Missy and I are studying the Gospel of Luke with some friends and we decided that as we concluded the study we would watch the Passion of the Christ again. It had been a while since I watched it last. While I remembered a lot of it very well there were a few things that stood out to me this time. The last time I watched the Passion I was single and childless. This time I am married and have two boys. I can’t tell you how much it pained me to see Jesus beaten and crucified the first time. This time was worse in many ways because now I can relate just a little better with how God must have felt to have His Son go through all of that. Then it makes me even more appreciative of the forgiveness and life that I have through Christ, his sacrifice and resurrection. It also made me remember just how terrible sin really is. When those men were beating Jesus and driving the nails, flipping the cross, and bending them back against the wood so they wouldn’t come out I realized this was all my fault. I was those soldiers and they are me. When I have hateful and arrogant attitudes, how different am I than those men? I wanted to yell at them to stop it! How many times should I tell myself that instead?
If you haven’t watched The Passion in a while I would encourage you to do so. I had so much more thankfulness and compassion in my heart after watching it than I have had for some time.
