After the massive tinkering that was done with the miniseries about Noah, one could only imagine how film producers would treat Mary. The first portion of it was actually fairly decent. Although Mary was portrayed as wise beyond her years and quite vocal (when she confronted the captain of some Roman troops), a little bit of artistic license is acceptable.
Then came a few inaccuracies, such as Zacharias saying, “His name is John” in private to Mary and Elizabeth after she wondered aloud what they should name him. The Biblical text, however, does not say that Mary was even present for John’s birth (Luke 1:56-57). Furthermore, it was Elizabeth who first announced that the child’s name was John to neighbors and relatives, and Zecharias wrote it on a tablet (Luke 1:59-63).
Surprisingly, however, the wise men did not show up at the manger along with the shepherds, but only a few days elapsed from the wise men’s departure until Joseph and Mary had to flee from the inn, where they were now staying.
It is implied that Jesus received His teachings from Mary. In one scene she tries to stop some men from stoning an adulteress, but she is too late; the woman has already died. When the men pointed out that it was the law, Mary responds by saying: “Scripture says, What does God require of you: to do justice, but to love mercy,'” a loose rendering of Micah 6:8. Mary teaches Jesus stories every night, such as the good Samaritan. He later decides to use these to teach others. Thus, His source material comes from His mother instead of the Father (John 12:49-50).
In the film, it is Mary’s idea that Jesus be baptized by John. He is wondering who He is and what His mission is. He follows Mary’s advice and afterward says: “We were right to come. I know what I must do now.”
The presentation of John and the baptism of Jesus was one of the worst imaginable. John preaches while wading in the waters of a river. Most men would get fairly waterlogged if their sermons were very long and a number of people responded. The Bible says that John baptized where there was much water (John 3:23); it does not say he also preached in it.
But far worse is that John’s listeners wade out into the river, and he pours water over their heads. This preposterous scenario flaunts modern customs and callously disregards the truth concerning baptism in the first century. The producers of this show, if they did any research at all, could not help knowing that baptism, by its very definition, means immersion. A superficial check of any Greek lexicon would have sufficed. They obviously wanted to present error.
If the viewer stops to think about it, there is nothing so ludicrous as people wading out into a river to have a little water poured over their heads. John could have stood on dry ground and dipped a bucket into the river if he were merely going to throw a little water on their heads. No one needs to stand in water unless he is going to immerse someone. Neither would a sane individual go down into the water and come up out of it (soaking himself to the skin from the waist down in the process) in order to receive on his head a few sprinkled droplets. Nor would “much water” be required.
The scene between Jesus and Mary, in which she informs Him of the lack of wine at the wedding feast (which turns out to be his “cousin” Joses’ wedding), is handled quite well, but afterward the scene fades out with Jesus and Mary dancing gaily and vigorously in a circle.
When Jesus reads the portion of the scroll from Isaiah in the synagogue at Nazareth, there is massive unbelief expressed on the part of the listeners, but it is not for the reason cited in Luke 4. In verse 22 the initial reaction was: “So all bore witness to Him, and marveled at His gracious words which proceeded out of his mouth….” It was not until Jesus spoke about God’s concern with the Gentiles that the people “were filled with wrath” (v. 28). In the movie, however, Jesus quotes John 6:38, 49, and 51a), which occurred much later.
The crucifixion scene was almost surreal. Jesus is put on the cross, speaks five of the seven last sayings (in the wrong order), and then is immediately taken down. Viewers might think Jesus was on the cross for only thirty minutes if they do not know the Scriptures. Mary shames John into attending the crucifixion (which is one of several speculative ideas included in the film).
The story ends with John asking Mary what they must do? She looks into the camera and says, “Go out into the world, knowing our own weaknesses. Try to teach as He taught, live as He lived, love as He loved.” Imagine–the apostles get their instructions from Mary instead of Jesus (Matt. 28:18-20)!
Catholic bias is especially observable when Jesus’ brothers and sisters are perpetually referred to as “cousins.” Only the Catholic Church believes that Mary always remained a virgin. That idea never came from the Bible. Translators never used “cousins” when referring to the children of Joseph and Mary.
The executive producers were Eunice Kennedy Shriver and Bobby Shriver. The “religious consultant” for the film was Father Heet. The viewer may at least rejoice that Peter was not anointed “pope,” nor did Mary ascend into heaven.