Easter Monday & the National Rugby League, NRL, Australia – some quotes from the Daily Telegraph about the impromptu post-match prayer group:
Semi Radradra, they say, moved first.
Grabbing rival, Kevin Naiqama. After that, Jordan Rankin.
A further five players from Parramatta and Wests Tigers then converging as — with tattooed arms thrown around the closest jersey, regardless of colour -— they formed an impromptu circle in the middle of ANZ Stadium.
And, sure, around them fulltime formalities continued as usual.
Players shaking hands, speaking with Fox Sports, even wondering aloud if Northies was open Easter Mondays?
But inside the group, heads bowed. Eyes closed.
Then, they prayed.
“Completely spontaneous, too,’’ Eels chaplain George Dansey will say later.
“And from my understanding, the first time a prayer group like that has ever happened in the NRL.”
So brothers and sisters, can I get an Amen?
For Jesus Christ, he’s alive in the NRL.
And, no, you may not like it.
Or even agree.
Unsold on some Magic Sky Daddy with his bagful of miracles.
Yet undoubtedly, He is risen.
Existing not only inside that Easter Monday huddle, but in the dozens of Christian gatherings — from intimate bible study groups to arriving at Hillsong Conferences en masse — now taking place right across the NRL.
More than a few extra black crosses on wrist tape, this revolution is Jarryd Hayne taking on the NFL. Will Hopoate resting Sundays.
And an NRL Christians group so popular … well, Wallabies Israel Folau and Will Skelton want in.
“Yeah, they’re attending church with us,’’ Eels forward Tim Mannah explains. “Joining guys from almost every Sydney club.
“And to see the way players are expressing their faith now … it’s completely different to even five years ago.”
Indeed, at Parramatta, a dozen players now pray before games. Afterwards, too.
Radradra is also the spiritual leader of this new ritual, determined to ensure his fellow Christians are as thankful in victory as defeat.
For this new movement, it’s intent on ending stereotypes.
“Like Christian footballers being soft,’’ Dansey laughs. “I like to remind players that Jesus Christ, he was as brutal as anybody.”
While employed fulltime by Parramatta, Dansey isn’t simply responsible for the Eels, or running the new NRL Christians group, but helping facilitate dozens of Christian journeys through regular meetings with NRL players over coffee.
When Hayne, for example, returned from his Fijian World Cup experience eight years ago with a headful of questions, it was Dansey’s bible the pair opened at Genesis.
And when Hayne was dropped, then briefly cut, by the San Francisco 49ers, last October, it was Dansey who again led prayers inside the punt returner’s Santa Clara home.
Giving thanks just as he had seven years earlier, when sat by the hospital bedside of an anonymous leaguie named Steve Meredith.
And Meredith, you should know, is the greatest Roosters forward who never was. A gifted Australian Schoolboy who, by 2006, was set to make his first grade debut having already won premierships in Jersey Flegg and Premier League. A Test debut with Samoa, too.
League’s Next Big Thing for all 13 minutes before his knee snapped so badly, he never played first grade again.
“Yet Steve, he was so upbeat in hospital,’’ Dansey recalls. “Was praising God for having been blessed to play that one first grade game.
“It was the same when Haynsey got dropped after the Baltimore Ravens match. That week, he actually went deeper into the word of God.”
So too now, is the entire NRL. For while the relationship between faith and footy is nothing new — Father John Coote was both Roman Catholic priest and Kangaroo way back in 1969 — the presence of that inaugural prayer circle is proof of a new dawn.
Of a code now allowing Hayne to walk. Hopoate, to rest.
A place where players can meet, in club space, for bible study. …
Back in 2003, having won a grand final with Penrith, Galuvao dropped to his knees in solitary prayer. Yet today, he says, “clubs are buying in … embracing the need to spiritually prepare players”.
Mannah agrees, adding: “Once players were too worried to reveal themselves as Christians, worried about what people would say if you stuffed up.
“But then Haynsey comes along and, vocally, says ‘hey I’m not perfect . what I am is on a journey with God’. Other players have really responded to that.”
And as they do, the stereotypes fall.
Take Parramatta winger Radradra, gathering teammates to give thanks following their opening round loss to Brisbane. Or Manu Ma’u, shredding the myth of Christian softness the second he joined that Easter Monday seven.
Which doesn’t mean there will no longer be the narks.
For Christianity, as English novelist CS Lewis once noted, is of no importance if false. Infinite importance if true.
But moderately important … nup, no chance.
Which is again why Hopoate now sits out Sundays. And Hayne, earlier this week, jetted out of Sydney once more for that pilgrimage all helmets, and shoulder pads.
Elsewhere, Joseph Paulo leads prayer at Cronulla. Kane Evans, the Roosters.
While out Penrith way, players gather most days with retired winger Dave Simmons, whose congregation will grow even larger once his theology degree is complete.
“All of which is great,’’ Galuvao says. “I mean, Jarryd Hayne, I’ve known him since well before he was going to church. When he had all those troubles in Kings Cross and so on. And back then, he had no direction. No purpose.
“But in Christianity, he found it. Made himself a better person. How can that be a bad thing?”
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Holy week, from Jesus’ triumphal entry into Jerusalem on Palm Sunday to his death and resurrection, is by far the greatest week in history. Jesus, the Lamb of God, the Son of God, the Saviour of the world, chose to be crucified in Jerusalem at the Passover festival. He became our Passover Lamb, slain from the foundation of the world. The Old Testament points to Jesus, the Messiah, God’s Anointed One. Those prophecies are fulfilled in Jesus. The New Testament tells his story and calls us to respond in faith to his gift of salvation and eternal life.
Key Passages
Holy Week: the last week of the earthly life of Jesus may be summarized this way as a general guide. The different Gospels record different events, each one telling the Gospel, the good news, in their own way. So this arrangement is an estimate of the sequence of the momentous developments in Holy Week.
This summary uses NKJV. The Mounce translation (www.biblegateway.com) of John 19:30 is ‘It is accomplished.’ Traditionally, these seven statements are called words of
This order of service for Passover is an attempt to be as true as possible to the historic one Jesus had with his disciples. The present day Passover as celebrated by millions of Jews is in the same order, and contains everything in this service (except for references to what Jesus did with it) as well as many additions that have been made, particularly since the destruction of the Temple in 70 AD.
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Let them praise his name in the dance: let them sing praises unto him with the timbrel and harp. (Psalm 149:3)
Praise him with the timbrel and dance (Pslam 150:4)
Therefore, whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do, do all to the glory of God.
(1 Corinthians 10:31)
And whatever you do in word or deed, do all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through Him. (Colossians 1:17)
Praise the Lord! Praise God in his sanctuary; praise him in his mighty firmament! Praise him for his mighty deeds; praise him according to his surpassing greatness!
Praise him with trumpet sound; praise him with lute and harp! Praise him with tambourine and dance; praise him with strings and pipe! Praise him with clanging cymbals; praise him with loud clashing cymbals! Let everything that breathes praise the Lord! Praise the Lord!
(Psalm 150 – the final Psalm)
Praise his name in the dance – Praise him with timbrel and dance (Psalm 149:3; 150:4)
Dance like there’s nobody watching, Love like you’ll never be hurt, Sing like there’s nobody listening, And live like it’s heaven on earth
Let them praise his name in the dance: let them sing praises unto him with the timbrel and harp. Psalm 149:3
A revival is taking place as Muslims turn to Christ
ISIS has targeted more Muslim-populated areas in Syria. The attacks have left at least 140 dead in Damascus and Homs. The attacks were the deadliest of Syria’s 5-year war. In Damascus, the explosions took place near one of the holiest Shia Muslim shrines. ISIS has claimed responsibility for the attacks.
Dyann Romeijn with Vision Beyond Borders (VBB) said “As ISIS attacks the Christians, they also attack other Muslims. Certain Muslim groups that ISIS doesn’t perceive as radical enough are being persecuted.” The latest attacks took place during ceasefire talks. This is the second time attacks have happened in the last few weeks during the process of ceasefire discussions. The first time, the talks were delayed. But now, U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry has said a “provisional agreement” has been reached with Russia.
There is both joy for the agreement and grief for a devastating loss in the war-torn nation. Millions of minorities and Syrians have fled from the terror of ISIS, leaving everything behind, including family members. In Lebanon alone, nearly one in every five people is a refugee. Romeijn explains this crisis is different from most others. “One of the things that’s overwhelming that we are seeing in this crisis more than some of the others is that the majority of these families were actually middle class families before ISIS came in.” The people had secure homes and jobs, but the persecution of ISIS drove them away and cost them everything. A VBB worker relayed the story of one man who’d saved up $50,000 for retirement. But, ISIS took it all away and left him with nothing.
Yet despite the grief, Romeijn says God is moving. Because less radical Muslims are being persecuted and fleeing, they are more open to seeing the love of God. Their eyes are being opened to see the truth about Islam and there’s a turning to the Gospel in great numbers. A revival is taking place as Muslims turn to Christ, and VBB wants to seize the moment that God has given.
VBB has printed 20,000 Arabic New Testament Bibles and is giving them to refugees. The Bibles have study notes in order to make it easier for Muslims to understand. Romeijn explains a New Testament is currently more beneficial to the people than an entire Bible because they will likely start at the very beginning of the book. A New Testament will immediately tell the Gospel story, whereas an entire Bible will contain rules Muslims might get caught up in.
But VBB knows they have more to do. “If you just tell Muslim refugees that Jesus loves them and hand them a Bible when they’re starving, they can’t even comprehend. But, we need to meet their physical needs as well.”
VBB is meeting physical needs by providing food, clothing, hygiene kits, and more. When they see genuine interest and care, Muslims want to hear about the Gospel. They’re accepting the Bibles graciously, and Romeijn says more than 1,000 have already been handed out by VBB.
Refugees need your prayers. After all, only God can bring peace. “There are over 6 million that have fled. It’s obvious no one person or organization is going to meet the needs. It’s got to be the Body of Christ.”
“I have never before seen what we’re seeing now,” said Tuvya Zaretsky, chairman of the Israel branch of Jews for Jesus. “We’re seeing a steady stream of particularly young Israelis who are coming to Jesus from all walks of life. There seems to be a greater openness to spiritual input.”
The First Wave of Jews coming to Jesus hit in the 1970s in America. The Second Wave were Russian Jews in the 1990s. And now – in a Third Wave – Jews in Israel are coming to faith in increasing numbers.
In the 1990s, there were about 3,000 Messianic Jews in Israel; today there are as many as 20,000 (still less than 1% of the population), said Simon Stout, executive assistant of Jews for Jesus. There is estimated to be 150 congregations of like-minded believers in Israel. Of Israel’s 84 cities and towns, 81 have at least one messianic Bible study.
“There is a very unusual turning in Israel,” said Zaretsky. “The community of believers there has solidified. They’ve found their voice. There’s less antagonism. The situation is changing.” When Jews for Jesus launched its Israel branch in 2000, its banners were torn down and workers beaten up by ultra-orthodox Jews who associated Christianity with the Holocaust. Now, Jews for Jesus has a staff of 31 and the world political situation has sparked greater interest in Jesus, Zaretsky said. After World War II’s Holocaust killed 6 million Jews, Israel was created by decree of the United Nations as a safe place for Jews. But now many Israelis feel more imperilled than ever. Iran, which is feared to be close to producing nuclear weapons, is constantly threatening Israel’s destruction. On the streets of Israel, terrorism is a constant.
“Young people generally feel very little hope for the future and are therefore more open to the gospel,” said Zaretsky. With half the country’s population, Tel Aviv is where Jews for Jesus runs a 3-story discipleship centre which hosts coffee house activities, art shows and other events to bring in neighbours in the trendy Florentine neighbourhood. A brief presentation of the gospel is always given; literature is on hand, and messianic Jews are present for anyone curious. In 2008, research showed that most Israelis had very little concept of who Yeshua was. They knew him by the name Yeshu, a corruption of his name imposed by the rabbis to expunge Christianity from Judaism. Yeshua is related to Yeshuah, which means “salvation”.
So Jews for Jesus took to the streets with banners to educate Israelis about Yeshua. The placards read: “Yeshu = Yeshua = Yeshuah” and included the phone number of the Jews for Jesus office. They took out ads in the newspaper with this motto and placed it on billboards and buses. The ultra-orthodox tore the signs down. Now workers hold up banners along streets and highways at different times. Jews for Jesus have also staged yearly region-wide campaigns, called “Israel, Behold Your God,” that included months of concentrated evangelism.
Ben’s Story
Ben, an 18-year-old high school student from northern Israel, contacted Jews for Jesus personnel through its website two months ago.
Igal, a missionary intern, talked to Ben via Skype and found out that his mother was a believer. Igal shared with him his personal testimony about how God set him free from drugs and brought him peace, encouraging Ben to believe that Yeshua would do the same for him, Stout said. Ben agreed to study more about Yeshua and actually stated that he wanted to give Yeshua a chance to work in his life. Igal prayed daily for Ben and talked to him once a week. Just this month, Ben prayed with Igal to accept Yeshua as his Messiah, Stout said. “People are receiving Christ at a fairly constant rate,” Stout said. “They’re coming in ones or twos each month. It’s not a speedy process. There are cultural barriers for Jews to accept Jesus Christ.”
Simon Stout’s Story
Stout was himself a non-believing, reformed Jew from Indianapolis who visited Israel on a government-subsidized tour in 2001. First he saw the horrors of concentration camps in Poland, where Jews were imprisoned and killed wholesale as part of Hitler’s anti-Semitism during World War 2. Leaving behind the dreary memorials and the cold weather, Stout landed in Israel when it was warm and lovely. “The first time I saw Jerusalem, there was a rainbow over part of the city,” he said. “There was something inside me that told me that there was a reason for me to be in Israel. I had this feeling that there was a God and He had a purpose for Israel.
“I felt God must be real because only He could have taken the horrors of World War II and birthed a nation and bring us back after 2,000 years,” he said. But it wasn’t until years later that Stout accepted Jesus when he came to Israel to study for a master’s in education. A friend from a messianic congregation invited him to visit. In Indianapolis, his only exposure to Christianity were school kids telling him he would burn in Hell for being a Jew; he also saw Jewish houses get egged, he said. Despite the bad first impression with Christianity, he wasn’t completely closed to hearing about Jesus. For two months, he attended Bible studies and fellowship groups. Then one night he had a dream about a flood in New York and a flood in China.
When he attended a Bible study about prophetic dreams, he hoped to find an interpretation. Instead the lady speaker prophesied over him: “God hears your prayers. Yeshua is real, and He has great plans for you.” Stout broke down crying. He accepted Yeshua and was baptized in the Mediterranean Sea. He decided to remain in Israel, where he has married and had two children. Originally, he taught English literature but two years ago started working with Jews for Jesus.
Massah
Another ministry of Jews for Jesus is its “Massah” outreach in India. Surprisingly, the Himalayas are a favourite hiking mecca for Israelis after they complete their mandatory military service at about age 20. Secular Jews, in particular, use the getaway to take drugs and forget the stressful experience of constant war threat in Israel, Zaretsky said.
For 5-6 weeks during the summer, there are so many Israelis in the Himalayas that entire restaurants and coffee houses are filled with Jews. There are even Hebrew-speaking waiters and Hebrew menus to cater to the sub-culture diaspora. There’s something about the mystique of India, with its varied spirituality, that seems to open Jewish youth to talk about alternatives. It’s the perfect spot to strike up a conversation about Yeshua. So yearly, the Israeli branch of Jews for Jesus forms a team that travels to India for ministry. “India is a relevant place to talk about spirituality and belief,” said one Messianic Jewish believer on a YouTube video about Massah. Another recounted about sharing the gospel with a Jew who, intrigued, told her: “This whole talk we’ve had would not have happened if we were in Israel.”
The parents of Shmuel Salway immigrated with his family from India and now the 42-year-old is associate pastor of the Adonai Roi congregation, which has functioned in Tel Aviv for 19 years. It’s now a church of 100 members. “We just had five baptisms last month,” Salway said. “The Jews are coming back to the land, and they’re coming to know the Messiah. We’re living in prophetic times. I believe Yeshua will come back in our lifetime. He’ll come back when many more Jews come to Messiah and cry out ‘Baruch Haba B’Shem Adonai’ – Blessed is He who comes in the name of the Lord.”
As author Adrian Wooldridge travelled the world researching the impact religion is having. It struck him that religious observance is increasing worldwide, with the exception only of Europe.
“Something happened from the 1970s and now the world is again moving towards a faith revival” he said. The Jesus movement and Pentecostal/charismatic revivals of the 1960s and ’70s, may have had something to do with that. Pentecostalism, he concluded, will be the major form of 21st century Christianity. China, Guatemala, Nigeria, Kenya and various Latin American countries were the biggest hotspots.
“The sort of religion that is on the rise is the emotive, assertive charismatic religion,” he said. “It’s compelling Catholicism in Latin America to change. There’s a physical surprise when you go to Guatemala and see how vibrant the charismatic and Pentecostal movements are. It is the same thing in Lagos and Nairobi. I went into my research underestimating the power and vitality of religion.”
What also struck him were the 443,000 full-time Christian missionaries worldwide plus 1.6 million Christians a year who go on short-term missions. Wooldridge sees Christianity remaining the world’s largest religion.
Wooldridge a confessing atheist, said that he now had more respect, and felt more warmth towards religion.” This was partly because of the people I came across who were doing such amazing work to help the poor. But where are the atheists doing anything like that?”
A look at commonly neglected gospel stories and films that depict them. By Peter T. Chattaway/ February 22, 2016
Haaz Sleiman in ‘Killing Jesus’ (2015)
Ten years ago, I compiled a list of my ten favorite Jesus movies for CT. Several new Jesus films have released since then, with more coming out this year: Risen (February 19), The Young Messiah (March 11), and a new version of Ben-Hur (August 12). But I’ve never felt a need to update the list. The original still holds up pretty well, I believe.
That said, while none of the newer films have nudged their way into my all-time top ten, some of them have highlighted aspects of the Gospels that most other films miss. Indeed, one of the things I value more and more, as I study this genre, is the way some films highlight aspects of the Gospels that are often overlooked—not just by other filmmakers, but also by teachers, preachers, and other Bible readers.
So I wanted to supplement my earlier list with a newer, more particular list of ten stories that usually get ignored by Jesus movies—and the (often obscure, sometimes edgier) films that have actually dramatized those stories. Here they are, in more or less biographical order.
1. The Circumcision of Jesus
On the eighth day of Christmas, Mary and Joseph had Jesus circumcised, just as all Jewish boys are (Luke 2:21). This event is significant because it underscores the humanity of Jesus. Art historian Leo Steinberg has shown that many Renaissance artists drew attention to the genitalia of the baby Jesus to emphasize the fact that God had become human even to the point of having physical gender. Not only that, this event highlights Jesus’ vulnerability. Some theologians have argued that this was the first time Jesus shed blood. So, in some sense, it marked the beginning of his sacrifice for our redemption. Finally, it underscores Jesus’ Jewishness.
The best-known film to depict this event is probably Franco Zeffirelli’s Jesus of Nazareth (1977), which makes a special point of emphasizing the Jewish rituals that Joseph and Mary would have followed and that Jesus would have been raised with. The man who performs the circumcision even declares that “this is the seal in flesh of the covenant between the Lord and his people,” which neatly sums up all three of the theological points I mentioned above. Zeffirelli’s film receives extra points for combining this story with another story that is often overlooked: Jesus’ consecration at the Temple (Luke 2:22–35), which would have happened over a month later.
More recently, a Palestinian film called The Savior (2013) also depicted the circumcision of Jesus. (Though it doesn’t show the actual procedure, it includes a close-up of the foreskin being dropped into a bowl!) Notably, this film was produced in a part of the world where circumcision is fairly common not only among Jews and Muslims, but among Christians, too.
2. The Brothers and Sisters of Jesus
The Gospels tell us that Jesus had four brothers and an unspecified number of sisters (Matt. 12:46–50; 13:55–56; Mark 3:31–35; 6:3; Luke 8:19–21; John 2:12). The Gospels also tell us that the brothers of Jesus did not believe in him during his ministry (John 7:2–10). However, the rest of the New Testament indicates that his brothers became active participants and leaders in the early church (Acts 1:14; 12:17; 15:13–21; 21:18; 1 Cor. 9:5; Gal. 2:11–13). Two of them, James and Jude, even lent their names to two of the canonical epistles.
Few films about the life of Jesus, however, have depicted his siblings—possibly because doing so would require the filmmakers to choose between the dominant Protestant, Orthodox, and Catholic traditions, which disagree on whether these siblings were the half-brothers of Jesus (i.e., the children of Mary and Joseph), the step-brothers of Jesus (i.e., the children of Joseph from a previous marriage), or the cousins of Jesus.
James the Just (far left) is standing next to Mary at the cross in this image from ‘Killing Jesus.’
There are at least three key exceptions, though. Color of the Cross (2006), which depicts Jesus and his family as black, features the brothers and sisters of Jesus in several scenes—as well as their father Joseph, who, unlike the Joseph of most other films, is still alive during Jesus’ ministry. Killing Jesus (2015), which may be the first English-language film to cast a Middle Eastern actor as Jesus, makes James a key supporting character. When I visited the film’s set in Morocco, I noticed that one of the costumes had a tag that said “Girl (Jesus’ Sister).” This apparently refers to a girl who is seen hugging Jesus in one shot, though she has no dialogue. Further, The Young Messiah (2016), which comes out in March, shows Jesus and his parents traveling from Egypt to Judea in the company of his uncle, aunt, and male and female cousins.
3. The Exorcism of Mary Magdalene
Many people believe Mary Magdalene was a prostitute before she joined the Jesus movement, but there is no basis for that in the Gospels. What the Gospels do say is that Jesus cast seven demons out of her (Luke 8:2). But this fact about her life has been ignored by most films about Jesus.
At least two major films depict her exorcism, though. Alas, one of them—The King of Kings (1927), a silent film directed by Cecil B. DeMille—depicts her as a prostitute too. And not just any; rather, a wealthy courtesan. When Jesus casts the seven demons out of her, they are identified with the Seven Deadly Sins. And the first sin to come out of Mary is Lust. But at least the exorcism is depicted.
Much better is the exorcism scene in The Miracle Maker (2000), an animated film that uses stop-motion puppets to signify the objective world—and hand-drawn animation to signify memories, visions, and states of mind. When Jesus casts the demons out of Mary in this film, the sequence begins as a seriously strange set of distorted hand-drawn images that eventually stabilize as the film moves through several styles of hand-drawn animation before fading back to the stop-motion puppets.
The History Channel miniseries The Bible (2013) almost had a scene that depicted Mary’s exorcism, too, but it was deleted before the series aired. Part of it did, however, surface in a TV special called The Women of the Bible (2014) that aired on the Lifetime network.
4. Joanna, Whose Husband Worked for Herod Antipas
Luke mentions that Mary Magdalene was one of several female patrons who traveled from town to town with Jesus and the apostles. He also mentions that Joanna, one of these patrons, was married to the manager of Herod’s household (Luke 8:3).
This detail is fascinating, because Jesus and Herod did not exactly get along with each other. One would think that some dramatist might have picked up on this detail and done something with it. But until last year, none had. And then, suddenly, only a few weeks apart, Joanna popped up as a character in two TV productions that were both particularly concerned with the political implications of the Jesus movement.
In Killing Jesus, Joanna overhears a threat made against Jesus in Herod’s palace, and she tries to send him a warning. In A.D. The Bible Continues (2015), however, her Christian connections are discovered during the events of the Book of Acts, and she is executed by the Romans. All very fictitious, perhaps, but it’s exciting to see screenwriters thinking beyond the standard 12 disciples as they flesh out the Jesus movement.
5. The Syro-Phoenician Woman
This is one of the more perplexing stories in the Gospels, as Jesus not only rejects a foreign woman’s request to heal her daughter, but he seems to insult them, too, when he says, “It is not right to take the children’s bread and toss it to the dogs” (Matt. 15:21–28; Mark 7:24–30). “Children” in this case refers to the Israelites, and “dogs” refers to Gentiles like this woman).
The woman’s reply—“Yes it is, Lord. Even the dogs eat the crumbs that fall from their master’s table”—prompts Jesus to heal her daughter after all. Did Jesus always intend to heal the daughter? Was he just testing the mother’s faith? Or did he actually change his mind? Since most films have omitted this story, they have never had to answer those questions.
One miniseries, however, does tackle this story. Jesus (1999), produced as part of The Bible Collection series, emphasizes the humanity of Jesus and uses this scene to show that Jesus changing his mind. And when the disciples protest, Jesus replies, “This woman has taught me that my message is for the Gentiles, as well. If I can learn, so can you.”
6. The Ungrateful Lepers
Most Jesus films tend to flatter their audiences by showing how awestruck everyone was whenever Jesus performed a healing. Surely, we think, we would have been just as moved as they were. But the story of the ungrateful lepers—Jesus healed ten of them, and only one came back to thank him (Luke 17:11–19)—reminds us that some people were not so awestruck, or even particularly thankful.
‘Life of Brian’
Perhaps the only major film that even alludes to this story is the Monty Python comedy Life of Brian (1979), in which an “ex-leper” begs for alms and complains that Jesus took away his “livelihood.” When Brian finally says, “There’s no pleasing some people,” the ex-leper—who, based on the way he hops and skips and flexes his arms, is clearly enjoying the use of his restored limbs—replies, “That’s just what Jesus said!”
7. The Coin in the Fish’s Mouth
One of the odder miracles in the Gospels concerns a tax that Jesus and his disciples were supposed to pay for the upkeep of the Temple. Jesus suggests to his disciples that, as the Son of God, he should be exempt from this tax, but, “so that we may not cause offense,” he tells Peter to pay the tax using a four-drachma coin that he will find in a fish’s mouth (Matt. 17:24–27).
DeMille’s The King of Kings may be the only major film to show this miracle, and it combines the story with the calling of the tax collector Matthew and with Jesus’ teaching that people should “render unto Caesar what is Caesar’s.” DeMille also gets some comedy out of the story by having two soldiers try to replicate the miracle. When one of them catches his own fish, he shakes it next to his ears, hoping to hear the rattling of coins.
8. The Plot to Kill Lazarus
The resurrection of Lazarus is one of the most famous miracles in the entire Bible and has been depicted in many films. But many people overlook the fact that the chief priests tried to have Lazarus killed, because his sudden fame was drawing too much attention to Jesus (John 12:9–11).
John doesn’t say whether the conspiracy succeeded, but at least two films—The Last Temptation of Christ (1988) and Jesus, the Spirit of God (2007), an Iranian film that tells the story of Jesus from a Muslim perspective—actually show Lazarus being killed, by Zealots in one case and by the priests in the other. And in both films, the man who delivers the fatal blow is Saul, the early persecutor of the church who eventually became the Christian missionary Paul.
9. The Two Sons of Simon of Cyrene
Three of the Gospels mention that a man named Simon of Cyrene was forced to carry the cross for Jesus. But only Mark’s gospel mentions that Simon was “the father of Alexander and Rufus” (15:21). Why does Mark, and not the other Gospels, tell us this? Tradition says Mark wrote his Gospel in Rome, and Paul’s letter to the Romans includes a greeting for a man named Rufus, whose mother was like a mother to Paul (Rom. 16:13). Is this the same Rufus mentioned in Mark? Was Mark reminding his readers that one of their own friends was the son of someone who had witnessed the Crucifixion for himself?
We don’t know, but it’s fun to speculate. And two films—the silent King of Kings and The Passion of the Christ (2004)—seem to make a nod to this passage by introducing Simon in the company of one of his sons before the Romans force him to carry the cross.
10. The Doubts of Resurrection Eyewitnesses
Many Christians have wished that they could see the resurrected Jesus for themselves, and many have taken to heart what Jesus told the apostle Thomas: “Because you have seen me, you have believed; blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed” (John 20:29). But what if actually seeing Jesus didn’t resolve one’s doubts? What if people still struggled to believe even then?
Many films have skipped the Resurrection entirely, and many others have given it only cursory treatment. So it’s not surprising that few films have explored Matthew 28:17, an enigmatic passage: “When they saw him, they worshiped him; but some doubted.” But one or two come to mind.
Joseph Fiennes in ‘Risen’
The miniseries A.D. Anno Domini (1985) hints at what this passage is getting at when Thomas is reluctant to believe in the Resurrection even after Jesus appears to him and all the other disciples (“He died on a cross,” says Thomas, using the third person even though he is looking right at Jesus). It is only after Thomas touches the wounds of Jesus that he fully believes. Similarly, the film Risen features a non-disciple who witnesses the risen Christ and wrestles with whether to accept what he has seen.
Wedding celebration
