Greatness versus family; Or, Debunking the Debunkers, The Sequel

I confess. I did what no self-respecting moviegoing Evangelical Christian should ever do. Without organized prayer support or supervision I rented (ooh, and gasp! even watched) The Last Temptation of Christ. This the Martin Scorcese film blacklisted and blasphemed by the conservative right for its treatment of Jesus as human. Of all movies, I've heard so many times, this is the devils favorite! How odd than, that my soul seems to have emerged unscathed. Perhaps even a bit better for it!

Don't get me wrong, the event completely scandalized me. As I'm sure it would be for any self-respecting moviegoing Christian who waited as long as I have to see this stunning theological treatise and spiritual treat. Agree or disagree with the Catholic directors theology (or the Reformed screenwriters), I found it utterly impossible to deny the value of the questions being raised. And maybe even more importantly, in seeing myself in Willem Defoe's Jesus, I found it hard not to like him even more. Which begs the question: What was I to be afraid of? Being made to think? Discovering Jesus' freedom to choose, or my own? Or did I wait 15 years to see this film because I too was afraid there are better ways to communicate theology than dusty book and stale lecture? The scandal happened in 1983 when the Moral Majority squashed the film from being made, than 4 years later when it was produced, boycotted it with all the intensity of the Sanhedrin. The censure is unwarranted.

Wrestling with God

Two things struck me as worth "struggling" with. The first and least important is the theology, specifically Christology, that pulses through the film. This is the great early Church Father debates revisited - with a kick! The breakdown goes like this: Is Jesus divine, or human? And if the easy answer is "both" than how do those two natures interact? I'm reminded that the Nicea-Chalcedonian creeds say, "100% God-100% human," but do nothing to explain what on earth (pun intended) that meant. This film is one attempt to do so, albeit in an "unorthodox" manner. Defoe's Jesus grows in his acceptance of divinity, even as he resists in a truly startling and human manner! Word for word though, this Jesus is even more upfront with his divinity than the gospel Jesus. That being said, this is like no flannel graph Jesus you've ever seen. Even with its faults, I've no doubt it could help someone like me see the Biblical Jesus in the midst of all the cultural whitewashing our churches put him through every day.

But the core of the film is Jesus struggle between greatness and the good life. In this, he's not alone! Jesus last temptation is my own, and forces us to the point of decision: career or family? Greatness or obscurity? I'm deeply disappointed the church could not see this dialogue as valuable for its church leaders. Because with this theme, the Jesus character is clearly a metaphor for humanity's spiritual struggle. Cutting through the demands of culture and of God, Jesus utters the films key line to his closest disciple, "Help, I'm struggling." And with that, I was hooked! On the one hand is God, ("Can you cast out God?"), and with him sacrifice, discipleship, divinity, and greatness. Exactly what the world needs! On the other hand is Hannah and kids, Chubs and a life not caught up in success and overextended busy-ness. Should it escape our attention so easily that all the great men of history completely shafted their families? Ghandi. Billy Graham. Martin Luther King Jr. Can you be both great and an excellent family man? And if not, are "heroes" those who intentionally choose career over family? Or are the real heroes those who choose family over fame?

This film is a 150 minute surgical but fictional exploration of Jesus' own words, "Father, if you are willing, remove this cup from me?" What would it have looked like if God had answered that prayer? How would history be different? What would have come of Jesus disciples? Of the Christian movement? Actually, it all kind of reminded me of the hobbits dreaming of the Shire. But did theygo back before it was time?

There's no way any self-respecting movie lover could give the ending away (M. Night fans beware, there's a great twist!)! But it's the most engaging and honest exploration of these two primary questions I've heard. In the sense that the movie and I come out on two very different sides of the second question, maybe Jesus isn't just a metaphor after all. Because of that, I'm confident there's no heresy to be found in the film, at least not by anyone titling their blog "20First Century Heretic." There are some startling eccentricities, interpretations, and detours from Scripture. All of which did nothing but raise my awareness of how narrow my own interpretations and eccentricities are. And with that, I debunk you, you wacky debunkers! Crawl back into the cave built to protect you from thought! Everybody else, grab some popcorn and come on over, I've got the movie till next Thursday at noon!

Ooh, and one more thing, if you thought Mel Gibson's satan was creepy, you ain't seen nothing yet!