THE PASSION OF THE CHRIST

Whenever people see these words or hear this sentence made, they remember the movie acted by Jim Caviezel costumed with a long hair, looking all calm and collected as he is believed to have acted his part so well and was able to interpret his role enough to relay the right message to the people and other actors too. That movie has taken the tone
of the day as it has now become a symbol and icon used to depict the gory experience of Jesus on the cross. Pictures of the man in the movie has been printed on books, shirts, used as stickers, posters, wall papers, Facebook cover page and so on. But it goes way beyond that.

What is passion? It is an intense desire or enthusiasm for something. Sometimes such desire cannot be controlled. Even Jesus knew the weight of what he was about to carry, he still asked for the will of God to be done. It was not a fun time to him, as he had to drink of the cup of the iniquity of us all. “For our sake He made Christ [virtually] to be sin Who knew no sin, so that in and through Him we might become [[g]endued with, viewed as being in, and examples of] the righteousness of God [what we ought to be, approved and acceptable and in right relationship with Him, by His goodness]” (2 Corinthians 5:21). God practically reduced his identity to the point that Jesus was sin. Jesus became like a taboo on the cross so that we can receive righteousness and judgment can be taken in our favor; giving us life for death. There was an exchange on the cross; the time when the tyranny of the devil over man-kind was ended. The time when sickness, disease, poverty, failure, name them all; they were all finished at the cross and we were ushered into the new life of Christ. This is the life that God intended for us from the beginning. The passion led to the finished works of Christ.

It would have been morally justified for peter to cut off the ears of one of the soldiers who came to arrest Jesus. I could imagine the anger and rage that filled his mind for those blood thirst men. But the passion of the Christ did not let him see joy in that, Jesus went and restored back his ears (John 18:10)

Before he died, he went through many trials of which he was found guilty in none. For every slap and beating he got, he retaliated with love and prayers for them. What baffles me was when one of the thieves who was hanging with him, told him he would like to be with him in paradise. On a very good day, someone who is about to die would be thinking of himself, taking a sober reflection and counting all his days on earth, but the passion of Jesus to accomplish what he was sent for, did not allow him reason that way. Even at the cross, the eternity of someone else was his priority "this day, you will be with me in paradise" (Luke 23:43).

After the piercing, the beating, the nailing, the spitting, insults and gambling for his clothes, all he could say was "Father please forgive them for they know not what they do". It takes love for passion to spring forth; an intense desire that cannot easily be quenched. Compassion is different from passion. Jesus had compassion on the sick, lame, blind, deaf and people with all manner of diseases and death. His compassion could only carry him to heal them all, but his passion led him to die for us all. The fueling agent that caused such burning desire on the King of kings - The passion of the Christ was based on Love.