It was Oscars week. Apparently that’s a big deal to some although I’m not sure why. When was the last time one of those award recipients tuned in to care how well you are doing at work and expressed desire to celebrate your life achievements? But we are told it is important (by ummm…. them) and myriads across America have graciously granted the benefits of their viewership. If nothing else, people will feel in the loop with conversation at the coffee shop. But despite our cultural obsession to commemorate the lives of individuals who make millions portraying others, many who did important things and whose stories deserve to be told, it is widely understood that true heroism is most often found outside the actors guild.
Another big screen production was released last Friday and is playing all across the country. My family and I went to see it on opening night. I don’t know who the actors are, and honestly, don’t really care except to say they did a nice job. I am not sure of the names of the studio, directors, producers, and crew, and as far as I am concerned, there isn’t much reason to learn them, yet their obvious skill is much appreciated. Clearly, a large team of people worked together to produce something genuinely meaningful, and that is valuable and rare. But if they get an Oscar, I won’t notice. It doesn’t really matter to me if they are considered winners in their industry. What does that really mean anyway?
The movie I am referring to is Son of God. After all the fanfare last year from the History Channel series entitled The Bible, this repackaged rendition of the life of Jesus the Christ hit the silver screen and has filled up theaters.
The title itself is provocative. It slices right through the various politically correct and theologically liberal bologna to present Jesus of Nazareth as the Bible does: the Son of God. This designation exposes a key distinction between Jesus and every other individual that has ever lived – His divinity.
I am not suggesting that the movie is flawless. But I do think they did a great job with it and recommend going to see it this weekend. With so many today being completely clueless regarding the historical account of Jesus, I am convinced that many will see the film and learn of Him for the very first time. Further, it seems accurately presented enough that one could walk out of a theater with a new insight that Jesus is real, alive, and ready to hear the prayers and forgive the sins of those that call out to Him.
I believe that media has the potential to be a high calling. Tragically, most in the business waste their opportunity to do important things, but not all. And this endeavor to present Jesus as the Bible presents Him, the Son of God, doesn’t fail. Kudos to the makers of the film. I hope they are not offended that I am less concerned about the names of the actors and filmmakers as the one that gave their work meaning – the name above all names – Jesus the Christ – Son of God.
Some will presume that all these moviemakers did was develop a film about a popular religious figure that would cater to a Christian audience: a well-conceived market strategy for ticket sales. But this thinking would miss the point entirely. When authentic spiritual relationship with the real King is established, things change, lives are transformed, hope is renewed, families restored, brokenness made new. From there, hungry mouths get fed, children are raised in purity, multigenerational cycles of pain are broken, and healing happens. In short, what is dead is raised to life.
I have no idea if the makers of this movie will receive any accolades from “the academy.” I sort of doubt it. But based on the credibility of the words of Christ Himself, I expect there would be rewards for them in heaven.
Unless we are making a concerted effort as a society to learn the names of the doctors and nurses in our local emergency room, the firemen who answer the calls in our neighborhoods, the police patrolling our city blocks, and the soldiers guarding the front lines, I can’t see any reason to commit the names of the people who depict such heroes on film to memory, or dedicate a whole hour to watching them give each other awards. I would be really interested, however, to learn that those “celebrities” are doing something important in their own hometowns, such as Ojai Valley locals using their wealth to address poverty and homelessness by underwriting the Winter Family Shelter and Community Assistance Program: but such privileges are usually upheld by more anonymous and economically humble local heroes.
But any discussion on heroism would be askew if we didn’t remember that the most significant luminary of all times, gave Himself as a sacrifice on your behalf. He paid the greatest penalty with His own life in your stead because He loves you. Yes they made a movie about Him. But the actor who portrayed Him didn’t die to save you from your sin, Jesus the Messiah did. He is the Son of God.