• -The 2nd Commandment says to not make any image of anything in heaven.  This is doing just that.
  • -Here is what Matthew Henry says on Ex. 20:4:
  • (1.)The prohibition: we are here forbidden to worship even the true God by images, v. 4, 5.

[1.] The Jews (at least after the captivity) thought themselves forbidden by this commandment to make any image or picture whatsoever. Hence the very images which the Roman armies had in their ensigns are called an abomination to them (Matt. xxiv. 15), especially when they were set up in the holy place. It is certain that it forbids making any image of God (for to whom can we liken him? Isa. xl. 18, 15), or the image of any creature for a religious use. It is called the changing of the truth of God into a lie (Rom. i. 25), for an image is a teacher of lies; it insinuates to us that God has a body, whereas he is an infinite spirit, Hab. ii. 18. It also forbids us to make images of God in our fancies, as if he were a man as we are. Our religious worship must be governed by the power of faith, not by the power of imagination. They must not make such images or pictures as the heathen worshipped, lest they also should be tempted to worship them. Those who would be kept from sin must keep themselves from the occasions of it.

[2.] They must not bow down to them occasionally, that is, show any sign of respect or honour to them, much less serve them constantly, by sacrifice or incense, or any other act of religious worship. When they paid their devotion to the true God, they must not have any image before them, for the directing, exciting, or assisting of their devotion. Though the worship was designed to terminate in God, it would not please him if it came to him through an image. The best and most ancient lawgivers among the heathen forbade the setting up of images in their temples. This practice was forbidden in Rome by Numa, a pagan prince; yet commanded in Rome by the pope, a Christian bishop, but, in this, anti-christian. The use of images in the church of Rome, at this day, is so plainly contrary to the letter of this command, and so impossible to be reconciled to it, that in all their catechisms and books of devotion, which they put into the hands of the people, they leave out this commandment, joining the reason of it to the first; and so the third commandment they call the second, the fourth the third, &c.; only, to make up the number ten, they divide the tenth into two. Thus have they committed two great evils, in which they persist, and from which they hate to be reformed; they take away from God’s word, and add to his worship.

  • Deut 4:15-31 describes that the reason the Israelites were not to make images of God was that at Horeb there was no image seen by them or revealed to them – “no form” was shown.
    • No images of Christ from His time survived.  If it was necessary for us to have images of Christ, would not have God made that happen?
    • The Advent and other Theophanies were based on God’s will – when, where and how.  He reserves this right to Himself alone.
    • Images created make man the creator and Jesus the creation, and attempt to bring God closer to man.
    • The character and glory of Jesus cannot be captured in a picture.
    • The Word of God alone should be the only source whereby we get any information or “pictures” about Jesus and should be what’s in our mind about Christ, not physical pictures or images of Him.
    • Jesus is represented in the Lord’s Supper, baptism, and His Word.
    • During the Renaissance, the Catholics introduced images to “help” people.  Does the Holy Spirit need help — is He inept so as to not be able — to show people who God is and bring them to saving faith?
  • The Westminister Confession says in QA 108-110:

Q. What are the duties required in the Second Commandment?

A. The duties required in the Second Commandment are, the receiving, observing, and keeping pure and entire, all such religious worship and ordinances as God has instituted in his Word; particularly prayer and thanksgiving in the name of Christ; the reading, preaching, and hearing of the Word; the administration and receiving of the sacraments; church government and discipline; the ministry and maintenance thereof; religious fasting; swearing by the name of God, and vowing unto him; as also the disapproving, detesting, opposing, all false worship; and, according to each one’s place and calling, removing it, and all monuments of idolatry (Deut. 32:46;-47; Matt. 28:20; Acts 2:42; 1 Tim. 6:13-14; Phil. 4:6; Eph. 5:20; Deut. 17:18-19; 2 Tim. 4:2).

Q. What are the sins forbidden in the Second Commandment?

A. The sins forbidden in the Second Commandment are, all devising, counseling, commanding, using, and in any way approving, any religious worship not instituted by God himself; tolerating a false religion; the making any representation of God, of all or of any of the three persons, either inwardly in our mind, or outwardly in any kind of image or likeness of any creature whatsoever; all worshipping of it, or God in it or by it; the making of any representation of feigned deities, and all worship of them, or service belonging to them; all superstitious devices, corrupting the worship of God, adding to it, or taking from it, whether invented and taken up of ourselves, or received by tradition from others, though under the title of antiquity, custom, devotion, good intent, or any other pretense whatsoever; simony; sacrilege; all neglect, contempt, hindering, and opposing the worship and ordinances which God has appointed (Num. 15:39; Deut. 13:6-8; Hos. 5:11; Micah 6:16; 1 Kgs. 11:33; Deut. 12:30-32; Dan. 3:18; Gal. 4:8).

  • The Thomas Vincent Catechism

Q. 50, Sub-question 6. Is it not lawful to have pictures of Jesus Christ, he being a man as well as God?

A. It is not lawful to have pictures of Jesus Christ, because his divine nature cannot be pictured at all; and because his body, as it is now glorified, cannot be pictured as it is; and because, if it do not stir up devotion, it is vain – if it do stir up devotion, it is a worshipping by an image or picture, and so is a palpable breach of the second commandment.

  • The Thomas Watson Catechism

Q. If it be not lawful to make the image of God the Father, yet may we not make an image of Christ, who took upon him the nature of man?

A. No! Epiphanies, seeing an image of Christ hanging in a church, brake it in pieces. It is Christ’s Godhead, united to his manhood, that makes him to be Christ; therefore to picture his manhood, when we cannot picture his Godhead, is a sin, because we make him to be but half Christ – we separate what God has joined, we leave out that which is the chief thing which makes him to be Christ.

  • Calvin says in his Institutes:
    • “that we have no right to follow the mind’s caprice wherever it impels us, but, dependent upon his will, ought to stand firm in that alone which is pleasing to him…”
    • “The more inclined the playfulness of the human mind is to dream up various rites with which to deserve well of him, the more diligently ought we to mark this fact. In all ages this irreligious affectation of religion, because it is rooted in man’s nature, has manifested itself and still manifests itself…”
    • The 2nd commandment “restrains our license from daring to subject God, who is incomprehensible, to our sense perceptions, or to represent him by any form.”
    • About Isaiah he says, “He teaches that God’s majesty is sullied by an unfitting and absurd fiction, when the incorporeal is made to resemble corporeal matter, the invisible a visible likeness, the spirit an inanimate object, the immeasurable a puny bit of wood, stone, or gold [Isa. 40:18-20 and 41:7, 29 45:9; 46:5-7].”
    • About images he says, “But then we shall also answer that this is not the method of teaching within the sacred precincts believing folk, whom God wills to be instructed there with a far different doctrine than this trash. In the preaching of his Word and sacred mysteries he has bidden that a common doctrine be there set forth for all.”
    • “We believe it wrong that God should be represented by a visible appearance, because he himself has forbidden it [Ex. 20:4] and it cannot be done without some defacing of his glory. And lest they think us alone in this opinion, those who concern themselves with their writing will find that all well-balanced writers have always disapproved of it.”
    • “If it is not right to represent God by a physical likeness, much less will we be allowed to worship it as God, or God in it. Therefore it remains that only those things are to be sculptured or painted which the eyes are capable of seeing: let not God’s majesty, which is far above the perception of the eyes, be debased through unseemly representations…. I only say that even if the use of images contained nothing evil, it still has no value in teaching.”
    • “First, then, if we attach any weight to the authority of the ancient Church, let us remember, that for five hundred years, during which religion was in a more prosperous condition, and a purer doctrine flourished, Christian churches were completely free from visible representations. Hence their first admission as an ornament to churches took place after the purity of the ministry had somewhat degenerated. I will not dispute as to the rationality of the grounds on which the first introduction of them proceeded, but if you compare the two periods, you will find that the latter had greatly declined from the purity of the times when images were unknown. What then? Are we to suppose that those holy fathers, if they had judged the thing to be useful and salutary, would have allowed the Church to be so long without it? Undoubtedly, because they saw very little or no advantage, and the greatest danger in it, they rather rejected it intentionally and on rational grounds, than omitted it through ignorance or carelessness.”

That should be enough.  Still, here’s more:

  • Mel is a pre-Vatican II Catholic, which says you can’t be saved without the Catholic Church
  • Mel and company did mass every day to try to be squeaky clean.  This is superstition.
  • The lead actor playing Jesus believes this movie was made by Mary for her Son, and other mystical items.  From February 6, 2004 (David Cloud, Fundamental Baptist Information Service, P.O. Box 610368, Port Huron, MI 48061, 866-295-4143, fbns@wayoflife.org:

Jim Caviezel, who plays Jesus in the Gibson film, is also a staunch Roman Catholic. He prayed to St. Genesius of Arles and St. Anthony of Padua for help in his acting career. He has visited Medjugorje to witness the site where Mary allegedly appeared to six young people. One of the things that Mary allegedly told them is that the pope “should consider himself as the father of all people and not only the Christians.” Caviezel said, “This film is something that I believe was made by Mary for her Son” (Interview with Jim and Kerri Caviezel by Catholic priest Mario Knezovic, Radio “Mir” Medjugorje, December 2003; www.medjugorje.hr/int%20Caviezel%20ENG.htm). Caviezel also said that his goal with the movie is to “bring mankind back together.” Caviezel said that he was given “a piece of the true cross, which he kept with him all of the time during the filming of the movie. He also had relics of “Padre Pio, St. Anthony of Padoua, Ste Maria Goretti, and saint Denisius, the Patron saint of Actors.” He prayed the Rosary to Mary every day.

  • It wasn’t made exclusively on the Gospels.  Other books from former Catholic nuns about their visions of Christ were used.  From February 6, 2004 (David Cloud, Fundamental Baptist Information Service, P.O. Box 610368, Port Huron, MI 48061, 866-295-4143, fbns@wayoflife.org:

The movie is not based solely on the Bible but also on the visions of Roman Catholic nun-mystics St. Anne Catherine Emmerich and Mary of Agreda.

Of the visions of Emmerich, Gibson said, “She supplied me with stuff I never would have thought of” (The New Yorker, Sept. 15, 2003).

Anne Catherine Emmerich (1774-1824) was a German nun who allegedly had the stigmata or wounds of Christ in her body. Emmerich supposedly “had the use of reason from her birth and could understand liturgical Latin from her first time at Mass.” During the last 12 years of her life, she allegedly ate no food except the wafer of the Catholic mass. Her visions on the life of Christ were published in 1824 under the title “The Dolorous Passion of Our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ.” They are still in print and were consulted by Gibson. An advertisement for Emmerich’s Life of the Virgin Mary says, “This book is filled with unusual, saintly descriptions that are not recorded in the Gospel story — descriptions that supplement and illustrate the Biblical narrative in a way that makes the actual Scripture passages truly come alive.” Thus these alleged visions go beyond the Bible. According to Emmerich’s visions, Protestants also go to purgatory but they suffer more than Catholics because no one prays for them or offers masses for them. She taught that it is more holy to pray for souls in purgatory than for sinners who are still alive. Her deceptive visions on the suffering of Christ describe His scourging and crucifixion in great detail, giving many “facts” which do not appear in Scripture. For example, she claimed that Christ “quivered and writhed like a poor worm” and that He “cried in a suppressed voice, and a clear, sweet-sounding wailing” as He was being beaten. She even claimed that Christ “glanced at His torturers, and sued for mercy.” She also claimed that Jesus suffered from a wound on his shoulder more than any other.

Mary of Agreda (1602-1665) was also a Catholic nun and visionary mystic. Her entire family entered monasteries and convents in 1618, which means that her mother and father disobeyed 1 Corinthians 7 and separated for the sake of the Catholic church. She was given to trances and even claimed that she could leave her body and teach people in foreign lands. Her book The Mystical City of God is about Mary. Like the visions of Anne Catherine Emmerich, those of Mary of Agreda go far beyond the Bible. For example, she claimed that though Joseph ate meat, Jesus and Mary seldom did.

Not surprisingly, therefore, Gibson’s film contains errors when judged by the biblical account. For example, after Christ’s arrest and as He is being escorted to the high priest’s residence, He is beaten, knocked down, and thrown off a bridge. After Christ is whipped, Mary gets down on her knees and wipes up the blood. Mary is shown assisting Jesus on the way to the cross, with Jesus telling her, “Behold I make all things new.”

Examples of Emmerich’s Dolorous Passion in Mel Gibson’s The Passion of the Christ (from http://www.av1611.org/Passion/passion.html Note: References are from Emmerich, Anne Catherine. The Dolorous Passion of Our Lord Jesus Christ. North Bay Books:El Sobrante, 2003
References originally from www.challies.com)
The Passion of the Christ Emmerich’s The Dolorous Passion of Our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ
Satan torments Jesus in the garden of Gethsemane Chapter I p. 45 “But Satan, who was enthroned amid all these horrors, and even filled with diabolical joy at the sight of them, let loose his fury against Jesus, and displayed before the eyes of his soul increasingly awful visions, at the same time addressing his adorable humanity in words such as these: ‘Takest thou even this sin upon thyself? Art thou willing to bear its penalty? Art thou prepared to satisfy for all these sins?’”
Mary wakes up, sensing Jesus’ arrest Chapter I p. 58 “During this agony of Jesus, I saw the Blessed Virgin also overwhelmed with sorrow and anguish of soul, in the house of Mary, the mother of Mark. She was with Magdalen and Mary in the garden belonging to the house, and almost prostrate from grief, with her whole body bowed down as she knelt. She fainted several times, for she beheld in spirit different portions of the agony of Jesus.” Chapter XI p. 99 “THE Blessed Virgin was ever united to her Divine Son by interior spiritual communications; she was, therefore, fully aware of all that happened to him—she suffered with him, and joined in his continual prayer for his murderers. But her maternal feelings prompted her to supplicate Almighty God most ardently not to suffer the crime to be completed, and to save her Son from such dreadful torments.”
Soldiers throw Jesus off a bridge Chapter III p. 71 “I saw our Lord fall twice before he reached the bridge, and these falls were caused entirely by the barbarous manner in which the soldiers dragged him; but when they were half over the bridge they gave full vent to their brutal inclinations, and struck Jesus with such violence that they threw him off the bridge into the water”
Jesus’ abuse when before the priests Chapter VI p. 84 “At this answer of Jesus the countenance of Annas flushed with fury and indignation. A base menial who was standing near perceived this, and he immediately struck our Lord on the face with his iron gauntlet, exclaiming at the same moment, ‘Answerest thou the High Priest so?’ Jesus was so nearly prostrated by the violence of the blow, that when the guards likewise reviled and struck him, he fell quite down, and blood trickled from his face on to the floor. Laughter, insults, and bitter words resounded through the hall. The archers dragged him roughly up again, and he mildly answered, ‘If 1 have spoken evil. give testimony of the evil; but if well, why strikest thou me?’”
After thrice denying Jesus, Peter runs to Mary, weeping and calling her, “Mother.” Chapter XI p. 100 “Mary approached him instantly, and said, ‘Simon, tell me, I entreat you, what is become of Jesus, my Son !’ These words pierced his very heart; he could not even look at her, but turned away, and again wrung his hands. Mary drew close to him, and said in a voice trembling with emotion: ‘Simon, son of John, why dost thou not answer me?’—’Mother!’ exclaimed Peter, in a dejected tone, ‘0, Mother, speak not to me—thy Son is suffering more than words can express: speak not to me!’”
Mary walks about the now-emptied courtyard and then falls with her face pressed to the floor, directly above the cell in which Jesus is imprisoned Chapter XI p. 101 “John, therefore, led her and the holy women to the front of the prison where Jesus was confined. Mary was with Jesus in spirit, and Jesus was with her; but this loving Mother wished to hear with her own cars the voice of her Divine Son.”
Satan and his minions torment Judas Chapter V p. 82 “Ibeheld the traitor, Judas Iscariot, wandering about, alone, and a prey to the tortures of his guilty con-science; he feared even his own shadow, and was followed by many devils, who endeavored to turn his feelings of remorse into black despair.”
An effeminate Herod is depicted amidst cushions Chapter XX p. 124 “Herod was expecting them. He was seated on a pile of cushions, heaped together so as to form a species of throne, in a spacious hall, and surrounded by courtiers and warriors.” Chapter XX p. 125 “the luxurious and effeminate prince turned away in disgust, uttered the name of God, and said to the priests in a tone of mingled pity and contempt, ‘Take him hence, and bring him not back into my presence in such a deplorable state.’”
Herod calls Jesus a fool and commands that Jesus be given a fool’s homage Chapter XX p. 127 “But he spoke in the most contemptuous manner to Jesus, and turning to the guards and servants who surrounded him, and who were about two hundred in number, said: ‘Take away this fool, and pay him that homage which is his due; he is mad, rather than guilty of any crime.’”
The scourging scene is very similar to that written by Emmerich. Jesus is scourged against a pillar in the center of a courtyard. The scourging culminates with the use of chains with barbs that tear chunks off his back. Jesus is then rotated so the soldiers can scourge the other side. Mary is prominent throughout the scene as if exhorting Jesus. Chapter XXII p. 133 “This pillar, placed in the centre of the court, stood alone, and did not serve to sustain any part of the building” Chapter XXII p. 133 “Jesus trembled and shuddered as he stood before the pillar, and took off his garments as quickly as he could, but his hands were bloody and swollen. The only return he made when his brutal executioners struck and abused him was to pray for them in the most touching manner: he turned his face once towards his Mother, who was standing overcome with grief; this look quite unnerved her: she fainted, and would have fallen, had not the holy women who were there supported her.” Chapter XXII p. 135 “Two fresh executioners took the places of the last mentioned, who were beginning to flag; their scourges were composed of small chains, or straps covered with iron hooks, which penetrated to the bone, and tore off large pieces of flesh at every blow. What word, alas! could describe this terrible—this heartrending scene! The cruelty of these barbarians was nevertheless not yet satiated; they untied Jesus, and again fastened him up with his back turned towards the pillar. As he was totally unable to support himself in an upright position, they passed cords round his waist, under his arms, and above his knees, and having bound his hands tightly into the rings which were placed at the upper part of the pillar, they recommenced scourging him” Chapter XXIII p. 137 “I saw the Blessed Virgin in a continual ecstasy during the time of the scourging of her Divine Son; she saw and suffered with inexpressible love and grief all the torments he was enduring.”
Pilate’s wife hands white linens to Mary, who uses these to wipe Jesus’s blood from the floor Chapter XXIII p. 137 “I saw Claudia Procles, the wife of Pilate, send some large pieces of linen to the Mother of God.” Chapter XXIII p. 138 “Then it was that the Mother of Jesus, accompanied by the holy women, approached the pillar and wiped up the blood with which it and the ground around were saturated.”
Jesus falls multiple times while carrying the cross (These correspond to the 3rd, 7th, and 9th Stations of the Cross. “The Stations of the Cross are a popular Catholic devotion. Each of the fourteen stations stands for an event which occurred during Jesus’ Passion and death at Calvary on Good Friday. A person making the Stations Of The Cross is to meditate about each event depicted at each station, and pray.” The First Fall: Chapter XXXI p. I58 “When Jesus reached this spot, his strength was perfectly exhausted; he was quite unable to move; and as the archers dragged and pushed him without showing the slightest compassion, he fell quite down against this stone, and the cross fell by his side.” The Second Fall: Chapter XXXII p. 160 “Then came her beloved Son. He was almost sinking under the heavy weight of his cross, and his head, still crowned with thorns, was drooping in agony on his shoulder. He cast a look of compassion and sorrow upon his Mother, staggered, and fell for the second time upon his hands and knees.” The Third Fall: Chapter XXXIII p. 161 “The procession had reached an arch formed in an old wall belonging to the town, opposite to a square, in which three streets terminated, when Jesus stumbled against a large stone which was placed in the middle of the archway, the cross slipped from his shoulder, he fell upon the stone, and was totally unable to rise.”
Mary meets Jesus while on the way to Golgotha (4th Station of the Cross) Chapter XXXII p. 160 “Then came her beloved Son. He was almost sinking under the heavy weight of his cross, and his head, still crowned with thorns, was drooping in agony on his shoulder. He cast a look of compassion and sorrow upon his Mother, staggered, and fell for the second time upon his hands and knees. Mary was perfectly agonised at this sight; she forgot all else; she saw neither soldiers nor executioners; she saw nothing but her dearly-loved Son; and, springing from the doorway into the midst of the group who were insulting and abusing him, she threw herself on her knees by his side and embraced him. The only words I heard were, ‘Beloved Son!’ and ‘Mother!’”
The scene in which Simon of Cyrene is pressed into service is very similar to that written by Emmerich. One of Simon’s children is present. He is initially reluctant, exhibiting great disdain towards Jesus. Simon soon after experiences a change of heart. Chapter XXXIII pp. 161-162 “At this moment Simon of Cyrene, a pagan, happened to pass by, accompanied by his three children. He was a gardener, just returning home after working in a garden near the eastern wall of the city, and carrying a bundle of lopped branches. The soldiers perceiving by his dress that he was a pagan, seized him, and ordered him to assist Jesus in carrying his cross. He refused at first, but was soon compelled to obey, although his children, being frightened, cried and made a great noise, upon which some women quieted and took charge of them. Simon was much annoyed, and expressed the greatest vexation at being obliged to walk with a man in so deplorable a condition of dirt and misery; but Jesus wept, and cast such a mild and heavenly look upon him that he was touched, and instead of continuing to show reluctance, helped him to rise, while the executioners fastened one arm of the cross on his shoulders, and he walked behind our Lord, thus relieving him in a great measure from its weight”
Veronica wipes Jesus’s face (6th Station of the Cross; the cloth with the bloody face imprinted in it is now a relic) Chapter XXXIV p. 162 “Seraphia was the name of the brave woman who thus dared to confront the enraged multitude; she was the wife of Sirach, one of the councillors belonging to the Temple, and was afterwards known by the name of Veronica, which name was given from the words vera icon (true portrait), to commemorate her brave conduct on this day. Seraphia had prepared some excellent aromatic wine, which she piously intended to present to our Lord to refresh him on his dolorous way to Calvary. She had been standing in the street for some time, and at last went back into the house to wait. She was, when I first saw her, enveloped in a long veil, and holding a little girl of nine years of age whom she had adopted, by the hand; a large veil was likewise hanging on her arm, and the little girl endeavoured to hide the jar of wine when the procession approached. Those who were marching at the head of the procession tried to push her back; but she made her way through the mob, the soldiers, and the archers, reached Jesus, fell on her knees before him, and presented the veil, saying at the same time, ‘Permit me to wipe the face of my Lord.’ Jesus took the veil in his left hand, wiped his bleeding face, and returned it with thanks. Seraphia kissed it, and put it under her cloak. The girl then timidly offered the wine, but the brutal soldiers would not allow Jesus to drink it.”
The scene of Jesus and Simon of Cyrene is very similar to that written by Emmerich. Simon threatens to stop helping if the soldiers continue in their cruelty, saying that he will do so even if the soldiers kill him. Simon then places Jesus’s arm across his shoulders, supporting him. Chapter XXXV p. 165 “Their cruelty to Jesus so exasperated Simon of Cyrene that he at last exclaimed, ‘If you continue this brutal conduct, I will throw down the cross and carry it no farther. I will do so if you kill me for it.’” Chapter XXXV p. 166 “Jesus was on the point of again falling, but Simon, who was behind, perceiving that he could not stand, hastened to support him; he leant upon Simon, and was thus saved from falling to the ground.”
The scene in which Jesus is nailed to the cross is very similar to that written by Emmerich. After the first hand is nailed, Jesus’ other arm is stretched out with a sickening crunch to reach the hole provided for the nail. The soldiers also subject Jesus to more agony as they stretch his body out to the wooden footrest that they placed too low. Chapter XXXVIII p. 172 “The Blessed Virgin stood motionless; from time to time you might distinguish her plaintive moans; she appeared as if almost fainting from grief, and Magdalen was quite beside herself. When the executioners had nailed the right hand of our Lord, they perceived that his left hand did not reach the hole they had bored to receive the nail, therefore they tied ropes to his left arm, and having steadied their feet against the cross, pulled the left hand violently until it reached the place prepared for it. This dreadful process caused our Lord indescribable agony, his breast heaved, and his legs were quite contracted.” Chapter XXXVIII p. 173 “The executioners had fastened a piece of wood at the lower part of the cross under where the feet of Jesus would be nailed, that thus the weight of his body might not rest upon the wounds of his hands, as also to prevent the bones of his feet from being broken when nailed to the cross. A hole had been pierced in this wood to receive the nail when driven through his feet, and there was likewise a little hollow place for his heels These precautions were taken lest his wounds should be torn open by the weight of his body, and death ensue before he had suffered all the tortures which they hoped to see him endure. The whole body of our Lord had been dragged upward, and contracted by the violent manner with which the executioners had stretched out his arms, and his knees were bent up; they therefore flattened and tied them down tightly with cords; but soon perceiving that his feet did not reach the bit of wood which was placed for them to rest upon, they became infuriated. Some of their number proposed making fresh holes for the nails which pierced his hands, as there would be considerable difficulty in removing the bit of wood, but the others would do nothing of the sort, and continued to vociferate, ‘He will not stretch himself out, but we will help him;’ they accompanied these words with the most fearful oaths and imprecations, and having fastened a rope to his right leg, dragged it violently until it reached the wood, and then tied it down as tightly as possible. The agony which Jesus suffered from this violent tension was indescribable; the words ‘My God, my God,’ escaped his lips, and the executioners increased his pain by tying his chest and arms to the cross, lest the hands should be torn from the nails. They then fastened his left foot on to his right foot, having first bored a hole through them with a species of piercer, because they could not be placed in such a position as to be nailed together at once. Next they took a very long nail and drove it completely through both feet into the cross below, which operation was more than usually painful, on account of his body being so unnaturally stretched out”
Jesus is depicted as having long hair and being generally pleasing to the eye Chapter XLI p. 178 “The complexion of our Lord was fair, like that of Mary, and slightly tinted with red; but his exposure to the weather during the last three years had tanned him considerably. His chest was wide, but not hairy like that of St. John Baptist; his shoulders broad, and his arms and thighs sinewy; his knees were strong and hardened, as is usually the case with those who have either walked or knelt much, and his legs long, with very strong muscles; his feet were well formed, and his hands beautiful, the fingers being long and tapering, and although not delicate like those of a woman, still not resembling those of a man who had laboured hard. His neck was rather long, with a well-set and finely proportioned head; his forehead large and high; his face oval; his hair, which was far from thick, was of a golden brown colour, parted in the middle and falling over his shoulders; his beard was not any great length, but pointed and divided under the chin.”
Mary begs, “Flesh of my flesh, heart of my heart, my son, let me die with you.” Meditation V p. 23 “When our Lord announced to his Blessed Mother what was going to take place, she besought him, in the most touching terms, to let her die with him.” Chapter XLIII pp. 181-182 “the Blessed Virgin, filled with intense feelings of motherly love, entreated her Son to permit her to die with him”
A soldier is showered by Jesus’ blood after piercing His side Chapter XLVIII pp. 197-198 “He seized his lance and rode quickly up to the mound on which the Cross was planted, stopped just between the cross of the good thief and that of our Lord, and taking his lance in both hands, thrust it so completely into the right side of Jesus that the point went through the heart, and appeared on the left side. When Cassius drew his lance out of the wound a quantity of blood and water rushed from it, and flowed over his face and body. This species of washing produced effects somewhat similar to the vivifying waters of Baptism: grace and salvation at once entered his soul. He leaped from his horse, threw himself upon his knees, struck his breast, and confessed loudly before all his firm belief in the divinity of Jesus.”
Jesus’ body is lowered into Mary’s arms and the camera focuses on Mary in the “Pieta pose” before panning and fading out (this suggests Mary as a co-redeemer) Chapter L p. 206 “When the body was taken down it was wrapped in linen from the knees to the waist, and then placed in the arms of the Blessed Virgin, who, overwhelmed with sorrow and love, stretched them forth to receive their precious burden.” Chapter LI p. 206 “The Blessed Virgin seated herself upon a large cloth spread on the ground, with her right knee, which was slightly raised, and her back resting against some mantles, rolled together so as to form a species of cushion. No precaution had been neglected which could in any way facilitate to her—the Mother of Sorrows—in her deep affliction of soul, the mournful but most sacred duty which she was about to fulfill in regard to the body of her beloved Son. The adorable head of Jesus rested upon Mary’s knee, and his body was stretched upon a sheet. The Blessed Virgin was overwhelmed with sorrow and love. Once more, and for the last time, did she hold in her arms the body of her most beloved Son, to whom she had been unable to give any testimony of love during the long hours of his martyrdom. And she gazed upon his wounds and fondly embraced his blood-stained cheeks, whilst Magdalen pressed her face upon his feet.”

Some thoughts:

  • Anything that happens in this movie beyond what the Bible says happened or how Christ acted is artistic license, which means that people who don’t know the Bible and won’t go look it up in the Bible will believe these things to be truth.  If God had wanted these kinds of details in the Bible, He would have included them.
  • Almost all of apostate Christianity today is supporting it; and not only is apostate Christianity supporting it but is overly zealous about it.
  • The focus of it is very soulical – it will feed the soul (mind, will and emotions), much like many of the apostate churches today.  Only the Holy Spirit can feed or change the spirit.
  • Through this feeding of the soul, although Jesus did show tremendous love by what He did, He also and most importantly satisfied that wrath of God due us for our evil and wicked hearts, making atonement for His sheep.  This spiritual side cannot be conveyed in a movie, even if it is mentioned.
  • It will be used and hailed as the thing that saves people, or changes hearts.  While some hearts might be changed after seeing it, it is God alone that saves and changes hearts, according to His will, in His timing; and this fact will be left out and discarded for a decisionist Gospel.
  • People have said, “This movie is going to change your life!”  No, God may use a movie to change someone’s life, but then only if He wants to do that.  Lives are only changed by Him, when He wants, and not by any act of us (e.g. going to see a movie).  People are going to EXPECT their lives to be change, could probably think an emotional experience is that change and leave no different.  It is presumptuous on God to say that He will change your life if you go see a movie, and to assume that if you make a move that God will use it.  Plus, God doesn’t need a movie to change someone’s life.
  • I wonder how many will walk away, think they are changed because they feel differently, only to be deceived as to any real change to their spiritual condition.
  • Question:  if this movie hadn’t been made, would the people who would have seen this movie if it had been made, still become saved?
  • Michael Savage compared this as possibly to what Constantine did in almost saving the Roman Empire.  At that time, Christianity became the official religion (which is where the Catholic church started), and it became passé to be a Christian, in my opinion because people lost their witness (i.e. weren’t persecuted any more).  If Savage is right, this movie will just help perpetuate the feel-good religion, accepted by most of society, get-along with society, passé “Christianity” that exists today.
  • We are to worship God in spirit and in truth.  This movie is about neither.
  • John 20:29 – “Jesus saith unto him, Thomas, because thou hast seen me, thou hast believed: blessed are they that have not seen, and yet have believed.”

After the release comments:

  • On opening night at the live KFAX broadcast in front of the movie theater, one of the people who was a part of the broadcast team that night (might have been a pastor) said that the thing that was the high point of the movie for him, not that it was really a high point, was the “pain on Jesus’ face.”  First, that was not Jesus.  Second, that was an artist’s idea of what pain might have been on Jesus face.  How is that based in any sort of truth in the true sense of that word?
  • 1-800-NEED-HIM commercial talks about when Jesus said, “It is complete” (which He didn’t say) that Jesus completes us.  What Jesus finished on the cross was not the completing of us – it was paying the penalty to satisfy God’s wrath for His sheep that was completed.
  • “If just one person gets saved from this film, then I’m all for it!”  The problem with that is, even without this film, all of the sheep the Father gave Christ would come to Christ anyway, and Christ will lose none.  So, if this film is not needed, then we have to look at its foundations and doctrines.  Based on those, this film should be rejected.
  • I believe the Holy Spirit, through this movie, has shown the true state of Christianity to the world, revealing it’s apostasy.

Some sources:

http://www.christianity.com/partner/Article_Display_Page/0%2C%2CPTID23682|CHID125043|CIID1716514%2C00.html

http://www.letgodbetrue.com/TodaysWorld/passion.pdf

http://www.newswithviews.com/McGinley/kelly4.htm

Personal 2nd Commandment Study:

I “ended up” on another forum that had been talking about the 2nd commandment and “The” movie back in July. The idea put forth was that the 1st commandment was who we were to worship; the 2nd was how we were to worship (or really, how not to worship).

Still, I hadn’t sat down with those verses to try and actually see that and the delineation between the 1st and 2nd commandments and why they were separate.

So, I did, and stared at Ex 20:3-6 for a while. Here they are:

3 Thou shalt have no other gods before me.
4 Thou shalt not make unto thee any graven image, or any likeness of any thing that is in heaven above, or that is in the earth beneath, or that is in the water under the earth.
5 Thou shalt not bow down thyself to them, nor serve them: for I the LORD thy God am a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children unto the third and fourth generation of them that hate me;
6 And shewing mercy unto thousands of them that love me, and keep my commandments.

As I was trying to see how vs 4 related to vs 5, the following “occurred” to me:

1. Vs 4 as it reads is a full and complete sentence.

2. If you think about vs 5 as being something that just explains vs 4 (ie. don’t bow down or serve any graven image), you would have to read it like this: don’t make any image (vs 4); but if you do, don’t bow down to it and don’t serve it. Well, that doesn’t make sense, because the first part, don’t make the image, should take care of any image even being there at all, so God can’t mean that these 2 verses talk about bowing to images that you make. What it’s saying is don’t make images, don’t bow to images, don’t serve images.

So then, it “occurred” to me to look at the 1st commandment vs the 2nd commandment that way. Some say that the 2nd commandment just describes other ways of not having any other gods before God. Well then, if that’s the case, the thinking would have to go like this: don’t have any other gods before God; but if you do, in the process of doing that, don’t make any images to worship. Well, that doesn’t make any sense either. Given the 1st commandment, the 2nd commandment couldn’t possibly be expounding on what not to worship, because God just said not to worship anything other than Him, which must by nature of the command already include not worshipping any graven images.

So then, by the time we get to the 2nd commandment, we can only be talking about God because He has already eliminated any other things to worship. And so, because He is Who we must be talking about at that point, the 2nd command must be related to the worship of Him — don’t worship Him using images.

Ah ha!!!

— David