I was disappointed by the movie The Passion of the Christ. Over half the movie is devoted to depicting the brutality endured by our Lord. It was far more graphic in its portrayal of the event than the biblical record and the great themes that are woven into the biblical account of our Lord's passion and death are never fully developed.

The film does not lead the average moviegoer to conclude that his sins make him personally responsible for the Lord's death. And yet he is. We all are. People recoil at the brutality displayed in the film, but the film does not confront them with a real sense of personal responsibility for what is happening. Nor does it convey that the death of Jesus is the atoning sacrifice that satisfies the holy justice of God. Scripture confirms that this atoning sacrifice is the centrepiece of the passion of the Christ: "God presented him [Jesus] as a sacrifice of atonement, through faith in his blood. He did this to demonstrate his justice, because in his forbearance he had left the sins committed beforehand unpunished - he did it to demonstrate his justice at the present time, so as to be just and the one who justifies those who have faith in Jesus." (Romans 3:25-26) The sacrifice of Jesus declares God to be just in that he does what his own law demands, namely punish sin. The death of the Lamb of God achieved what the rivers of blood that flowed from the animals sacrificed upon Israel's altars could never achieve; it enables God to justify those who have faith in Jesus.

An accurate portrayal of the passion of the Christ will leave us in no doubt as to the reason for the death of Christ: we are lost in sin, we are unable to save ourselves, we have no hope yet God provides his Son as the perfect sacrifice to atone for our sins and, through his death, we are forgiven. And the reason God did this is because he loves us. As scripture declares: "But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us." (Romans 5:8)

On a positive note, the movie does have the public talking and the Christian message has been brought into the public arena. Any movie that has earned over $250 million dollars at the box office cannot be ignored. Everyone has an opinion to express on this movie and this gives us an opportunity to explain the reason for the passion of the Christ. We are involved in the divine drama because of our sins. And we can instruct people to look in faith to Jesus, "the author and perfecter of our faith who, for the job before him, endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God." (Hebrews 12:2)