A Passionate Response to Mel Gibson’s the Passion of Christ

Shabbat Shalom,

This weekend is the Academy Awards —I am sure that many of you have already cast your ballots and have your favorites for best picture—best actress and actor—and even best director. But you would never know that it was Academy Award week because of all the hoopla surrounding the opening on Wednesday—Ash Wednesday --- of Mel Gibson’s movie the Passion of Christ. It has made a stunning $26.6 million through Wednesday, which includes an estimated $3 million from private group screenings on Monday and Tuesday. The total box office for Wednesday alone was an impressive $23.6 million, which makes the debut for the Mel Gibson-directed "The Passion" the fifth biggest Wednesday opening in history after "The Matrix Revolutions," which pulled took in $24.3 million last November.

All week long television news programs have interviewed Church groups who have bought out entire movie houses to show to their congregations this movie which is really a medieval Passion Play.

A Passion Play contains the central narrative of Christian theology called the passion, i.e. the trials and crucifixion, and resurrection of Jesus. There are four different accounts of the passion in the gospels of Christian Scriptures, in which Jews play different roles. Each of these accounts culminate in the death and resurrection of Jesus with the idea of revealing God's saving power available to humanity. Good Friday and Easter celebrate respectively the crucifixion and resurrection of Jesus as the high points of Christian creed and experience. Ash Wednesday begins the season of Lent—the period of preparation for Easter. Christians frequently present dramatic representations of this narrative especially during the Lenten season known as "passion plays." Mel Gibson’s movie is similar to these medieval plays that started out as part of the liturgical ritual of the Catholic Church.

For weeks and months, the hype and drama about this movie and its potential impact has been burning up chat rooms of both Jews and Christians. And certainly, the Anti-Defamation League, American Jewish Committee and the Simon Wiesenthal Center have all brought important questions and concerns in recent months as Gibson—refused consistently to dialogue with Jewish groups or to preview to Jewish groups his film. At Azuza Pacific University last week—there was a day long conference –with Video interactive discussions with Mel Gibson- for Christian clergy, lay leaders and some journalists—about how to use THE PASSION OF CHRIST as an outreach technique to bring others the message of Christianity.

Mel Gibson should be proud of one thing—the manipulation of the media to market and sell his movie. With apologies to Russell Crowe, he is indeed both Master and Commander in this regard!

I had the opportunity to see the movie early Wednesday morning in a private showing for six of us. My good friend Rabbi Steve Jacobs arranged for me to see it with several movie studio executives. There were three Jews and three Christians who sat in the darkened movie theatre.

As many of you know, I was an undergraduate Religion major—so I have read and studied the New Testament and in particular the four Gospels: Matthew, Mark, Luke and John from which this story is amalgamated. The movie, The Passion of Christ—following typically medieval prototype—follows the story of the last hours of Jesus, his trial, sentencing, execution and death and ending with a brief nod to his resurrection. The ignores most of his teachings and famous stories from the gospels—except in the briefest of flashback forms. The emphasis in Gibson’s version – is certainly not on the life of Jesus but upon his death and his suffering.

Let me say at the outset—this movie will be seen differently by Jews and Christians. For Christians this movie is their story. It is a story of Jesus’ sacrifice on the cross for their sins. A very unjewish ideal.

And this is most vividly portrayed in Gibson’s version. Bloody, gory, and violent—Gibson hits you over the head to the point of being numb with the pain and suffering of Jesus. In a recent interview, Gibson spoke about the gore and violence as metaphor for his own suffering and pain in healing from addiction. In his now famous interview with Diane Sawyer Gibson said, “At "the height of spiritual bankruptcy more than a decade ago, abusing alcohol and drugs I once contemplated hurling myself out a window.” But instead, he turned to the Bible, which ultimately inspired him to direct his new movie, The Passion of the Christ.

This film was one of the most difficult movies I have ever had to sit through. It was the most violent and goriest of movies I have ever watched. And I must agree that the poetic license that Gibson took with much of the Gospels story added to the already anti-Jewish, and Anti-Semitic bent of the Gospels. It is no secret that a number of the scenes in his movie are based not on the Gospels at all but on the teachings and description of the visions of 18th and 19th century diaries of St. Anne Catherine Emmerich (1774-1824). She is known for her more virulent Anti-Semitic writings, increasing the guilt of the Jewish characters for Jesus suffering. Several scenes in the movie are taken directly from her so-called visions. Including the brutalizing of Jesus flogging, the wiping of his blood from the floor by the Marys: his mother and Magdalene, Pontius Pilate criticizing the priests for physically abusing Jesus as well as fearing a Jewish revolt against Rome.

Many other scenes in the movie are added fiction and not based on the historical period nor the Gospels themselves including the addition of a Satan figure who is always hovering next to or behind Jewish characters. And there are numerous classic anti-Semitic images including that of the money grubbing Jew. Viewed through Jewish eyes—this deeply disturbing movie—reinforces terrible stereotypes of Jews and once again raises the charges of Deicide – that the Jews killed Jesus--- this runs counter to the history of the period when Rome controlled the government—plus the years and years of dialogue that has gone on between Jews and Christians and in particular Jews and Catholics that has mitigated this teaching of Chritianity. In fact as we soon approach the 40th anniversary of Nostra Aetate—the Vatican II document that removed this teaching from Catholic creed--

Even the once-notorious passion play of Obergammau, which depicts the life and death of one Jesus of Nazareth, has made script changes that 1) better reflect the historical reality of first century Judaism in Roman Palestine and 2) do not overtly attempt to rouse anti-Jewish sentiment among its viewers.

But Gibson has chosen to spit in the face of years of Jewish/Christian dialogue and agreements on this topic, on statements of mutual respect and understanding. He has made a fundamentalist movie that will for many who don’t really understand the intricacies of interreligious dialogue and discussion and documents will once again flame the fires of Anti-Semitism under the guise of the Bible.

And this is one of the dangers of the movie. Christians who view this film—and particularly from the fundamentalist community be they Protestant or Catholic —will see the movie as Truth with a capital T and not as Mel Gibson’s version of events. Even Jerry Falwell on Hannity & Colmes on Fox said that this movie is exactly as it was—miraculously agreeing with the Pope! That is how it is being marketed and heralded throughout that world. And especially to those already with an Anti-Semitic bent –this film will further enhance their worldview.

This movie is also very disturbing because Gibson’s choice to overemphasize the blood and violence of Jesus’ last hours—makes an even more startling point—of the difference between Judaism and Christianity—or at least the version of Christianity that Gibson points towards—and that his version of Christianity and Jesus—shows the human sacrifice of Jesus in all of its bloody mess. It shows a God who wants human sacrifice in the form of Jesus.

Judaism taught and teaches – primarily through the story of the binding of Isaac—that we repudiate the sacrifice of human beings. Judaism teaches that our God doesn’t want that kind of sacrifice, actually abhors it—and goes out of its way to make that point. Cruelty of human beings one to another is an anathema – our emphasis is on justice and yes, choosing life in everything we do.

Most of my Christian clergy friends would agree with me—that their version of Jesus and interpretation of the Gospels –indeed echoes that same vision. That is why they reject this gory violent version that Gibson has chosen to put on the screen. That is why every major Catholic –Jewish dialogue document whether it is the National Conference of Bishops statement in 1988 or in November 2000—Dabru Emet document a Jewish statement on Christians and Christianity endorsed by more than two hundred rabbis and scholars from different streams of Judaism or The teachings of the Vatican II Council—depicts and teaches a differing view than the one Gibson has chosen to portray.

As I left this film, shaken to the core I called my friend and colleague Rev. Dan Smith from West Hollywood Presbyterian Church, anxious to talk to him to reaffirm that this wasn’t really his view of the world, Jews and Jesus. He assured me that this wasn’t and that his justice and love centered theology—focuses on Jesus’ life and teaching.

For me the focus on the violence and pain portrayed in Gibson’s film brought to mind in this difficult week in our own community one other distinction. That as I viewed this film, It seemed to me that Gibson wanted the viewer to weep with joy as Jesus’ pain and suffering was to heal not only our sins, but as a stand in for our own pain and suffering. This of course is not the way we Jews deal with these ideas at all.

When there is pain and suffering in our own midst as there has been in these last few weeks – we Jews deal with it in a most different way. We have seen much pain and grief in these last few weeks. Our hearts go out to Cantor Saltzman on the death of his beloved grandmother Ruth who died yesterday. To temple member, and co-chair of Men of Kol Ami Stuart Leviton whose father passed two weeks ago, to Charlie Lapson, temple member whose mother died in the last two weeks, to the family of our benefactor—Shirley Gould who died in the last three weeks, to Board member David Bernstein whose grandmother died, and there have been several other related deaths in our congregation in recent weeks, best friends, and nephews, sisters and aunts and uncles.

And our hearts go out to Linnet and Lori Graves –Broidy on the death of their beloved partner and Ima, our friend and fellow temple member, past officer of the Congregation, choir member and regular Shabbat attender—Julia Graves-Broidy. I know many of you knew Julia, her smile, her musical talents and her courage in battling the many illnesses she faced, Crohn’s disease, breast cancer, and liver disease.

In each of these cases—I have seen what Kol Ami does best—what our community is known for, the Jewish way of dealing with pain and suffering—and that is supporting one another in difficult times. We have rallied to be at Minyanim, to hospital visits, to bring food to houses, to donate tzedakah in memory of loved ones who have died, to provide a hug, a sympathy card, to wipe a tear and hold a hand. Many of you have reached out to your friends who have been affected by these sad passings.

And this is what we are supposed to do for one another. We are supposed to reach out—to go out of our way. Perhaps you didn’t know a grandparent, or parent but your fellow temple member is hurting – and that is the pain we are to respond to. The anguish of the heart can only be healed through time and community. These are what help mute the intensity of our grief. And each of these acts—helps us choose life – not death.

In Hebrew the word for angel –malach - but it can also be understood as messenger. Our friends who come to help us make a minyan, our fellow temple members who reach out to us even if we only nod across the aisle occasionally at a service, become the angels. We have a bond, a connection, a common purpose –that is measured by the way we reach out to one another in these difficult times. That is how the Jew respond to pain and suffering—to help; To help make whole again; To help heal. To choose life—not life in another realm—but life here on earth. Not the Kingdom to Come—but the reality of trying to walk one step in front of the other—to rebuild from such stunning losses. That is a teaching of love. And that is how we help deal with suffering –by being a part of community—by sharing the burden together in the here and now. And I know many of my Christian clergy friends would agree.

May the message of this love – may the message of reaching out to each other in time of difficulty, may the community we build together –continue to sustain us in this season and every season. In this way we will brings God message of love and holiness to our the Jewish community, the Christian community and yes, indeed the whole world.

Ken yehi Ratzon.

Posted by Lee at February 29, 2004 10:00 AM