Jesus Movies

Weekly Message

Tom Seymour

March 9, 2014

Lent Begins

Jesus Movies

The current popularity of bible-based themes for Hollywood movies raises some interesting questions. Is it a good thing to portray events as related in scripture in a for-profit format? Do these movies help to draw people to God? And what about the accuracy of such films?

Regarding the first question, the answer is a tough one and there may well be more than one answer. First, we must recall that Jesus overturned the tables of the moneychangers in the temple. Filled with righteous anger, Jesus told those there that they had turned his Father’s house into a den of thieves. Clearly, Jesus wanted for us to see the distinction between true religion and religion-for-money such as the moneychangers and sacrificial animal sellers practiced.

But before that event, Jesus’ disciples wanted to prosecute a man who was casting out demons in the name of Jesus. And Jesus told them to let the man be, that those who were not against them (Jesus and his followers) were for them. Might we tie this into moviemakers who produce what some lump into the category of “Jesus movies?” Perhaps. But in the case of certain movies, certainly not. 

The second question is equally as perplexing. Do these movies draw people to God? Well, few people in the modern era are unaware of the gospel. Religious television shows abound and in towns and cities, church steeples are often the highest manmade structures around. Except for primitive peoples living away from modern civilizations, everyone has heard about Jesus.

On the other hand, many have heard of Jesus, but have only a shallow, passing notion of what and who he is. Jesus movies may well serve to enlighten such viewers.

The last question brings up a point that a great many viewers of these movies may miss. Biblical accuracy as portrayed not just in movies but in the bible itself is in question by bible scholars. Many of these scholars have an ax to grind, too. The “in” thing now among biblical academia is to discredit scripture and Jesus in particular. The unearthing of ancient texts at Nag Hammadi was instrumental in this anti-Jesus movement among scholars. These texts contained many writings, supposed "gospels" from after the time of Jesus. These were from the Gnostics. One modern scholar and noted disputer of our canonical scripture, Marvin Meyer, considers these texts as valuable and perhaps even more valuable than the accepted gospel texts. 

Many, not all, modern bible scholars accept Gnostic (the Gnostics were a group that felt spiritual matters must be experienced physically, among other things. They also wrote their own gospels, many of them fanciful and all of them written long after the four, synoptic gospels, those being the gospels of Matthew, Mark, Luke and John) teaching and writing but reject the synoptic gospels.

This is not a new movement. It began over 100 years ago, but only lately, in our “enlightened” age, has it become so universally popular among mainstream scholars. An example of this mode of thinking begins with bible authorship, particularly New Testament authorship.

Scholars, analyzing writing styles, have determined that none of the four gospels were actually written by the authors for whom they are named. For instance, the Gospel of John, according to our modern lights, was not written by the apostle John, but by an anonymous author, a Greek-speaking Christian. And the Gospel of Luke? Not a result of the Luke of scripture, but by an unknown person who had access to a large collection of sayings called “Q,” or “Quelle,” German for “source.” From these, scholars say, the false Luke composed his gospels.

The repudiation of what most of us know, believe and cherish continues. Mark did not write the Gospel of Mark, but rather, some unknown did. The author of Mark wrote, like Luke, from existing sources.

The trouble with all this is that authors, with the exception of Luke who was always supposed to be the Apostle Paul’s traveling companion, claimed to have walked and talked with Jesus. They testify that they have seen the word (Jesus is the "word") with their own eyes and touched with their own hands.

This is best stated in the first letter of John: We declare to you what was from the beginning, what we have heard, what we have seen with our eyes, what we have looked at and touched with our hands, concerning the word of life-this life was revealed and we have seen it and testify to it, and declare to you that eternal life that was with the Father and was revealed to us-we declare to you what we have seen and heard so that you also may have fellowship with us; and truly our fellowship is with the Father and with his Son Jesus Christ.

John is talking of himself and the other apostles and gospel authors being with Jesus. So if John is lying and all the other authors are also telling made-up stories rather than factual accounts, all our belief and faith in eternal life through the sacrifice of Jesus Christ on the cross is in vain. But John wasn't lying. The only lies are from those who seek to discredit scripture and so steal away our faith.

Getting back to Jesus movies, the Christ-deniers have worked their way into television versions of such movies. People like Dominic Crossan, a de-frocked Roman Catholic priest, and Elaine Pagels, a non-believer and prolific author of pro-Gnostic books, are part of something called “The Jesus Seminar.” You may remember a television “documentary” called “The Search For Jesus.” Rather than working from established scripture, these people presented a Gnostic point of view and took every opportunity during station breaks to point out that nothing in the bible was true as presented.

Satan is alive and well and he loves The Jesus Movement.

It seems the lowest of low, vile acts to use the time of Lent, leading up to the death and resurrection of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, as a time to try and turn people’s minds against the truths of scripture. But that is exactly what these people do.

So regarding Jesus movies and indeed, any bible-based movies, I must say, “Viewer beware.”

Some of these movies were produced by bible-based people. The current movie Son Of God is such a one, as was Mel Gibson’s The Passion Of The Christ. But not all are bible based and because of that I say again, beware.