. It was a lesson that I once embraced back in the days in which I carried the title of Christian, myself; back when I thought that becoming a preacher was a good and noble goal. It was a lesson that I had rejected at some point during the painful years of my youth.
What was this powerful, even earth-shaking, lesson?
Conform or die.
Christ died on the Cross - not for our sins, but for his own. His fatal sin was that he preached a religious view that ran contradictory to the views of those in power. Because he did not toe the line that was drawn by the religious leaders of the time, he was deemed to be a dangerous heretic – so dangerous that they would choose to release a murderer rather than to release the non-violent Christ. Christ was severely beaten, tortured, had a crown of thorns thrust upon his brow, and crucified because he dared to be different.
As mentioned before, this is a scenario that has echoed throughout all of history. From Tomas de Torquemada to Jerry Falwell, from the Prophet Mohammed to Iranian cleric Muqtada al-Sadr, “conform or die” has been the silent (sometimes not so silent) mantra of those who hold the reins of religious leadership.
This may not be the lesson that Mel Gibson wished to convey when he made this very well put together movie, but it is a valuable lesson nonetheless.
posted by Vic at 1:50 PM
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