“This suffering is all part of the work God has given you. Christ, who suffered for you, is your example. Follow in His steps: He never sinned, never told a lie, never answered back when insulted; when he suffered he did not threaten to get even; he left his case in the hands of God who always judges fairly (1 Pet. 2:21–23 TLB).
As there are no public Easter services today, Leona and I decided to watch The Passion of the Christ. Since that decision, I haven't been able to get the title out of my mind – all day yesterday, and all morning today. Other titles for this movie have been popping into my head: Cheers to Jeers, Death Walk, Whipping Boy, Is this Because of Me?, The One, and Watch This and Try Not to Cry. All my titles have a level of appropriateness for this film. So, why The Passion? I’ll watch it in a different light this morning, looking for that passion. Not surprisingly, today’s post will be about that – and I’ll continue after I’ve watched the film….
...As with the last time I watched The Passion, it was difficult. I even had to skip the whipping scene (I couldn’t do that in the theatre). The Passion of the Christ is an appropriate title for this movie. And here’s why:
Jesus had passion for His work: He was a carpenter, and this film portrayed Him as an exceptional one (Mark 6:3).
Jesus had passion for His closest friends, spending years with them, teaching them, counselling them, and even washing their feet. (Read about it.)
Jesus had passion for His family. Dying on the cross, He instructed John to take care of His mother (John 19:25–29).
Jesus had/has passion for His enemies (Luke 23:34).
Jesus had/has passion for His Heavenly Father (John 14:31; 5:19; 15:10).
Jesus has passion for His people, the saved (John 10:14; 10:16; 10:3; 10:28).
Jesus has passion for those who don’t know Him (Mark 16:15–16; Matt. 9:37–38; Luke 19:10).
Jesus was/is a man/God of passion, but all these examples still don’t explain why we use the term passion for what Jesus went through in His last few days. The English word passion has its roots in the latin passio, which simply means “suffering.” The passion of the Christ = the suffering of the Christ. On this Good Friday, let us not forget why the Christ’s suffering turned out to be good for us. Without the Christ’s passio, we would have no recourse but to suffer a much worse punishment eternally.
No longer do I have alternative titles running through my mind, for there are no titles more appropriate than The Passion of the Christ. Tune in Sunday for the greatest news in the history of mankind!
“He personally carried the load of our sins in his own body when he died on the cross so that we can be finished with sin and live a good life from now on. For his wounds have healed ours!” (1 Pet. 2:24 TLB).
And here is a preview of the Good News!