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Mel Gibson's "The Passion"
Q.
Why do Jews feel that things honoring Christ (i.e. Mel Gibson’s movie “The
Passion”), are anti-Semitic? Why all the anxiety?
A. Good question. Sadly, anti-Semitism is still an issue in today’s world for its victims, and for those who love the Lord and the Jewish people. It isn’t the honoring of Christ (or “Messiah”) by Christians that bothers some Jewish leaders and organizations. But, a scene with a large crowd of Jewish people cheering for Jesus’ death makes some of us nervous, and can give anti-Semites an opportunity to lash out against Jewish people. There are still many anti-Semites out there, who consider Jews as “Christ-killers”, and unfortunately a lot of these same people also call themselves Christians. Also, the title “The Passion” brings to mind an idea believers may be unaware of. Throughout European history, Passion plays were used to stir up hatred and incite crowds to do violence to “the Jews that crucified the Lord.” So to the minds of us Jews, such titles are reminders not of the agony of Yeshua on the cross, but of the brutal mistreatment we’ve endured in His name. Thus, a different title with less historical baggage may have made the film easier to respond to.
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