During the time of Easter, I found myself drawn to the idea that I would again watch the film “The Passion” which was directed by Mel Gibson.
It had probably been at least a decade since I had watched it and that was certainly by design. You see, I know the movie was (and still is) controversial and there are lots of opinions in the church whether it (or movies like it) should be watched. For me however, when it first came out I found my first few viewings of it to be a helpful way to consider the sufferings of our Lord. Now please hear me that I understand that what was depicted on screen was man’s portrayal of Christ’s sufferings
, but it still gave me pause and at a minimum it helped me to walk away from the film realizing at a deeper and more unsettling level that whatever the torture of our Lord looked like, it was terrible. Over the years I have avoided watching the film again because it is so disturbing to me but a lot of time had passed and almost as a matter of curiosity (to see what effect it would have on me) I decided to watch it again. To no surprise, I found myself very disturbed again and at various points, especially during the scourging scene, I found myself contemplating if I should turn it off because it was so upsetting.
Around the same time that I was watching the movie I found myself doing a devotional that included the following verse:
“FOR THOSE WHOM THE LORD LOVES HE DISCIPLINES, AND HE SCOURGES EVERY SON WHOM HE RECEIVES.” (Hebrews 12:6).
In view of what I had been watching as of late I found myself quite startled by this verse. I know that I had read it many time before but the idea of scourging was fresh in my mind so it really gripped me. How could it be that a word like scourging could be used to describe The Lord’s discipline of………..Christians? Now of course I do not compare the scourging of Our Lord with how God scourges us but perhaps this idea of God scourging us is as a disturbing idea to you as it was to me. After reading the verse it I found that I had to regain my composure and remind myself that when God disciplines us, in whatever form it comes, it is always done from a heart of love and with wisdom and purpose. In considering this verse at a deeper level I came across a biblical teaching from Pastor Paul J. Bucknell from a website called Biblical Foundations for Freedom that I found very helpful and well done (see next page). I hope that this writing blesses you as it did me.
For Him,
Rob
April 16, 2016