On The Passion by Mel Gibson - A Messianic Jewish Statement

February, 2004

Recently the film “The Passion” by Mel Gibson has been a source of controversy among Christians and Jews. Some have asked where Messianic Jews stand, as members of the Jewish community who are also believers in Jesus, or Yeshua.

Christians will tend to view The Passion through the lens of Scriptural accuracy and impact. Jews will view it through the lens of history, where similar Passion plays, from the Middle Ages on, have resulted in mass persecution. Our hope is that controversy over the film may lead to increased dialogue between Christian and Jews.

Many Christians have reported that the film is a compelling work that closely follows the account in the Gospels and gives honor to Messiah and his sacrificial work. Why would such a film raise objections? For two reasons, one with which we sympathize but do not agree, and one with which we sympathize and agree.

First, some, both Christians and Jews, believe that the film is anti-Semitic because the Gospel accounts are anti-Semitic. They consider a close following of the Gospel accounts, therefore, to be wrong and dangerous.

Second, some believe that the film has dangers because of the history of anti-Semitic distortion and misuse of the Gospels. The problem is not with the Gospels but with their use in the history of Christianity.

We reject the first view and do not believe that the Gospels, written by Jews, are anti-Semitic. The Gospels teach that only elements of the Jewish leadership, in unity with Roman authority, were involved in the death of Yeshua. Certainly, this was not the whole nation, nor the great majority of Jews, who did not at that time even live in Israel . In addition, the Bible teaches that Messiah died to atone for the sins of us all. The sin of all humanity was the reason for his crucifixion, and this was by the design of God. Only a gross misinterpretation of the Gospels supports anti-Semitism. We firmly reject any view that accuses the Biblical writers of anti-Semitism.

We agree with the second view. Because of the history of Christianity, the Passion story must be presented without imputing blame upon the Jewish people as a whole for the sin of putting Yeshua to death. This presentation requires emphasizing Roman injustice as well as the specificity of the small group of Jews that violated the Torah in seeking Yeshua's death. Any film on the Passion should include some explanation that the Romans bore ultimate responsibility, since they alone had the power of capital punishment. A rider or introduction with such an historical explanation would be essential.

In addition, we are concerned about Mel Gibson's recent interview with Peggy Noonan (for the March, 2004 Readers' Digest ). Mr. Gibson shows both ignorance and insensitivity when he equates the Holocaust with other tragedies, such as Stalin's crimes. Hitler sought to eliminate a whole people because of who they were. Stalin's goal was not to eliminate the Ukrainians whom Mr. Gibson mentions, but to see all bow to his dictatorship. The Holocaust is unique. If Mr. Gibson does not make a strong statement accepting the historical record of the Holocaust, he undercuts the very testimony of the Gospels he seeks to put forth.

We urge Mr. Gibson to help further the message of his film by the following two actions.

1. To repudiate Holocaust denial and anti-Semitism in the strongest possible terms, including an affirmation that anti-Semitism and the Holocaust are unique tragedies.

2. To include a rider or introduction to make it clear that only a small number of Jews sought the death of Yeshua, and these were the Roman collaborators. Any curse upon the Jews for the death of the Messiah is absolutely wrong and dangerous.

The Passion is currently being promoted for use in Christian education and evangelism. Those using the film in these ways must take responsibility to counter any anti-Semitic implications that could be falsely derived from it.

As Messianic Jews, we affirm the incomparable story of the death and resurrection of the Messiah on behalf of all humanity. We also share the concerns of Jewish leaders that this story can be distorted into an indictment against the Jewish people.

We urge Christians and Jews to avoid polarizing over this film, but to seek to understand each other's responses to it. In particular, we encourage our Christian brothers and sisters to go beyond defending the Biblical accuracy of The Passion to recognize the historic perspective of the Jewish community. Christians who love Yeshua must do all they can to counter any anti-Semitic distortion of his story.

Jamie Cowen, President
Russell Resnik, Executive Director
Union of Messianic Jewish Congregations

Awesome info and reactions to the Passion film from Jews for Jesus. Those people ROCK!

Christ's Sufferings

A friend asks, can God feel pain? Can God Incarnate feel pain?

The gospel of Mark records:

And he began to teach them that the Son of Man must suffer many things and be rejected by the elders and the chief priests and the scribes and be killed, and after three days rise again. And he said this plainly. And Peter took him aside and began to rebuke him. But turning and seeing his disciples, he rebuked Peter and said, "Get behind me, Satan! For you are not setting your mind on the things of God, but on the things of man."
And he called to him the crowd with his disciples and said to them, "If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross and follow me. For whoever would save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for my sake and the gospel's will save it. For what does it profit a man to gain the whole world and forfeit his life? For what can a man give in return for his life? For whoever is ashamed of me and of my words in this adulterous and sinful generation, of him will the Son of Man also be ashamed when he comes in the glory of his Father with the holy angels."

Would it really be suffering if Jesus took the scourging and the thorns and the cross, showing physical wounds, but feeling nothing?

Mark 15:34 -- And at the ninth hour Jesus cried with a loud voice, "Eloi, Eloi, lema sabachthani?" which means, "My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?" (quote from Psalm 22) Sounds painful to me.

The prophet Isaiah said:

Yet it was the will of the LORD to crush him;
he has put him to grief;
when his soul makes an offering for sin,
he shall see his offspring; he shall prolong his days;
the will of the LORD shall prosper in his hand.
Out of the anguish of his soul he shall see and be satisfied;
by his knowledge shall the righteous one, my servant,
make many to be accounted righteous,
and he shall bear their iniquities.
Therefore I will divide him a portion with the many,
and he shall divide the spoil with the strong,
because he poured out his soul to death
and was numbered with the transgressors;
yet he bore the sin of many,
and makes intercession for the transgressors.

Anguish, grief, crushing, poured out his soul... sounds like a pretty complete description of intense pain.

The author of Hebrews said:

But we see him who for a little while was made lower than the angels, namely Jesus, crowned with glory and honor because of the suffering of death, so that by the grace of God he might taste death for everyone.
For it was fitting that he, for whom and by whom all things exist, in bringing many sons to glory, should make the founder of their salvation perfect through suffering. For he who sanctifies and those who are sanctified all have one origin. That is why he is not ashamed to call them brothers,saying, "I will tell of your name to my brothers;
in the midst of the congregation I will sing your praise."
And again, "I will put my trust in him."And again, "Behold, I and the children God has given me."
Since therefore the children share in flesh and blood, he himself likewise partook of the same things, that through death he might destroy the one who has the power of death, that is, the devil, and deliver all those who through fear of death were subject to lifelong slavery. For surely it is not angels that he helps, but he helps the offspring of Abraham. Therefore he had to be made like his brothers in every respect, so that he might become a merciful and faithful high priest in the service of God, to make propitiation for the sins of the people. For because he himself has suffered when tempted, he is able to help those who are being tempted.

The New Testament emphasizes over and over that Jesus was a real person, that he was fully human. The reason seems to be theological -- if he wasn't a human being, his death would not have been the sacrifice necessary to redeem the world. And if he wasn't God Incarnate, he wouldn't have been a perfect sacrifice. And in my book, you're not fully human if you can't feel pain.

On top of suffering and death, there had to be blood as well, according to Hebrews:

For this reason Christ is the mediator of a new covenant, that those who are called may receive the promised eternal inheritance--now that he has died as a ransom to set them free from the sins committed under the first covenant.
In the case of a will, it is necessary to prove the death of the one who made it, because a will is in force only when somebody has died; it never takes effect while the one who made it is living. This is why even the first covenant was not put into effect without blood. When Moses had proclaimed every commandment of the law to all the people, he took the blood of calves, together with water, scarlet wool and branches of hyssop, and sprinkled the scroll and all the people. He said, "This is the blood of the covenant, which God has commanded you to keep." In the same way, he sprinkled with the blood both the tabernacle and everything used in its ceremonies. In fact, the law requires that nearly everything be cleansed with blood, and without the shedding of blood there is no forgiveness.

LENT

The Most Uncomfortable Day of the Year -- Mark 1:15

The Challenge of the Lenten Season:

Lent can become a time when material things are put again in their proper secondary position; when we see in the spiritual the unconquerable forces of life. It can become a time of self-examination, when we reflect upon our present position in the pilgrimage and check our directions. It can become a time of personal readjustment, not through mental resolutions to do better but through yielding ourselves afresh to the God who demands to be obeyed. And it can become a time when, by following the battered path to Calvary, we identify ourselves once again with the Saviour who makes all things new.

The task of the Church during Lent is to make this experience real to the people who are Christ's body. The form is unimportant and may well vary from group to group and from taste to taste. What is all important is that the form support, not obstruct, the way of the Holy Spirit of God who brings life to ritual and free worship alike, and who turns ashes into new men.

More great Lent links from Christianity Today.

Fasting is something I did somewhat regularly as a new believer but in the past 10 years, very rarely. I need to re-examine that, and seriously consider how we as a family celebrate Lent, Easter, Advent, and Christmas in our home. Also as I consider what the purpose of Lent is, it's making me think my reservations concerning seeing the Passion film are unwarranted. There does seem to be a redemptive purpose in getting a much more immediate and visceral understanding of Christ's sufferings.

Long articles on same-sex marriage I need to read:

http://donaldsensing.com/2004_02_01_archive.html#107767177935798400

http://donaldsensing.com/2004_02_01_archive.html#107733112660762076

http://www.americanthinker.com/articles.php?article_id=3390

SSM article "roundup"