THE GOSPEL OF JOHN

REVIEWED BY SHANNON H.

Our rating: 5 out of 5

Rated:

Countless films have been made about Jesus' life. King of Kings, The Greatest Story Ever Told, Jesus of Nazareth, and most recently, The Passion of the Christ have all told the story of how Christ came to save mankind This film is a little different than the others because it tells Jesus' story from the viewpoint of the writer of the Gospel of John, hence the title. 

The film opens to the beginning of the Book of John, describing the actions of John the Baptist. The narrator (Christopher Plummer) explains that John the Baptist is not Jesus the Christ, but His servant, performing baptisms for those who wish to be baptized, especially Jesus. Across the river from where John was performing baptisms, Christ (Henry Ian Cusick) appears, leaning on his walking stick, peering out into the scenery around him. Immediately, two of John's disciples recognize Him and followed Him. Jesus asks them, "What do you seek?" The two men immediately address Him as "Rabbi" and asked where He was staying.  Jesus replies, "Come and see." Soon, He has gathered the first few of His disciples: Andrew, Simon Peter, Simon (Cephas), Philip, and Nathanael.  He continues to pick up more disciples along the way.

The story continues, word for word from the Gospel of John. From here, Jesus and His disciples travel to Cana, for they were invited to a wedding feast. Here, Christ performs His first miracle by changing the water into wine. Then, He meets a Pharisee named Nicodemus where He explains how to be born again (John 3:3-21 NKJV). Jesus continues His travels from Samaria and Galilee to Bethesda where He had healed a man who had suffered from paralysis for 38 years. During His journeys with His disciples, Christ is constantly confronted by the Pharisees, the high priests of the temples and synagogues, who accuse Him of being a blasphemer (since He refers Himself as the Son of God) and criticizing Mosaic law. The local Jews are even more offended when Jesus states that His Body and Blood provide eternal life (He's talking about His Crucifixion but the local Jews still didn't understand). The film pans from one miracle to the next, leading up to Jesus' trial, Crucifixion, and Resurrection.

The film is rated PG-13 because of violence associated with the Crucifixion. Peter cuts off the ear of a Roman slave as Christ is being taken away by Roman authorities (a small amount of blood is seen). A Roman soldier is seen whipping Christ in a holding cell (it isn't graphic). Christ is brought before Pontius Pilate with blood dripping from His head from the crown of thorns. Later, Christ is seen crucified on His cross with blood coming from his hands and feet. A Roman soldier stabs Christ's body with a spear (this wound is shown in close up with some blood pouring out of His body). Two other men who are crucified nearby have their legs broken by Roman soldiers. 

The Gospel of John is taken, word-for-word, from the Book of John, the last of the four Gospels in the New Testament. It is also based on the Good News Bible translation (my citations in the review come from the New King James Version), but if you wish to follow along with your Bible while watching the film, then any translation will do. The Gospel of John portrays Jesus as a human figure, one that people are able to relate to. It focuses from the start of His ministry to His Resurrection, whereas Gibson's film focuses on the last 12 hours of His life. It was made to help illustrate Christ's life, mainly for those unfamiliar with the Bible. For the believer, it helps bring the Book of John to life and an idea of what might have transpired so long ago. The Passion was meant as an act of faith and a tool to save the lost by portraying the pain and the agony Christ experienced when He was crucified. 

I really enjoyed this film. Henry Ian Cusick is marvelous as Jesus Christ. He adds a bit of charisma to Christ's personality when He shares the Gospel with the Jews. I liked how the movie focused on one of the four Gospels instead of relying on all four to tell Jesus' story. The DVD comes with two versions: a two hour version and the three hour theatrical version. I saw the three hour one so I'm not sure how much they cut out of the other version. Still, it's a good film overall.  f you're sensitive to extreme violence, this is a good film to watch on the life of Christ.