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Questions about "The Passion of the Christ" movie

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Is the movie "The Passion of the Christ" biblically accurate?

Who is Jesus Christ?

Is Jesus God? Why should I believe that Jesus is God?

Who was responsible for Christ’s death?

What trials did Jesus face before His crucifixion?

Did Jesus go to hell during the 3 days between His death and resurrection? Where was Jesus for the 3 days between His death and resurrection?

How can you prove Christ’s resurrection?

Why did Jesus have to suffer so badly?

How is Jesus Christ unique?

Did Jesus have brothers and sisters (siblings)?

Where was Joseph when Jesus was an adult?

What was the baby that Satan was holding while Jesus was being scourged?

Who was the woman who wiped Jesus’ face on the way to the cross?

Does the Bible record a raven plucking the eyes out of the unrepentant criminal on the cross?

Was the woman in John chapter 8 that the people wanted to stone really Mary Magdalene?



Question:  "What was the baby that Satan was holding while Jesus was being scourged?"

Answer:
Here is a quote from Mel Gibson himself about his intended meaning for the baby that Satan was holding: "...it’s evil distorting what is good. What is more tender and beautiful than a mother and child? So the Devil takes that and distorts it just a little bit. Instead of a normal mother and child you have an androgynous figure holding a 40-year-old 'baby' with hair on his back. It is weird, it is shocking, it’s almost too much - just like turning Jesus over to continue scourging Him on His chest is shocking and almost too much, which takes place the exact moment when this appearance of the Devil and the baby takes place." Of course, there is no such event described in the Bible. This scene is purely in the mind of the filmmaker.

Question:  "Who was the woman who wiped Jesus’ face on the way to the cross?"

Answer:
The Bible does not record the account of a woman wiping Jesus’ face with the towels. The tradition is that the woman’s name was Veronica. This tradition is very old, but there is no way to know if there is any truth to it. However, since the Bible does not say, we should not give the account any authority. If this event was important, it would have been mentioned in the Gospel accounts of the crucifixion.

Question:  "Does the Bible record a raven plucking the eyes out of the unrepentant criminal on the cross?"

Answer:
The Bible does not record such an event. It may have indeed occurred, but the Bible does not say. It was common for scavenger birds to attack crucified people, often even before they died. Perhaps this is a symbolic representation of the demons claiming the unrepentant sinner at the time of his death.

Question:  "Was the woman in John chapter 8 that the people wanted to stone really Mary Magdalene?"

Answer:
The Bible never specifically identifies the woman in John 8:1-11. There is no indication at all that the woman caught in adultery was Mary Magdalene. The first appearance of Mary Magdalene is in Luke 8:2, which mentions her among those who were ministering to Jesus. Here we learn that Mary Magdalene was among several women who had been healed from various evil spirits and infirmities. However, although Mary Magdalene has mistakenly been described as a woman of bad character and loose morals, there is nothing in Scripture to indicate that she was such a person. There is also no reason to conclude that she was the same person as the sinful woman whom Simon the Pharisee treated with such disdain and contempt (Luke 7:36-50). This could very easily be the same woman caught in adultery in John 8 because she came weeping out of gratitude to Jesus for forgiving her sins.



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This page last updated: January 4, 2022