A New Creation: Chapter 4

Anyone who grew up in the suburbs of Baltimore during the 60’s and 70’s probably spent their summer vacations in Ocean City, Maryland. Having been born and raised in Baltimore, my family was no exception. Each year, the highlight of our summer was spending a week in O.C. with our extended family, which usually included a house full of aunts, uncles, and cousins. Some of my best childhood memories were the times we spent in O.C. as a family just hanging out at the beach, playing mini golf, or walking the boardwalk every night.
This uniquely Baltimore tradition continued for most of us when we entered adulthood and started having families of our own. However, by 2004, my fondness for Ocean City was in serious decline due to all the traffic, congestion, and rowdy teenagers who seemed to be taking over the town. Not wishing to completely abandon the place where I first fell in love with the beach, I resorted to scheduling trips during the off season so I could avoid the crowds and still maintain my custom of visiting O.C. at least once a year. So in late February of 2004, my wife and I made the three hour trek to Ocean City, Maryland for a long weekend and some much needed relaxation. As we crossed the Bay Bridge and headed down Rt. 50, I had no inkling that this particular beach trip would ultimately change the trajectory of my life.
If you have visited a beach resort in the winter you know there is not much to do for amusement, particularly in the evenings when most of the shops and attractions are closed. Fortunately, for those of us crazy enough to spend our winter vacations in O.C., there is one establishment that stays open year round – the movie theater. My wife and I were both avid movie goers, so it was customary for us to see at least one movie during these long beach weekends. Soon after we arrived in town, I scanned the newspaper (this is before WiFi and smartphones) to see if “The Passion of the Christ” was playing at the local movie theater. As fate would have it, the movie had just opened at the White Marlin Mall in West Ocean City, so we made plans to see it the following evening.
I suspect that most of us go to the movies for the same reason. For two hours, we can escape the cares of this world by immersing ourselves in a good story with interesting characters, all the while gulping down some candy and buttered popcorn. As we entered the theater that night I had no reason to think this experience would be any different. A few minutes into the film however, I realized this movie experience would stand apart from all the rest. Right from the opening scene, I was riveted. It was like entering a time machine and travelling back in time to first century Palestine. Everything about the movie, including the mood, the atmosphere, the location, and the acting was so powerfully real. Even the English subtitles that were used to translate the original Aramaic language spoken by the actors served to heighten the intensity and hold my attention. It was obvious that Mel Gibson spared no expense and overlooked no detail in his effort to depict the events surrounding the final hours of Christ’s life as authentically as possible. The recreation was so real in fact, I literally felt like I was an eyewitness to all that Jesus had suffered and endured.
At the time of its release, “The Passion of the Christ” was a very controversial film and many in the industry questioned why Mel Gibson, who was at the height of his power and influence in Hollywood, would risk everything to produce such a movie. I suspect he has offered many explanations over the years, however, I have my own hypothesis for why he made the film. It is my belief that Mel Gibson had one goal in mind when he set out to make The Passion of the Christ – to dispel every false notion or assumption that his audience may have had about Jesus Christ and compel them to look at him with a fresh set of eyes. If you have seen the movie, then you know that it is nearly impossible to come away from the experience feeling indifferent or apathetic about who Jesus was.
My conviction about Gibson’s motive is borne out of my own experience of seeing the movie that February weekend in 2004. At the time, I really did not know who Jesus was, nor did I care prior to attending that first service at Living Word just a few weeks earlier. It would be accurate to say that up until that point in my life, I was completely indifferent about Jesus myself. But when I walked out of that movie theater, I could not get this man out of my mind. He was the most compelling person I had ever “met.” And for me, this is the essence of why Mel Gibson agonized over every historical detail of the movie. He wanted every member of that audience to leave the theater feeling they had just met the real Jesus Christ.
Every person depicted in the movie who found themselves in the presence of Jesus were somehow changed by the experience. It wasn’t always clear how they were changed, and they always walked away from the encounter with more questions than answers. But it was apparent from the look on their faces that they were not the same people, and their lives would never again be the same. As we headed out to the parking lot, I could identify with those characters. I too had just met the most amazing man I would ever meet in my life. I was not sure who he really was, and I was not convinced that all his claims were true. But I was determined to spend the weeks and months ahead seeking the answers.
To be continued…