Mark 15

Mar 15:1
And straightway in the morning
the chief priests held a consultation with the elders
and scribes
and the whole council,
and bound Jesus,
and carried him away,
and delivered him to Pilate.

This chapter has a deeper significance for me now than it did a year ago,
for two reasons.

A year ago I was asked to play the part of Pontias Pilate
in the Easter Cantata.
Our portrayal of this scene was probably not even close to the way it actually happened,
but thinking about the role and trying to re-create it on stage
got me wondering what it was really like back then.
It seems like every bible story I ever heard as a kid
is now being updated in one way or another
now that I am an adult,
and sometimes the difference kind of shocks me.
As a kid I remember hearing that Jesus was brought before Pontias Pilate,
and Pontias Pilate washed his hands of it.
In other words
my impression of it was that he didn't want to deal with it, and refused to get involved.

After wondering what Pontias Pilate was really like,
and putting myself in his shoes for awhile,
I have a greater appreciation of his dilemma.
Personally, I tend to shy away from the responsibility of leadership,
and I would not enjoy being a judge in a courtroom,
especially if the eyes of the entire community were on me,
waiting for my decision.

When I was younger I remember hearing that Jesus was brought before Pontias Pilate,
and Pontias Pilate washed his hands of it.
In other words,
my impression was that he didn't want to deal with it,
and refused to get involved.
Now I read the text and get the impression that he really tried.

Anyway,
If I had been him in the same situation,
I'm pretty sure I would have done the same as he.
just doing a job...
unaware of the significance of it.

-=-=-

The other recent event that has modified my mental picture
is the movie "The Passion of Christ"
which has been playing in theaters since Ash Wednesday.
It covers this portion of the New Testament,
starting from around Mark 14:32
and ending right where this chapter 15 ends.

I don't remember what my conception of the crucifixion was as a kid
but this movie certainly updated it!
I guess in the back of my mind I always knew about the cruelty of it,
and the agony the victims must have felt,
and its not like brutality in general has ever been far from us,
but I just don't like to think about it too much.

When I see people wearing crucifixes it is just a symbol to me.
I don't see it and think of someone actually dying.
especially an innocent person wrongly accused.
a human sacrifice.

Seeing this movie,
(and reading this chapter coincidentally at the same time)
has brought the reality of it back to the surface for me.
I wonder how others think of it.

What do you think about
when you are wrapping that crucifix
around your neck
every morning?

Is it just a shiny thing after awhile?
a decoration?
a brand?

-=-=-

Maybe this isn't the place to discuss movie reviews,
but I was talking to a friend the other day
and she asked me something that really got me thinking.
I was praising the movie
for elevating the story in the conciousness of so many people.
People like me who have heard the story all their lives
but never felt the reality of it
until seeing it on the screen.
(maybe I am just one of those "visual people"?)

But her question was:
"What about the people who don't know the story?"

What did they see?
Basically just the torture of a man with no background
none of his teaching
no healing.

How much of an understanding would you have
of the gospel
the "good news"
if all you read was just this one chapter of the New Testament?

not much?

So in that respect,
the movie probably fails to bring people
into a closer relationship with God.

Unless it inspires someone to find out more about the story,
the ultra-violence is pointless,
if not profane.

-=-=-

For any of you who are "visual people",
my friend Peggy recommends "The Greatest Story Ever Told".
Personally, I am more of a "Jesus Christ Superstar" kinda guy.