I went to see The Passion not for entertainment, but so I could say first hand what I thought of it to the many people who were asking me about it. On the positive side one has to say that it does quote the Gospels more or less accurately. The words of Jesus have power regardless of the setting in which they are spoken. Also in a society, much of which wants to rub Jesus out of the picture altogether, it has created a talking point on the fact of His death and resurrection.

On the negative side the violence of the film was overwhelming, gratuitous and in my opinion the product of a sick mind that delights in showing sadism and cruelty on the screen. Of course the flogging and crucifixion were horrible in real life, but there was no spiritual purpose in having to watch all this blood and gore for so long. There was actually far more time spent of the flogging of Jesus than the crucifixion which is the main event in the Gospels. In fact the Gospels do not focus on the horror but on the meaning of the sacrifice of the Lord Jesus. The film had Jesus being beaten and tortured in places where there is no mention of this happening in the Gospels (e.g. on the way from Gethsemane to the trial before the High Priest). It subjected Him to a level of violence which was so intense that in real life it would have killed Him before He got to the cross.

It also portrayed Him as a pitiable figure, a helpless victim in the hands of His captors. In the Gospels He voluntarily hands Himself over to the authorities in order to be the sacrifice for the sins of the world. Despite this He remains in control of events from the moment of His arrest, through His trials before the Sanhedrin and Pilate and even on the cross as He chooses the moment of His death once the atoning sacrifice has been completed. There was no attempt to explain the spiritual meaning of Jesus’ death and resurrection (which is hardly surprising since Mel Gibson is not a Bible believing Christian) and a non believer seeing the film would come away with little or no idea why Jesus endured this horrible torture and death.

As well as feeding the public appetite for gratuitous violence on screen, the film also fed the appetite for demonic manifestations with the appearance of Satan in the Garden of Gethsemane and the demons appearing to torment Judas Iscariot. This was totally unbiblical and another product of the modern media’s obsession with the dark side of the supernatural. Through much of the film, especially at the high points in the crucifixion the background music created a ‘spooky / spiritual’ atmosphere which I felt led into a New Age occult spirit. These kind of mystical wailings are completely at odds with music glorifying the Lord and focussing on His love revealed at Calvary.

The film is highly influenced by Roman Catholicism. Mary, the mother of Jesus, appears all over the place, despite the fact that in the Gospels she only appears once in John 19.25-7, where she plays a very minor role. After denying the Lord, the film has Peter kneeling down before Mary seeking forgiveness. Mary appears strengthening Jesus through the ordeal of the flogging, the carrying of the cross and the crucifixion itself. This ties in with the Catholic idea of Mary as being somehow involved in our redemption which is entirely unbiblical. The film also uses the Catholic myth of ‘Veronica’s handkerchief’ in which the face of Jesus is supposed to be imprinted on a handkerchief which a woman called Veronica is supposed to have used to wipe Jesus’ face on the way to the cross.

Apparently Gibson derived some of the source material for the film from the work of Sister Emmerich (1774-1824), a Catholic visionary. Her writings ‘The Dolorous Passion of Our Lord Jesus Christ’ are the basis of some of the more stunning, non-biblical scenes in Gibson’s movie - from Jesus’ confrontation with Satan in the Garden of Gethsemane to the explicit details of His scourging by Roman guards, to a crucifixion scene in which His arm is pulled out of its socket and the thief on the cross has his eyes pecked out by a raven. Emmerich’s work definitely is anti-Semitic, although the anti-Semitic parts of it did not come into the film. In The Dolorous Passion she ‘sees’ Jewish priests passing out bribes to get people to offer false testimony against Jesus and even tipping the Roman executioners. She also describes seeing Jesus’ cross being built in the courtyard of the Temple in Jerusalem. Emmerich’s 19th-century biographer, the Rev. C.E. Schmoeger, wrote about how she had one vision of an ‘old Jewess Meyr,’ who confessed to her ‘that Jews in our country and elsewhere strangled Christian children and used their blood for all sorts of suspicious and diabolical practices.’

Gibson denies any anti-Semitic motivation for producing the film, although this has been a major concern of the Jewish community. The film does cast the Jewish religious leadership in a bad light (as does the New Testament). On the other hand it does show that Jesus and the disciples are Jewish, speaking Aramaic and celebrating the Passover (admittedly with leavened rather than unleavened bread). It is doubtful that many uninformed people will have enough knowledge to make the connection that both the friends and enemies of Jesus are Jewish. The film does quote the verse where Jesus says, ‘No one takes my life from me, I lay it down of my own accord’ (John 10.18). This should show people that Jesus’ death was voluntary and His own decision in order that He might be the sacrifice for the sins of the world. However I doubt if many people will be able to make that connection without having it spelled out to them. So the film may provoke some anti-Semitism in the kind of people who are already hostile to Jewish people. However in my opinion there are other forces at work in our society far more likely to create real anti-Semitism than this film, notably the extreme hostility to Israel being promoted by much of the media today and the growing influence of militant Islam.

On this issue the challenge to believing Christians is to teach clearly the truth that the blood of Jesus speaks of mercy not vengeance and that any idea that Christians should hate, persecute or kill Jews because of the crucifixion is the exact opposite of Jesus’ teaching and intention. The cruelty inflicted on Jesus in the film and in the Gospels was carried out by the Romans. Despite washing his hands of the case Pontius Pilate bore the ultimate responsibility for Jesus’ death. The New Testament spells out clearly who was responsible in Acts 4.27-8: ‘Herod and Pontius Pilate met together with the Gentiles and the people of Israel in this city to conspire against Your holy servant Jesus whom You anointed. They did what Your power and will had decided beforehand should happen.’ In other words both Jews and Gentiles were responsible but they were carrying out what was ultimately God’s purpose in order that Jesus might be the sin offering for the whole world. Messianic Jew, Steve Maltz, has produced an excellent leaflet answering the question ‘Who killed Jesus?’ which is available for distribution. There is also a chapter in my new book ‘The Messiah Factor’ answering this question.

As to the idea that many churches and Christian organisations are putting over that this film will lead to a revival of Christianity I consider that impossible for the following reason. Apart from having produced some appallingly violent films, Gibson is a member of a very traditional Roman Catholic sect. He has said contradictory things about salvation – that there is no salvation outside the Roman Catholic Church and that all roads lead to God. James Caviezel, who plays Jesus in ‘The Passion’, claims to be a devout Roman Catholic who credited the Marian apparitions at Medjugorje in Croatia as his inspiration for taking on the role of Jesus. In these visions ‘Mary’ is supposed to have given ten ‘secrets,’ messages which purport to contain the final chapters in the history of the world, including impending chastisements along with their dates. Monica Belucci who plays Mary Magdalene in the film is an Italian porn star.

The film’s endorsement by leading Christian ministries like the Billy Graham Organisation and London Premier Radio is another step in the direction of endorsing the Church of Rome as an authentic Christian church which, it is claimed, is no different in essence from Protestant churches. In fact Rome is steeped in the blood of martyrs who died for the cause of biblical Christianity, like William Tyndale, the great translator of the Bible into English who was burnt at the stake as a heretic. Historically Rome has always opposed the spread of the true Gospel and remains today a powerful opponent of authentic Christianity. The fact that so many Protestant churches and church leaders are rushing to embrace her is a sure sign of the apostasy of the last days of this age. The message of the Bible is ‘Come out of her, my people’ Revelation 18.4.