jeremy borger [blog]

Well it’s Ash Wednesday. Or was. Well, it’s stil…

Well it’s Ash Wednesday. Or was. Well, it’s still Ash Wednesday to me because I haven’t gone to sleep yet. Anyhoo, while glancing through the cable news networks this evening it was non-stop stories on Mel Gibson’s movie “The Passion of the Christ” which was released today. From the talk of the past few weeks, you’d expect that opening day would have been followed by throngs of angry movie-goers leaving the theater in search of Jews to lynch. But there wasn’t. The reaction they got from people leaving the theater was positive. People were moved. It deepened their faith. It made them reflect. It made them cry.

Well the networks can’t have that! So yank out the liberal phone book! Get a satellite feed of that rabbi that I must have seen on a dozen different shows today, talking about how the movie blames the Jews for the death of Jesus Christ and how it’s going to set back Jewish-Christian relations 50 years. (even though it hasn’t and it won’t)

But it’s not really the movie that’s controversial. It’s the Book its based on. This isn’t a new controversy but one being reignited due to the movie being pushed into the mainstream. And here’s how it went down…

The Jews were (and still are) looking for a savior at the time of Jesus. They had been promised a savior since the fall of man and repeatedly by the prophets. But they were expecting an earthly king that would come and make Israel the most powerful nation on Earth. That would stop them from being pushed around. Look at the history of Israel and how many times they’ve been in captivity and under the control of someone else. They’ve had a rough go at it.

Jesus came and He wasn’t this savior they expected. They didn’t think He was the savior. The Jewish religious leadership didn’t even think He was a prophet. But others did. Other JEWS did. He had Jews that followed Him. But the established Jewish religious leadership did not. And when Jesus claimed to be the Son of God, well, that was the final straw. That was blasphemy. And blasphemy deserved death. Jesus Christ would not have been put to death had it not been for key Jewish figures.

But none of this matters because Christ died for everyone and it’s the sins of the world that put Him on that cross! And He came to save EVERYONE so that EVERYONE who believes in Him shall have eternal life.

If someone makes a movie about slavery, should people from the south rise up and protest because it’s going to portray them in a bad light? No. I’m part German but I don’t say, “Ya know, that movie on the Holocaust really portrayed German Nazi’s in a bad light. I’m offended.” We have to stop being so worried about hurting other people’s feelings that we alter history to make everyone happy! Some Jewish leaders think the Romans should be blamed more for Christ’s death in Gibson’s movie, but if the Roman Empire was still standing today, they’d have to find another scapegoat because we wouldn’t want to offend the Romans! The only reason the blame is being placed on the Romans by some is because they’re not around anymore to defend themselves.

This idea of not hurting people’s feelings really has to be done away with. There are schools in this country that are getting rid of the Honor Roll and Merit Roll because the kids that don’t get on those lists might have their feelings hurt! How stupid is this idea?! Dodgeball is being banned because those who consistently are out first may develop slow self-esteem. Tag is being eliminated for similar reasons. I love this quote: “In this game, there is a ‘victim’ or ‘It,’ which creates a self-esteem issue.” But hey, if they’re depressed, just drug them up!

And I see this “outrage” over “The Passion” as another sign of this. It wasn’t just Jewish people responsible for Jesus’ death. Not all Jews at the time were responsible for Jesus’ death. All Jews of all time are not responsible for Jesus’ death. But some people who played a key role in getting rid of Jesus were Jewish. It’s history. Get over it.

But many of Jesus’ disciples were Jewish. And JESUS WAS A JEW! The Jews are God’s chosen people! But they’re still looking for their Savior. Folks, He came 2000 years ago. You have to remove those blinders and understand who Isaiah 53 is talking about. Someday…

By the way, the people who think “The Passion” movie is anti-Semitic are really in the minority. It’s maybe 5 percent or less. But yet almost every news story I hear brings out that angle. You’d think it was at least half the population that felt that way. So much for fair and balanced…

Plus they talk about the violence and how that shouldn’t be shown. Again, it’s wanting to change what history is to make certain people feel more comfortable. And I laughed when I saw the WNBC film critic on MSNBC today talk about the soldiers in the movie spitting on Jesus and asking, “Is that in the Gospels?” Uh, yeah. Matthew 26:67, Matthew 27:30, Mark 14:65, Mark 15:19.

The exposure of the Biblical story of Christ is a good thing. Yes, even if people screw up some of their facts like those who say the Bible is not the true Word of God, that the Gospels disagree with each other, that the facts can’t be trusted, blah, blah, blah. The Bible has stood up against these weak, unfounded arguments for thousands of years. But some guy with a divinity degree from Yale comes on and regurgitates some BS his professor told him in school about the Bible being inaccurate and some people get worried. The Bible is Truth. And Truth will always prevail. The Bible has been tested and critiqued and has passed every test its been put under because it is the word of God.

So I’m glad people are talking about it. I just hope people seek the Truth from somewhere else besides these “experts” on TV. My wife told me about a radio station where the DJs were making some sort of crude jokes about Jesus and “The Passion”. Those types of things don’t concern me as much because they’re easy to blow off as idiots. No one’s getting their theological advice and insight from someone making prank phone calls and telling fart jokes between songs on the radio. (or they shouldn’t be) But it’s the people that seem to be credible that are put on TV and have some degree from somewhere and sound like they know what they’re talking about. I hope people don’t just take them at their word but that they turn to the Bible and read it themselves and do their own study and research. And if they do… “The Passion of the Christ” could be a great thing for this country.