Wesley United Methodist Church, Orange TX

Well we finished the movie “The Passion of Christ” by Mel Gibson tonight at our Wednesday Bible Study.  Most of us have seen it once before, but I for one had forgotten how brutal the movie portrays the beating/scourging of Christ.  For me it was again hard to watch even though I know it is just a theatrical rendering of research done by Mel Gibson.  Perhaps it was just this brutal, perhaps it was worse.  For sure Gibson used all of the cinematography available to remind us just how brutal humanity can be and the Romans were no exception.  Perhaps they were an exception in that they were more brutal than most.  The Jewish leadership that forced the crucifixion of Jesus was just as guilty as the Roman Pilate and his guards.  Jesus said to Pilate in John 19:11,  “That’s why the one who handed me over to you is guilty of a greater sin.”  Today we must remember that humanity back then was just as capable as humanity is now, of being guilty of the sin of denying Jesus Christ.

Throughout the movie we saw Jesus flashing back and saying things like “Forgive your enemies”, “Pray for your enemies”, “Love each other as I have loved you”, even as He was being beaten.   As abused as He was He never faltered from the path set before Him.  He calls us to do the same and never falter from the path He has set before us.  What we always need to remember is that while Jesus lived His life without sin we will never be able to fulfil the example He has set before us.  It is enough for us to do our best and know that Jesus loves us enough to cover us with His blood so that we are not seen as guilty by our Father in Heaven. 

The Passion of Jesus Christ is about our God and our Savior loving us enough to give the ultimate sacrifice for us.  Joh 15:13  The greatest love a man can have is to give up His life for a friend.  The Man was Jesus, the friend is you.  Receive this gift from your friend this Easter and receive your salvation.  Remember that the suffering that is faced on Friday is followed by life eternal on Sunday.

God’s Peace and Blessings,

Randy

This entry was posted on April 20, 2011 at 10:29 pm and is filed under Pastor's Ponderings. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.