Most of us gave up a long time ago expecting to find any semblance of ACCURACY about the life of Christ when it comes through America’s entertainment media. The recent CBS miniseries proved to be as errant as any ever produced. In fact, compared to it, the clay-mation version aired just a few weeks previously was flawless. (The producers of that version took a little artistic license, but over all it was quite well done.)
In this version Jesus and Mary, the sister of Lazarus, flirt with each other even though the claim is made that they are blood relatives. Joseph says to Jesus: “Mary loves you. Why do you treat her as though her feelings are nothing?” Then he asks Jesus if He loves her, to which he replies, “Yes.” How was this idea deduced, since the Scriptures do not teach it? But this conjecture is a mild departure compared to what follows.
When Joseph dies, Jesus is naturally grieved, but none of us would have ever imagined the following conversation that he purportedly has with THE Father. In the miniseries, Jesus is portrayed as saying: “Now, when I’m in most need, you take him from me. I’ve never been without him. You can give him back to me. You can do it now. Give him back to me NOW…. Raise him.” Would Jesus have really made such a demand?
Next we find John out in a shallow stream that is apparently supposed to be the Jordan River. He is preaching, and a man comes to be baptized of him. John says: “Your baptism signifies that your commitment has already been made–to hate injustice and fight the battle of the righteous ones. I baptize you with water for repentance.” The person kneels down; John cups his hands, scoops up some water, and pours it on his head! Who wrote this script–John Calvin?
One does not need to be a brilliant historian to know that baptism is immersion in the New Testament. Most of those today who advocate sprinkling and pouring in place of immersion have always acknowledged this fact. Anyone who has ever read that Philip and the eunuch both went down into the water and came up out of it would know better (Acts 8:35-39). Such a Biblical blunder is INEXCUSABLE! To blatantly disregard historical facts, as well as New Testament doctrine, reveals impure motives on the part of all who had a part in this production. It is obvious that the gospel is not safe in their hands; they lose their credibility from the outset.
Furthermore, where in the New Testament did John, Jesus, and any apostle or evangelist ever say that baptism signified a commitment that had already been made? Baptism is never regarded as a sign of something that has already occurred (such as salvation). People came to be baptized “for the remission of sins.”
And what is this nonsense about hating injustice and fighting the battle of the righteous ones? What scriptwriter made up that one? Neither John nor Jesus came to encourage people to fight injustice. Otherwise they would have formed an army and fought the Romans. The Day of Judgment is the time for justice. Baptism involves salvation from sin and forgiveness–words that either were never included in this miniseries or else were left lying on the cutting room floor.
Jesus joins John around a campfire and asks John if he will baptize him. Not only is this conversation hypothetical; it turns ludicrous. John answers: “If you confess your sins and dedicate your life to God, of course.” Jesus does not reply, “John, I have no sins.” Nothing further is said. Is this silence intended to convey to the viewer that Jesus was a man like everyone else who had sins He needed to be forgiven of? While we may not be sure in this instance, there is a later situation that reflects poorly on His Deity.
It involves the Syro-Phoenician woman who pleaded with Jesus to heal her daughter. He refused at first and told it was not fitting to feed the dogs when the children were hungry. She answers that even the dogs eat the crumbs that fall from the children’s table. Jesus says that her faith is great. Afterward, the disciples complain that he had helped a Gentile. Jesus replies: “This woman has taught me that my message is for Gentiles, too. If I can learn it, so can you.” Whoa! This was not a learning experience for the Lord (see Luke 4:16-30). He was not in doubt about who He was or what His mission was. Comments like these are tantamount to saying Jesus was not the Divine Son of God.
Furthermore, they contradict the way they portrayed Jesus in the temptation. At first the devil appears to Jesus in the form of a woman dressed in red. She tells him, “You must give up every privilege. You must be like them in every way–as fragile, alone, and little as they are. Are you willing to feel as men feel, Jesus, without the protection of the Father? Only in this way can we challenge one another.” Shortly thereafter she adds: “Welcome to life, Jesus. If you are flesh and blood, you can be tempted.” These allegations imply that Jesus had somehow been protected by the Father from being tempted all throughout his life. Now, however, in the wilderness, Jesus must give up that protection and face temptation like a normal human being.
This notion is preposterous! Jesus came as God in the flesh (John 1:14). The idea that He was somehow protected and only subject to temptation after His baptism is not even remotely Biblical. If He did have such protection prior to His baptism, then He certainly would have had no sins to confess (as suggested previously). The viewer should be thoroughly confused by now concerning the Lord’s identity.
At the wedding in Cana of Galilee, when the wine is depleted, Mary asks Jesus to do something about it. He says, “My hour is not yet come,” but she responds with a firm, “It is time.” Imagine that! Mary knew better than Jesus concerning the time for Him to begin working miracles. She knew He could do so, however, because as a child He healed a dead bird that His playmates had killed. How odd that Mary knows it is time for Jesus to begin His ministry when she does not even know what it requires His eventual death!
This production wanted desperately to show Jesus as a human being. Too desperately. First of all, they show Jesus dancing at the wedding. Then when He is introduced as the Messiah, He is skimming stones across the water, enjoying Himself as though he were five years old. On another festive occasion, Jesus and the disciples are thirsty and approach a rather large fountain-like well. After a taste of water, Jesus begins splashing the other disciples, and they splash him back. On another occasion he takes a long scarf-like object that encircles his neck and extends almost to the ground, and starts snapping one of his disciples, who tries snapping him back and then chases him around the other disciples. Showing the human side of Jesus is one thing; portraying him as a goofy prankster is another.
A few other inaccuracies include:
John saying: “One who comes after me will cleanse with fire.” The producers are obviously ignorant (as are most Pentecostals) of the context of the baptism of fire (Matt. 3:10-12). It involves judgment, not cleansing.
When soldiers come to execute John, he says: “I forgive you. I will live again in the kingdom of heaven.” Stephen was as gracious as the Lord in forgiving his murderers, but apparently John started this trend, and Bible students have not known it all these centuries.
Mary Magdalene identifies herself as a prostitute. Mary, the mother of Jesus, takes an immediate liking to her and tells her: “I don’t judge. I’ve been judged.”
Jesus does not bless the bread or the cup prior to giving it to His disciples.
Instead of the disciples asking, “Is it I?” when Jesus says that one of them will betray him, they all respond, “Not I, Lord.”
Judas betrays Jesus because he refuses to lead a rebellion against Rome.
Barabbas smites Jesus on both cheeks before he is taken prisoner for fighting against Rome.
Pilate really wants to get rid of Jesus. He cannot wait to put him to death. All of his protests of Jesus’ innocence are to make a good showing before the people.
Apparently, the following comment was intended to be humorous. Jesus is brought before Pilate and they meet for the first time. After a brief hesitation, Pilate regards him and says: “Jesus of Nazareth, you have an interesting face.” Of course, Jesus is portrayed with the now customary long hair when in all probability his hair was no longer than any other man’s. Also, Isaiah writes that he has no great beauty that men should be impressed by him (53:2).
The final confrontation between Christ and Satan is more realistic than the blasphemous The Last Temptation of Christ, but it is still not Biblical. After Jesus has prayed in the garden of Gethsemane and Judas is on his way with the soldiers, Satan confronts Jesus again. The Lord has already told his disciples, concerning the crucifixion: “I must face it as a man to fulfil my pledge,” whatever that means.
Satan comes to Jesus in the form of a man and tells him that His death will be in vain. This was a very interesting and imaginative part of the film; we do not deny that such a temptation could have occurred, but notice how the dialogue mentions nothing concerning salvation from sin–at the very time it should have.
Satan shows Jesus scenes from the Crusades a thousand years in the future. Soldiers are riding into battle, killing their enemies and saying that they are acting upon the name of Jesus of Nazareth. Satan’s point is that His death will not make any difference in the world. People will still fight–some in the name of the Lord.
Jesus: He gives them the choice of doing good or evil.
Satan: And this [the war in the background, gws] is what they choose. Hah, hah, hah.
Jesus: Yes.
Satan: You can stop it. Come down off that cross they have waiting for you. Why die in agony when you can take control? Make the earth a paradise. End poverty and hunger and war. You can do it. It’s within your power right now.
Jesus: No, I cannot.
Satan: Oh, yes, you can.
Jesus: It’s not God’s will.
Satan: It’s not God’s will to end a war? What kind of God is that?
Jesus: One who loves mankind so much that He gives them freedom of choice. He has not created them so He can be their dictator.
Satan: Jesus, you don’t even have to bow down to me. I’m not asking you that. Just call to the Father and have Him deliver you. Tell Him you don’t want this. He won’t make you go through this. You know He won’t. Just wave your hand, and you’ll be home safe. Do it. Now. You know that what I showed you is true. You are going to die in vain. You don’t know the plan. I do. I’ve seen it. Nothing changes. They don’t have the capacity to love that you want them to. This will never happen…. Don’t die in vain. Don’t die alone.
Jesus: I will die for the everlasting kindness of the human heart created by the Father so that man will make His image shine once again. And those who want to will find in me the strength to love unto the end.
The fictional strategy assigned to Satan here is excellent. It is not beyond the scope of possibility that he tried to convince Jesus that His death would be in vain and that nothing would change as a result of it. Telling Him that He could create paradise on earth is certainly something Jesus had within His power to create–even though it would have to be by force and not willingly.
But the emphasis on love misses the point of redemption. Of course, the cross demonstrates God’s love (John 3:16). The cross likewise demonstrates the love of Jesus (Rom. 5:8). It is also true that we love because He first loved us (1 John 4:19) and that we are commanded to love one another as Jesus loved us.
But man’s capacity to love has always been present. In every age men have either loved or hated God. Jesus did not die that men might love again (the Crusades do demonstrate that fact). Jesus did not die so that we would find the strength to love until the end. He died to redeem us from sin, to pay the price that was due for our transgressions. Yet, not a word about man’s redemption or the need for forgiveness was uttered.
A good script would have made a powerful point. Jesus might have responded to Satan’s charges this way: “You are right, Satan, that men will still sin. They will fight in wars; they will hate one another. They will kill one another. They will be motivated by greed, power, and fame. They will harden their hearts against God and against Me; they will care nothing for what I am about to do. Have I not already said that the majority of people will follow you to destruction?
But they will all be spiritually lost for eternity if I do not endure the cross. There are some that refuse to follow you despite all your enticements. There is no way that these can ever be set free without my atoning death, which will not be in vain. You are a liar and a murderer from the beginning. You care nothing about me, and you care nothing about mankind or you would not strive so earnestly to see them damned.
Even now you are trying to tempt me so that they will remain lost in their sins. But you have lost the battle; I have made up My mind. I will endure the cross and die for them that they might be saved. Whoever wills to leave your kingdom of darkness may repent of their sins, be baptized for the forgiveness of their sins, and enter into my kingdom of light. You shall be utterly defeated, and they shall be victorious through Me. Behold, I embrace the cross, and those who desire life will have it. They shall overcome you through My blood.” Now THAT scenario might have made an impact.