Won’t The Passion Cause Anti-Semitism?
I had great concerns that the film ‘The Passion of the Christ’ may portray the Jewish community in a poor light. I had heard a very vocal minority of fundamentalist Jews suggesting Anti-Semitic cases against the film. Before I answer that question the term Anti-Semitic needs to be defined 'likely to incite violence or hatred towards Jewish people'.

Having seen he film we can only come to three conclusions:

• Those claiming this haven’t seen the film.
• They watched with their eyes shut.
• They are so determined to find a case against the movie that nothing will change their view.

Every hero in the film is a Jew, including of course Jesus himself. If anyone looks bad in this movie it’s the Romans who inflict unimaginable brutality against Christ and everyone else who gets in their way.

The other charge of course is that Gibson himself has never distanced himself from the views of his Father. In a recent interview with the Readers Digest, Gibson himself talks about his own friends who are holocaust survivors, talking about the tattoos on their arms from the concentration camps, I’m not sure how much clearer Gibson can be? However the other view is that Gibson will not denounce his own father in public, whilst he may not agree with his father’s views privately, to dishonour his own father in public would be breaking one of the Ten Commandments ‘honour your mother and father’, Old Testament Jewish law, not New testament doctrine.

It would seem that the same traps set for Jesus about the law, are exactly the ones being set here and Gibson isn’t going to walk into them either.  Of course on this occasion this is being done by the mainstream press rather than religious leaders.

If the question is 'Does the film show any Jewish people in a bad way?' Then the answer has to be 'YES', however this is not a fault of the film, but a factual account in the gospels. See John Chapter 18.

This may be a difficult film for some Jewish people to watch, just as a film like 'Schindlers List' may be difficult for Germans, or 'Roots' for Americans. As a Christian films about the crusades and many other crimes perpetrated by the church in the name of Christ are difficult for me to watch, however every nation and spiritual group has their own history to face up to and take responsibility for.

I have been a believer for many years and because of my belief in Christ I have a greater understanding of the Jewish heritage and law, in fact some of my friends are Jewish, whom I honour and respect with great love.

The fact is the more I love Jesus the more I love the Jewish people.

And to the question who killed Jesus? We all did!

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