My roommate Justin cornered me into doing something I didn’t want any part of. If you know me, you already know that I am not a huge fan of doing things I don’t want to do. Typically, I will simply refuse and leave it at that. This was different, though. I could see the importance of the request, and I wanted to oblige, even though it would be a most uncomfortable situation for me.
He wanted me to watch “The Passion of the Christ” with him. I have only seen the movie once before, and it was an extremely emotional experience for me. I am not one that likes to let my emotions be exposed to others, and so at first I told him he would have to go it alone. He brought it up again a few more times through the week until I finally caved.
As I watched Jim Caviezel portray my Savior, something really stood out to me. This must have been an amazing experience to have… To be Jesus on the big screen. I remember the free VHS tape called “Jesus” that came to everyone in the mail when I was a kid. (They’re now found for 2 bucks in any Goodwill store.). No one can tell you who played Jesus in that film. Some people never even popped it into their VCR. But, they know Jim Caviezel. I’m not certain if the film did much to boost Caviezel’s IMDB credits, but surely to this day, he has people who walk up to him and say “Hey, you’re Jesus!”
Something else really stood out to me while I watched the death, burial, and resurrection of Christ on my big Sony screen. I have never died on a cross… nor has Jim Caviezel. When Jesus was on the cross and said “I thirst,” he was given vinegar diluted with water… when Caviezel had thirst, twelve people came running with gatorade and and any flavor of Snapple imaginable. When Christ was beaten, his flesh was literally ripped and torn from his body. When Caviezel was beaten, the tearing of skin was computer generated.
He and I will never know what it is like to be accused, beaten, mocked, and eventually brutally murdered for the sins of others. Our natural instinct is to dodge responsibility. When we were kids, and we broke our mom’s lamp, or one of our dad’s tools, our instincts would tell us to blame a sibling, or even the dog or cat if it seemed believable. But not Christ. Like a Secret Service agent for the President, he jumped in front of the bullets for us all and said “I got this!”
“Oh Lord, you’re beautiful
Your face is all I seek
And when your eyes are on this child
Your grace abounds to me”
What Christ did for us is what makes Him so beautiful. It’s the fact that God loved us so much that he gave His Son. Show me a man made God that could do that for you. His love for me is what keeps me going day after day. It’s why I never give up, even though I try to convince myself so hard that I have so many reasons to.
“I want to take your word and shine it all around
But first help me just to live it Lord
And when I’m doing well, help me to never seek a crown
For my reward is giving glory to you”
Although I was once again brought to tears as I watched The Passion of the Christ, I know that what I saw was a very beautiful thing. As I wake every morning, and lay my head down each night, I pray that every step I take, breath I breather, and word I speak in between will exalt the name of Jesus. If it doesn’t, I need to question if I really changed when I asked Him into my heart. He is full of mercy and grace, and He wants a relationship with me. I owe Him nothing less. He is a beautiful man.
♫♪ “Oh Lord You’re Beautiful” by Brian Johnson contributed to the composition of this story.
The Alarida Journey 