what happened when i watched The Passion of the Christ a 2nd time..

I hadn't seen this gut-wrenching film since the theater in 2004.

I wasn't 100% sure if I EVER wanted to "go through it" again.

But then recently some good friends and I decided to get together right before Easter, have some dinner, have some drinks and do just that.

IT WAS TIME.

1) THE SAME SCENE GOT ME .. AGAIN.

Like me, many of you, had one scene stuck in your mommy brain loooong after watching this film. It took place well into the film when Jesus is carrying the cross to the top of the mountain. Having first been brutally beaten almost beyond recognition, he passes by his Mom and falls down under the weight of the cross. As she helplessly watches this transpire, Mary remembers a day when he fell when he was a little boy and how she ran to her beloved little boy, scooped him up in her arms, and kissed him to make it better. The utter agony of looking at this from a Mom's perspective is a thought almost too painful to allow yourself to consider or dwell on. Similarly, there is that haunting look in Mary’s eyes as she stares straight into the camera in the film’s last few minutes with a look of horror as she cradles her son’s body. This visceral ache of empathy we feel for her as this resonates with us as a parent also explains why songs like "Mary, Did You Know" (A Mom’s Perspective) or MercyMe's "Joseph's Lullaby" (A Dad’s Perspective) move us so deeply. I swear every other friend I have would say these are among their favorite songs ever.

MARY, DID YOU KNOW? // PENTATONIX

JOSEPH'S LULLABY // MERCYME

2) NEW PERSPECTIVE AFTER 20ish YEARS

This film felt completely different watching it now, having had a real relationship with Jesus for 20+ years as opposed to 2004, when I was 25 and I was only about 6 years into Jesus being about more than just going to church on Sundays. Although I am quite sure I thought I had it all down at that point, I soo didn't. I didn't know what I didn't know. (Welcome to our 20s right?!)

The movie references a variety of parts of Jesus' 33 years of life on Earth as it focuses on the central story of His arrest moving its way through to His crucifixion. Just like reading the Bible has great potential to hit you in a different way each time you read it, so this movie went for me.

Granted it has a lot to do with what is going on in your life at the time, as well as, the posture you choose to encounter it. Am I reading the Bible as a book of stories and holy suggestions? Am I choosing to watch this film looking to critique its acting and cinematography? Perspective makes all the difference.

Having (thankfully) matured quite a bit in my spiritual life between my first time watching and now, I am not only more familiar with how the scenes tie together (being more acquainted with my Bible); but also, I was watching with the added benefit of having seen in real life that He follows through on His promises. (And I cannot expect to claim the promises of God in my life if I don’t know what they are! Thus one big plus to reading my Bible. )

3) DID YOU SEE JESUS STOMP THAT SNAKE?

When I watched this film in 2004, I was not familiar with the first presentation of the Gospel/promise of a Messiah (meaning the "anointed" one) in the Bible in Genesis 3:14-15 which says:

"Then the Lord God said to the serpent,
more than all animals, domestic and wild.
You will crawl on your belly,
groveling in the dust as long as you live.
And I will cause hostility between you and the woman, and between your offspring and her offspring.
He will strike your head,
and you will strike his heel.”

This time around I caught how at the conclusion of the first scene where Jesus is praying, a snake slowly slithers in; and just as the scene ends, he suddenly and forcefully crushes it with his heel. Totally missed that the first time around and I’m thinking, “Ohhh, I see what they did there. Nice!”

The day after I watched the film for the 2nd time, with it fresh on my mind, I turned on the radio just in time to hear the last 10 minutes of Pastor Skip Heitzig's podcast about what else? The significance of Genesis 3:14-15. Lol. Funny how that works. It was so Evan Almighty. Anywho..

Why are THESE verses (or the scene that makes reference to it) of any real significance? Because it was the first time in the Bible where God straight up promised Satan (the serpent mentioned): "You're going D-O-W-N!!" This threat inspired Satan to use people throughout history to make attempt after attempt to destroy the blood line from which the Messiah would come and to prevent the Messiah from doing what He would be born to do on the Cross.

I was fascinated listening to Pastor Skip point out how Scripture is chocked full of Satan's failed attempts:

Cain killing Abel.

Such wickedness fills the Earth that God brings the flood saving only Noah and his family.

Esau wanted to kill Jacob.

Pharaoh decreed all newly born Hebrew boys be killed.

Saul tried to kill David.

Following his death, King Ahaziah's Mom decides all royal heirs in Judah should be put to death, but Joash survives!

After news of Jesus having been born in Bethlehem, King Herod decrees all baby boys in Bethlehem be killed.

Devil misquotes scripture in his attempt to convince Jesus to jump off temple to his death.

People in synagogue chase Jesus to the hillside where they want to push him off.

Seeing this gave fresh meaning of how from start to finish, the Bible points toward Jesus. In Christian circles, you hear "It's all about Jesus" so often it's easy to become de-sensitized and miss out on being genuinely amazed by this "scarlet thread" that runs through the entire Bible.

4) THE BLOODY REALITY IS...

In any given music portion of a Sunday morning Worship Service, one is likely to hear a good amount about being "washed in the blood", "covered in the blood", "healed by the blood"...

Smiling-we energetically sing and clap along..."What can wash away my sin? Nothing but the blood of Jesus"..."What can make me whole again? Nothing but the blood of Jesus"...

Good grief?! After watching the horrific beating (stripping the skin off of much of Jesus' body), followed by more beating and a crown of thorns being pressed into his bloodied head, followed by more beating, followed by watching HUGE nails being hammered into his hands and feet just to hang him to suffocate on that Roman cross..my first thought? I will never be able to sing or speak of the blood of Jesus lightly ever again. This was costly and painful.

I think I came into this knowing that I had somewhat minimized the reality of the bloody death of Jesus and it brought me to making the intentional decision of watching this a 2nd time. I needed to feel the weight. I needed to sit in the horror and the graphic brutality of it. They say you can't be saved until you're ready to admit you're a sinner. I say that I couldn't fully feel the weight and meaning of Good Friday and Easter until I exposed my heart to this movie again. I could not watch this and take His death or his resurrection lightly or without deep gratitude and disbelief that He would go to this length for me..for us..to be at peace with God.

So much to sit and re-consider.

5) HITMAN JESUS IS BACK...AND IT'S GONNA BE GOOOOD!!

Both Mel Gibson and Jim Caviezel (the actor who portrayed Jesus in the film) have confirmed that a sequel to PASSION OF THE CHRIST is in the works tentatively titled, RESURRECTION. The talk is that they hope to have the second film ready to release by 2022.

Back up, Lex. Did you just say “Hitman Jesus”? Yes, I did. My husband and I affectionately nicknamed actor Jim Caviezel "Hitman Jesus" because of his vigilante for justice character on the TV Show PERSON OF INTEREST. I am unsure why this joke brings us such joy, but it does. I digress..

I have to admit-after having gone through the heaviness of this film, it was exhilarating to once again to get to the final scene! To know His brutal death was NOT where the story ended..

FINAL SCENE OF THE PASSION OF THE CHRIST

(LESS THAN 2 MINUTES)

I've heard it said, "Without Christmas, there could be no Easter!", thus explaining why people make such a big deal of Christ's birth, I suppose. I've also heard it put this way:

"What are you doing with the resurrection?

Because if the resurrection is true, then it’s all true. If the resurrection is not true, then none of it is true. If Christ literally was raised from the grave, then we have all the reason in the world to have hope and to live transformed lives. If he did not rise from the grave, then the Bible itself says we are to be pitied above all men.

Did you know the Bible said if Jesus didn’t physically, actually rise then we should be pitied above all men? You think of all men, and the Bible is going,

‘If he didn’t actually rise, you guys should really be pitied.

Eat, drink, and be merry, for tomorrow you die.

Stop this following Christ nonsense.’

Except it DID happen."

Taken from an Easter Sermon from The Village Church’s Pastor Matt Chandler in 2014, this is a great start to answering the people around us who wonder: “Why do Christians make such a big deal about Easter?” OR “What is it actually about?” This message peels back the layers of that onion and anyone who knows me also knows what a game-changer the teaching of Matt Chandler has been in my life since we were members at The Village Church when we lived in DFW area. So. Good.

To watch Matt's message, click on the image below. Happy Easter, friends! May all the furry bunnies and the little chickies, the eggs and the newly blooming flowers of the season remind us of the gift of new life that Jesus came to give so that we might receive it and live it out abundantly!