The Passion
Mel Gibson is working on a new film that captures the last 12 hours of Jesus' natural life. It is intended to be a graphic portrayal, with dialogue spoken in Latin and Aramaic, the languages of the time (no subtitles). Mel Gibson, who is a devout Catholic, is financing the film himself, but not starring in it; Jim Caviezel is playing the role of Jesus.
In this article, a respected rabbi expresses his concern that the film may place blame on Jews collectively for the crucifixion of Jesus, thereby (you can infer) creating a wave of anti-Semitic sentiment. In the mid-sixties, the Second Vatican Council resolved no longer to hold the Jewish nation as a whole responsible for Jesus' death. This rabbi worries that Mel Gibson will not adhere to the reformations of Vatican II. A friend of the Gibson family is reported to have said "... that the film will lay the blame for the death of Christ where it belongs," a reference that some take to mean the Jewish authorities at that time.
The point of view not represented in the article is that the blame for Jesus' crucifixion rests on everyone. On the whole of humanity. Whether Jew or Gentile, alive at the time or not, we all contributed to His death by our choosing to sin, to follow our own selfish agendas rather than God's. Because every person who ever lived or ever will live had a part in putting Jesus to death, His sacrifice can be applied universally. He died to bring all of creation into a right relationship with God, no longer separated by sin--the sin that was directly responsible for His crucifixion. In the marvellous paradox that is our Christian history, Jesus conquered sin by letting it take His life.
It seems a shame to end the story there. I hope Mr. Gibson will do a sequel, one that portrays Jesus risen to supernatural life. That is the happy ending: because Death could not hold Him, neither does it hold sway over those who believe.
Jesus stated that prior him coming to earth to herald and demonstrate the good news of God, no one was guilty of sin as satan had led everyone away from God. satan was able to do that because of what Adam and Eve did in eating of the tree of life and thereby allowing satan into creation. Cain was satan's first human child( spiritual ).
He was the first murderer.
Abel was God's first human child ( spiritual )and Cain murdered him and thus set up a tradition of murder of God's human children.
Jesus was in that tradition as were all the martyrs.
satan does not want the influence of God on earth and will do anything to rid the world of that influence.
This is why satan orchestrated Jesus's physical death in such a manner as to reinforce in Jews minds who didn't accept him as the Messiah, that he couldn't possibly be the Messiah because he was crucified.
The people who crucified Jesus were the religious leaders of the day who were completely affronted by Jesus because he told them their spiritual father was satan and the fact that large crowds started to listen to Jesus the deal they had forged with the Romans to keep the populace from revolt was under threat.
Their priviledged position was weakened in proportion to their declining ability to control the populace.
They disregarded the commandments of Deutoronomy in their blind anger and focus on crucifying Jesus and by so doing they confirmed Jesus's observations of their spiritual heritage.
satan had penetrated even the clergy and that lesson still holds good today.
The clergy as in those who are not from God form themselves into cliques by coming up with complication such as the Holy trinity as in God the father, God the Son and God the Holy Spirit coequal,coexistent,coeternal that only those on the inside can understand. The scribes in Old testament times did the same.
The nett result is that " believers" are not encouraged to study the Bible and so leave their spirituality to others who promote themselves as more worthy.
This results in what happened before Pilate where the people followed the lead of the Saducees and the Pharisees and screamed crucify him.
Jesus calls people to enter by the narrow gate and that means steadfast, diligent daily study of the Bible after prayer.
When one does that if my own experience is a guide one is very surprised to find that beliefs held are simply incorrect, in error.
Mercifully, I was given the ability to approaoh the Bible with an open mind. This allowed me to understand that Jesus mediates for one with God and that I am unable to communicate with God directly. " I am the way the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father but by me "
1 John is extremely interesting and defining as John says that he and the disciples saw and touched Jesus and, he states that no human has seen God and that God is light. It is impossible to touch light.
John states in 1 John 4 : 2 that one must confess Jesus came in the flesh to earth meaning as a human both physical and spiritual and his human spirituality is confirmed in Hebrews 5 : 7 -10 as well as Hebrews 2 : 17.
Trinitarians by their belief deny Jesus came in the flesh as do the Jehovah Witnesses who deny that Jesus had human spirituality in believing he was sinless which even their own Bible denys as in the passages referred to above.
The fact that Jesus was tempted in every way and that God is untemptable as in James 1 : 13 -18 surely should sound alarm bells.
It is critical everyone professing to be a Christian studys the Bible chronologically and really wrestles with what is wriiten as the Bible ia difficult book understandable only if Jesus in his mercy decides to teach one.
To read it piece meal is fraught with danger esp when the King James Bible and the NIV was translated by Trinitarians.
I have found that at least 6x translations are necessary in order to gain an understanding that accomodates what is written.
The Passion of the Christ is a most interesting film and I note that there are quite a few scenes that do not have a corresponding reference in the Bibles I have yet, they are believable in the context of Jesus' Passion, but the film simply highlights the problem of self and satan. satan gains entry to the human physche through self as in self worship.
The solution to the problem should now be given and that solution is contained in 1 John 5 : 11
" And this is the testimony, that God gave us eternal life and that that life is in his Son. he who has the Son has life : he who has not the Son has not life."