Personally I do not know what religious message about the Passion of Christ it is that you refer. If you are referring to Mel Gibson’s film, The Passion of The Christ, I do know that many people who saw it were powerfully affected by it.
Many people seem to focus on the death of Jesus of Nazareth and speak about being at the foot of the cross. However, the Apostle Paul stated that if Jesus did not rise from the dead then any faith in Him is in vain.
- If Christ has not been raised, then our preaching is in vain and your faith is in vain. (1 Corinthians 15:14)
- You shall not make for yourself a graven image, or any likeness of anything that is in heaven above, or that is in the earth beneath, or that is in the water under the earth; you shall not bow down to them or serve them; for I the Lord your God am a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children to the third and the fourth generation of those who hate me, but showing steadfast love to thousands of those who love me and keep my commandments. (Exodus 20:4–7)
- The case against Mel is that he is anti-Semitic, homophobic, violent and alcoholic, and, to add insult to injury, a Roman Catholic….Co-stars had decided that they could not appear alongside a man whose wickedness has dragged the good name of Hollywood through the mud….Mel Gibson may be an alcoholic, a sedevacantist and an anti-Semite - but he has my sympathy
In respect to pain, the Bible does point to what the Messiah had to bear on behalf of us all. Jesus suffered with much pain:
- He was despised and rejected by men; a man of sorrows, and acquainted with grief; and as one from whom men hide their faces he was despised, and we esteemed him not. (Isaiah 53:3)
Apparently, Mel Gibson is a sedevacantist who believes Pope Francis is not a pope. Maybe Ratzinger is more to Mel’s liking, but then maybe not, after being caught in his broken down BMW with a boy and having to step down. Sedevancantists believe that Paul VI (1963–1978) espoused the heresy of modernism and otherwise denied solemnly defined Catholic dogmas and so became heretic. Others believe Pope Pius XII in 1958 was the last true Pope. Generally though, sedevacantists are Traditionalist Catholics, who believe “the see has been vacant since Pope Pius XII in 1958. A tiny number of these claim the vacancy actually goes back to the death of Pope Pius X in 1914.”
As for what is known as the passion of Christ, the following by Fr. William Sanders tells us what the Roman Catholics really believe about Lord Jesus Christ:
- The Passion Narratives of the Gospels provide the details of our Lord's passion, and at least to some extent, they are corroborated by contemporary Roman historians — Tacitus, Seutonius and Pliny the Younger. Archeological discoveries combined with modern medical examination provide an accurate picture of what our Lord endured. In an age where the "risen" Jesus appears on the cross and "suffering" and "sacrifice" have become unpopular terms, we must not lose sight of the reality of the passion.—The Passion of Jesus Christ
- For it is impossible to restore again to repentance those who have once been enlightened, who have tasted the heavenly gift, and have become partakers of the Holy Spirit, and have tasted the goodness of the word of God and the powers of the age to come, if they then commit apostasy, since they crucify the Son of God on their own account and hold him up to contempt. For land which has drunk the rain that often falls upon it, and brings forth vegetation useful to those for whose sake it is cultivated, receives a blessing from God. But if it bears thorns and thistles, it is worthless and near to being cursed; its end is to be burned. (Hebrews 6:4–8)
Anyone who places Jesus back on the cross is effectively saying that Lord Jesus Christ did not rise from the dead. This contradicts the teachings of the Bible and is an attempt to lead people astray into another gospel. Jesus rose from the dead. Those who encounter Jesus will tell you this. I know, because I have met the risen Lord Jesus Christ and know that He lives. Lord Jesus Christ is risen from the dead. The resurrected Son of God is not on any cross.
Jesus Rose From The Dead And Was Declared The Son Of God By His Resurrection
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