Christ in context
Patricia Paddey
CW Columnist
paddey5969@rogers.com
I have often pondered what my reactions to Jesus might have been, if I had been one of His generation 2,000 years ago.
For instance, would I have joined the crowds who, attracted by His words and deeds (and maybe even the prospect of a free meal), followed for a time only to let the demands of daily life dampen their loyalty?
Perhaps I would have been one of the committed-weeping at the foot of the cross.
Or maybe I would have been among those who, disillusioned by some of his teachings, offended by His pronouncements or outraged by His politically incorrect claims, cried out for His blood.
In many respects, I'm glad I'll never know.
It is by God's grace and through His mercy that I had the benefit of first seeing His Son, not in the harsh glare of political turmoil and religious upheaval, but through the lens of two centuries of the Christian faith. Hymns heard in my mother's tender arms. Bible stories told by faithful Sunday school teachers. The written Word to study and learn.
But recently I had the opportunity of experiencing Jesus' words and deeds afresh, as if through the eyes of one of His contemporaries; when I attended the Toronto media preview screening of Visual Bible International's new motion picture The Gospel of John.
The Gospel of John is a three-hour epic that tells the story of Jesus' life as recounted by His beloved disciple John. Created from a word for word adaptation of John's Gospel as found in the American Bible Society's Good News Bible, the film is the first ever major theatrical production of an entire biblical book, adapted on a word for word basis.
With a budget of $20 million Canadian, and a production team featuring Academy, Emmy and Tony award winners known for success in the entertainment industry including producer Garth Drabinsky, this film puts Christ in context.
A team of academic and theological consultants from around the world worked to ensure the context was correct, paying meticulous attention to even the minutest details, in order to guarantee their portrayal would be historically accurate.
Such commitment to authenticity-combined with the warm, human and completely credible Christ played by British Shakespearean actor Henry Ian Cusick-creates a powerful effect.
Only minutes into the film, I was drawn in, a fish in a net. I was there.
Jesus' first tender smile onscreen, extended to John the Baptist's questioning disciples, is close up and captivating; and when He invites the men to "come and see," I wanted to join them.
When He rebuked the Pharisees for seeking the praises of men, I felt compelled to search my own heart. And His teachings about servanthood made me long to be a better servant.
The Gospel of John premiered at The Toronto International Film Festival September 11. Thereafter, in theatres throughout North America this fall, believers and non-believers will pay to be immersed in the Word of God for three hours. The experience will likely change many.
John tells us in his Gospel that he wrote, so readers might believe "that Jesus is the Messiah, the Son of God," and through faith in Him might "have life" (John 20:31).
The Gospel of John was made for somewhat less noble purposes. In an interview last spring, Drabinsky told me this film was being produced, not for religious but for business reasons.
The producers didn't set out to create a powerful tool for evangelism, but that's what they've done. They've also given the church a timely prompt through the very words of our Lord, regarding His hopes and expectations, His call for unity, His standards for our behaviour.
I am reminded that God can use
anything to accomplish His plan and purposes-even the experience, ambitions, motives, money and talents of non-believers.
If this film is successful, Drabinsky says Visual Bible International will go on to produce The Gospel of Mark, followed by First and Second Samuel. But they won't do that unless this film makes money.
I hope they rake in millions.
Patricia Paddey is a freelance writer from Mississauga, Ontario where she attends Sheridan Park Alliance Church with her husband and three children. One of her favourite things to do is to discover what makes people "tick" and to tell their stories.
