April 2004
The cross of Christ has to be the defining moment of any and all things pertaining to man, his history, and his future.
The Passionate Perspective
By Dennis Peacocke
Mel Gibson's movie, "The Passion of the Christ," already has become the film phenomenon supreme, discussed far and wide from multiple angles. People I know in Hollywood, on the "inside" of the filmmaking establishment, say unequivocally that it has changed the industry forever in terms of breaking outside of the system. It not only reveals a massive audience for spiritual things other than "Buffy the Vampire Slayer" or New Age feel-good-about-yourself trivia, it shows how Gibson's $25 million dollar personal investment busted the industry's financial hold on theatre exposure of independently-made films. Beyond that, it absorbed more primetime media exposure on news and talk shows than any film in history. However, once the liberal media realized that their "controversy" was actually helping the film, they went virtually silent except to acknowledge begrudgingly that the film was headed towards a phenomenal $600 to $800 million gross worldwide. Poor Hollywood and poor anti-Christ media! And no anti-Semitic response to boot!
The subject of the film, however, Christ's commitment to and experience of the crucifixion, make any and all other aspects of a mere film discussion seem meaningless and grotesquely absurd. The visualization of what He endured, coupled with a biblical understanding of why He endured it, actually is much more compatible with long periods of silence than long periods of speaking. My own reaction to the film has been more wonderment at the scope and depth of God's commitment to man than to discuss anything man has to say about films, culture, himself, or any opinions he holds about anything.
The cross of Christ has to be the defining moment of any and all things pertaining to man, his history, and his future. It looms so large in the cosmic scheme of things that everything else not only pales into insignificance, everything else actually must struggle to mean anything at all. Perspective is everything, the higher or deeper one goes in measuring the meaningful things of life. By that standard of reality, the shadow cast by Christ's selfless heroism at and around Calvary swallows and absorbs all other human good that the sum total of the human race collectively can offer. Indeed, in pondering its value and meaning, God's Spirit Himself must encourage us to go on daily in this life filled with trivialities, lest we simply "shut down" out of the apparent absurdity of what our lives really can add to anything in light of His cross. Yet it is His very cross that gives energy and meaning to whatever value flows out of our feeble lives and stumbling efforts.
The film should help us all in our journey to see the reality of the endless, measureless gap between our Creator and ourselves. However, in an act of cosmic paradox authored and worthy only of our God, Christ's cross both reveals the chasm between us and Himself, and eternally closes it at the same time. Indeed, that's what it's all about, and that is ....
the bottom line.
