A note on “the passion” surrounding The Passion
For one reason or another there are many who are worked up about the latest “Christian” movie. One of the issues that I find somewhat interesting is the accusation of anti-Semitism being levied against the movie makers (more truthfully against the Roman Catholic Church), which evidently has replaced the Pope with a new spokesman: Mel Gibson.
The Biblical record is rather clear:
11Meanwhile Jesus stood before the [Roman, Gentile] governor, named Pilate, and the governor asked him, "Are you the king of the Jews?" "Yes, it is as you say," Jesus replied. 12When he was accused by the [Jewish] chief priests and the [Jewish] elders, he gave no answer. 13Then Pilate asked him, "Don't you hear the testimony they are bringing against you?" 14But Jesus made no reply, not even to a single charge--to the great amazement of the governor. 15Now it was the governor's custom at the Feast to release a prisoner chosen by the crowd. 16At that time they had a notorious prisoner, called Barabbas. 17So when the crowd [of jews] had gathered, Pilate asked them, "Which one do you want me to release to you: Barabbas, or Jesus who is called Christ?" 18For he knew it was out of envy that they had handed Jesus over to him. 19While Pilate was sitting on the judge's seat, his wife sent him this message: "Don't have anything to do with that innocent man, for I have suffered a great deal today in a dream because of him." 20But the chief priests and the elders persuaded the crowd to ask for Barabbas and to have Jesus executed. 21"Which of the two do you want me to release to you?" asked the governor. "Barabbas," they answered. 22"What shall I do, then, with Jesus who is called Christ?" Pilate asked. They all answered, "Crucify him!" 23"Why? What crime has he committed?" asked Pilate. But they shouted all the louder, "Crucify him!" 24When Pilate saw that he was getting nowhere, but that instead an uproar was starting, he took water and washed his hands in front of the crowd. "I am innocent of this man's blood," he said. "It is your responsibility!" 25All the people answered, "Let his blood be on us and on our children!" 26Then he released Barabbas to them. But he had Jesus flogged, and handed him over to be crucified.As you can see the historic record reveals not a berating of the Jews but rather a true life account of a crowd of people (mostly Jews) who were swayed by the rhetoric of the Jewish leadership such that they called for the crucifixion of Christ. It was not the Jews alone that killed Christ, but also the Roman government who aided and facilitated the execution. The Christian response to claims of anti-Semitism on account of the crucifixion of Christ has always been that though the Jewish leaders were the principal agent (with the Roman government as a willing accomplice) in Christ’s crucifixion, it is mankind that ultimately bears the responsibility for killing Christ.
Some other facts
It’s matter of historical record that the majority of the people actively seeking Christ’s death were Jewish people, under the influence of the Sanhedrim (Jewish leadership). However, today, people making the anti-Semitic accusations seem to overlook a glaring simultaneous fact: not all Jews were actively seeking Christ’s death; in fact, the vast majority of Christ’s followers were indeed converted Jews. Moreover, there were some Jews who at most were neutral in their opinion of Christ, or had no opinion of Christ at all. The text itself refers to “the crowd” gathered there, not each and every Jew alive at that point.
Further, it is not unimportant to recall that Christ’s crucifixion was not against His will. Christ himself told his apostles many times that he MUST be delivered over to be killed (in that it was the very predestined plan of God):
From that time on Jesus began to explain to his disciples that he must go to Jerusalem and suffer many things at the hands of the elders, chief priests and teachers of the law, and that he must be killed and on the third day be raised to life.
~~ Matthew 16:21
the point
It is a mischaracterization of the text and of Christian belief to claim that the description of the events surrounding the crucifixion are anti-Semitic. If The Passion presents an angry crowd, and a organized Jewish leadership that plotted and eventually succeeded in having Christ executed, then it would be depticting nothing but the truth. That however is a far cry from anti-Semitism which would paint all Jews as evil, and murderous. If the movie follows the text (as it claims to) then it would seem only a superficial understanding of the movie could lead to one believing it had an anti-Semitic message.
So aside from the fact that most of the “hoopla” surrounding the movie is just plain ridiculous and ill-informed, the claims of anti-Semitism are particularly unfortunate.
Posted by jeremystock at February 24, 2004 07:41 PM | TrackBack