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Home | Celebration | Passion of Christ

Atonement and The Passion of the Christ

      People all over the world--Christians and non-Christians alike--are flocking to theatres to see Mel Gibson's new movie, The Passion of the Christ. Having been a part of those audiences last week, I wanted to share some ideas about the movie and its place in Christological thought.
      Some viewers have emerged from the darkened theatres where Passion has been displayed and have pronounced it profound. Some are calling it the "most meaningful thing they've ever seen." I heard one woman say that it strengthened her faith "a thousand-fold."
      Others have called it abusive, anti-Semitic, and gratuitously violent.
      I suspect that one's sense of Christology and atonement makes a huge difference in how the film is perceived. In certain Christological views, this movie is a great masterpiece. In others, it is woefully incomplete.
      First, a couple of definitions:
            Christology--the study of the person and work of Jesus Christ. Just as theology is the study of God, Christology is the study of Christ.
            Atonement--literally, "at-one-ment," as in, what can make us "at one" with God?
      There are a number of different identifiable Christological/Atonement models in the Bible and in the traditions of the church. I suspect that years from now, our spiritual descendants will be arguing over models we aren't yet discussing! The three dominant models are as follows:

      Substitutionary/Satisfaction Model
      Moral Exemplar/Revealer Model
      Christus Victor Model

      I suspect that one of these models will be closer to your own heart and home than the others. That's OK. The church has preserved and taught all of them, figuring that the picture is incomplete if only one is included. The Bible itself presents not one but four biographical portraits of Jesus, which are themselves more theological than historical.

The Substitionary View
       The Substitutionary/Satisfaction Model is the dominant one in our time, though its roots are in the temple traditions of ancient Israel. Israel, like most worshiping cultures in the ancient world, related to God primarily at the altar, through ritual sacrifice. Atonement came through animal sacrifice and prayers of the people. The sins of the people were forgiven as a living thing was substituted for the people and killed to satisfy God--and to stress to the people the gravity of their sin.
      In this model, Jesus Christ serves as both High Priest and the sacrificial object (Hebrews 10). The central event in the life of Christ is the crucifixion, in which Jesus pays the debt of sin on our behalf. Jesus is our substitute, bearing the punishment which is appropriately ours. The tradition of the Passion Play (in which Gibson's movie belongs) is a celebration of this model. Substitutionary Atonement has a season--Lent and its High Holy Day is Good Friday. A number of hymns for this model are near and dear to our hearts, but the one that is my favorite is "O Sacred Head," from the 12th century:
            What thou, O Christ has suffered was all for sinners gain:
            Mine, mine was the transgression, but thine the deadly pain,
            Lo, here I fall, my Savior! 'Tis I deserve thy placeŠ
                        --Bernard of Clairvaux

      The greatest theological articulation of this model also came from the 12th century, from Anselm of Canterbury in his essay, Cur Deus Homo (Why God Became Human).

The Moral Exemplar/Revealer View
      Shortly after the publication of Anselm's masterpiece, Peter Abelard wrote that he could not even recognize the God he knew in Anselm's work. Abelard posited if God is really God, why does God demand satisfaction for sin which could simply be forgiven? He asked, "How does the death of his innocent son so please God the Father so that he should be reconciled to us?"
      Abelard saw God as a God of love, and that Jesus was God-made-flesh, sent to show us the path, and to run that path ahead of us (John 1, Hebrews 12:1-2). The cross is not the primary locus of salvation, but an example of the extraordinary love that Jesus was able to show by giving his life for others.
      Christ is not just a nice example in this model, but the example. Jesus' role is that of prophet who challenges every aspect of life and shows us the right path. Cynthia Rigby, a Presbyterian theologian who teaches at Austin Presbyterian Theological Seminary, writes, "atonement in this view is not just about what God does for usŠit is about God entering into existence with us."
      The central event in Jesus' life is his birth in this model. It follows then that the season for this model is Advent and its High Holy Day is Christmas. I bet you could find dozens of hymns which celebrate this view, but the one which states it most beautifully is Eleanor Farjeon's "People Look East:"
            Angels announce with shouts of mirth him who brings new life to earthŠ
            People, look east and sing today, Love, the Lord, is on the way."
      Another song which I've come to know comes from the church Cameroon, "He Came Down:"
            Why did he come?
            He came down that we might have_______
                 (love, joy, peace, life--zip in any one syllable noun)
            Hallelujah, forevermore

The Christus Victor (Christ Victorious) Model
      In this view, atonement is accomplished by the victory of Jesus over the forces evil, sin, and death.
      Clearly, to the Victor belongs Easter Sunday. I love to sing "He Arose" on Easter Sunday. It begins with the a slow dirge-like melody which reminds me of the Jazz Funerals in my hometown of New Orleans. On the procession out to the cemetery, the band plays slowly and somberly, but on the way back to the church, the mood changes completely. They play The Saints, and people line the streets and dance!
      So it is on Easter morning. Why? The hymn says it all:
            Death cannot keep its prey--Jesus, my Savior.
            He tore the bars away--Jesus, my Lord.
            Up from the grave he arose with a mighty triumph o'er his foes!
            He arose a Victor from the dark domain,
            And he lives forever with his saints to reign.
            He arose! He Arose! Hallelujah, Christ arose.

      The role and person of Christ in this view is that of conquering King who has overcome evil and invites his subjects to join in the conquest.. This view differs from the substitutionary view in that the emphasis is on the resurrection and conquest, not the suffering and sacrifice. They are certainly not mutually exclusive, and are both informed by the moral exemplar model.

Three Models: One View
      My main critique--beyond the violence and gore--of Mel Gibson's The Passion of the Christ, is a criticism that could be applied to all Passion Plays. They tend to exclude too much of the gospels and the Gospel by focusing only on the Holy Week events.
      This has a couple of different effects. First, it elevates the substitutionary view to an extent not found in the scriptures and traditions of the church. I encounter many Christians who are very comfortable with saying, "Jesus died for my sins," but who can't find the vocabulary to speak of other atoning characteristics. "Jesus lived for my life," or "Jesus lives for my life" don't seem right on the tongue.
      The church has resisted locking into one metaphor for salvation to the exclusion of others, choosing instead to hold all three in tension. In 2002, our own Elder Commissioner Denvy Saxowsky served on a General Assembly [PC(USA)] committee which wrestled with Christological expressions. The document which that group recommended to the whole church, Hope in the Lord Jesus Christ, holds all three models of Christology/Atonement together in a very positive and integrated way, and further reminds the church that we dare not speak of Jesus without also speaking of God and the Holy Spirit (neither of whom got enough screen time in Gibson's flick J).
      Another consequence of the passion play is the tendency to reinforce anti-Semitism in the church. The passion plays have been produced across Europe for centuries and have left violence and hatred towards Jews in their wake.
      There's no question that Jesus was often at odds with the religious authorities of his day, but in the passion narratives, that's all you get. The gospel of Luke particularly gives a balanced portrayal of the Pharisees, the forerunners of the modern rabbinical movement. Sure, Jesus sparred with them (verbally) throughout the book, but he also ate with them frequently, and some of them even came to warn him of danger in Luke 13. Even John's gospel portrays Jesus in a friendly, lengthy encounter with a leader of the Pharisees (Nicodemus).
      Without the whole story, it's easier to cast blame on the religious authorities who demand Jesus¹ death, although, Gibson does portray some of the Jewish religious authorities in a positive way (as well as some of the Romans). It's important to note that both the Apostles' Creed and the Nicene Creed place the responsibility for the crucifixion squarely in Pilate's hands--washed or not.
      I did not find the movie anti-Semitic, but I'm not Jewish. Some Jews have found the film troubling, others have not. Regardless, we have an obligation as Christians to be ambassadors for Jesus Christ--and that includes speaking of and with people of all faiths in love and respect.

What Next?
      Just as death was not the last word for Jesus Christ, The Passion of the Chris is not the last word about Christ on the silver screen. I was thinking of taking a group to see Passion, but I cannot. Instead, I want to encourage us to look at some other cinematic portraits of Jesus, including Pier Paolo Pasolini's The Gospel According to Saint Matthew, or Jesus of Montreal, or The Gospel of John. We'll find the time to get together for this.
      I also encourage you to look for elements of the Gospel and grace in all the movies you see. I saw a movie last month which is one of the most profound portraits of grace I've ever witnessed. The movie? Seabiscuit. Check it out!
      We have a wonderful opportunity before us. The whole world is talking about Jesus Christ, and I'm grateful to Mel Gibson for that. Let us use this time for thoughtful reflection and respectful dialog with others about the love of God made know to us in Jesus Christ: Prophet and Revealer, Priest and Sacrifice, and Conquering King.

      --Chris Whitehead      chrisw388@yahoo.com

Christ's Church Methodist and Presbyterian United
412 Clay Street West, Monmouth, Oregon 97361
503-838-1724
christmp@open.org

Last updated March 1, 2004