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Last night myself, David, Tom, Jo, Helen, Ryan, Carmen and Margaret went and saw “the Passion of the Christ”

I didn’t really know what to expect, I was quite un-enthused at going and seeing a subtitled film as I can never keep up with the subtitles and the thought that the whole film may not be subtitled defiantly made me consider not going, but I went maybe partly because if I didn’t go I would have nothing to contribute to conversations in the next few weeks as the whole world goes out and sees this film, especially fellow Christians. So I went!

During the film I managed to keep up with all the subtitles, and I didn’t loose the impact of the film because I was spending my whole time reading.

There was something about the violence in this film, that really got to me, like watching kill bill or something like that, seeing heads get chopped off and stuff doesn’t really impact or affect me much, a bit de sensitised to it all I guess. Damn modern culture!
Anyway Sitting there watching Jesus get whipped and whipped really disturbed me, Just the fact that I knew this was Jesus. If it was some guy in a war movie or something I would not have been nearly affected as much, I don’t know anyone from war, I have no connection with those people. But Jesus, he knows me, He was there being whipped for me and I was sitting there watching,
There was this strange feeling, Having these very graphic images right in front of me, sure I could have turned away and sure I could have walked out. I mean I know how the movie ends, I know what happens next. But that’s the thing, I know what happens next and I know that one of the things that happens next is that I have eternal life because of what Jesus was going through on that screen, so I could at least show him the courtesy of watching it. This was for me, This man was having his body torn apart by the soldier’s, he was being spat on and shouted at, wounds weeping all over his body, gash’s and lash’s and cuts and bruises, whip after whip after whip, his body so so weak. All for me. All for you.
Big nails driven through his palms, bones breaking and shattering, for me and you,
Death, for me and you.
Isn’t that crazy to think about, and there is something about physically watching it that drives it home more and more, reading the words in the Bible tell the story, Having pictures to go with the words makes the whole thing much more realistic, much more full on.
I think this film is good, it scares you, it disturbs you, it shakes you, we need to be shaken we need to see how much Jesus really has done for us,
I say Mel, make a film about the whole Bible, sure it might be 6 weeks long, but how powerful would it be, how much would it re enforce beliefs and create new ones,
I’m not saying that this film should replace the Bible or anything, like if you wanna know the Story of Jesus dying read the Bible, This film is just a tool to assist in telling the story.
Like that Francis of acyesis said “go out into the world and preach the gospel, and if you need to, use words”

Pictures can paint a thousand words.