Copyright 2014 Theresa Harvard Johnson
(Normally, I do not write movie reviews. However, this movie in particular was marketed in the expectation that gave rise to the expectation of a biblical story. Many congregations brought people by the bus loads to the theatre to hear the message shared. I stood in great expectation that this movie, though I knew it would be nothing along the lines of the Passion of Christ, would truly release a solid message… even in Hollywood. From my perspective, it did not deliver. So I wrote this review based on my disappointment in this regard. For my purposes, I must iriterrate that I am still one of those people who believe that the full message is just as effective today as it was over 2,000 years ago. My review is shared from that perspective.)
John 21:15 NKJV, “So when they had eaten breakfast, Jesus said to Simon Peter, “Simon, son of Jonah, do you love Me more than these?”
If you are a believer in Christ, Yeshua the Messiah, then one thing is sure: “Your priority is God.” Priority. Priority. Priority. It is from this place of “priority” that we learn to see the world through His eyes, meaning God’s place of understanding instead of our own. It is a place in which the totality of His vision can be summed up in the deepest of heart cries:
- His love rages for our repentance (2 Peter 3:9);
- His love rages for souls to receive His gift of salvation through the forgiveness of the shed blood of Christ (John 3:16); and
- His love rages for obedience that leads to total reconciliation (2 Corinthians 5).
The totality of His vision is the fullness of restoration his way, not by way of men. These three elements are at the very heartbeat of God’s ONLY plan to bring men into the unity of faith. True believers are immersed believers.
The movie, Son of God, directed by Christopher Spencer and written by Spencer, Richard Bedser, Colin Swash and Nic Young did not include “the priority” messages. As believers, this should grieve us. Why? Because it presents the type of Christ that the “world system” desires us to embrace – the one who moves on human love, subjective reasoning and one’s own understanding (Proverbs 3:5). From this perspective, I take an opposing stand in stating that the vision for this movie was not inspired by God, but by Hollywood.
This is not a movie presented by the congregation of God because HIS eternal vision is not the priority. You can find a powerful, relevant scripture that conveys this in 2 Corinthians 5:20 NKJV states, “Now then, we are ambassadors for Christ, as though God were pleading through us: we implore you on Christ’s behalf, be reconciled to God. 21 For He made Him who knew no sin to be sin for us, that we might become the righteousness of God in Him.”
For me, this discussion isn’t about who wrote the movie; who is a believer and who is not; how scripture was taken out of context, or any of those things that fall into the background of conversations. It is also not about addressing compromise. I declare, as a prophet of the Lord, that in order for this movie to fall into the category of compromise it must first be a movie “inspired by God” and written from a place of lowering the standards of God or denying God in efforts to please and placate men. This movie is not a God-inspired movie!
Did not Peter love God but in a moment of fear deny him? Did not Peter cohort with men without preaching repentance in efforts to fit in? Yes, he did. There is absolutely no doubt that the people of God sometimes walk in compromise, but the difference here is that conviction enters in as they mature and grow; their old man continues to die, and they rise to that place of embracing the PRIORITIES OF GOD. Generally, when people are swinging between two positions — like Peter did — they will ocillate between from what is of God and what isn’t. In this case we see “cold.”
Babylon, this world system HATES GOD (John 15:18). For some reason, many among the congregation struggle to understand this foundational truth. Many people (Believers) have been deceived by this movie. The agenda here is to present us with a “man-made Christ.”
People of God, never once from Genesis to Revelations has GOD ever compromised His message according to the scriptures that have set the foundations of our faith in Christ, Yeshua the Messiah. Never once has an all-powerful God needed MEN to play Holy Spirit, and determine what part of the Gospel was okay to leave in and what was okay to leave out. In every message that the son of the Living God conveyed through teachings, miracles, signs, wonders, prophetic demonstration, etc. carried strong, unwavering cries of gut wrenching repentance, the power of forgiveness of sin and salvation; and the message of reconciliation. Even the words of the forerunner, John the Immerser, was consistent in decreeing and declaring, “Repent! Change! For the Kingdom of Heaven is at hand.”
Are we now saying that these words are EVIL? Are we now saying that this MESSAGE is irrelevant? Listen, I know that there is a way to deliver and say things — THIS is not that conversation. In this review, I am calling our attention to something deeper.
When did we decide that the people of the world couldn’t receive God’s truth? When did we decide that we needed to altar the message so that it is more palatable? Remember, repentance isn’t a curse word. Neither is forgiveness, salvation, reconciliation, the Son of the Living God, etc.? Somewhere along the way, many have made that determination and are giving people the kind of FOOD they desire – not what God desires or requires.
This is what is at issue in my heart right now.
For those among the congregation, these truths – regardless of theology – are unwavering to the GOD of the universe whom I eternally proclaim, at the loss of friends, family and even the favor of men. It’s worth being unpopular and standing as an outcast in defense of the message of the Gospel.
You see, when GOD IS the priority in our lives then His heartbeat is our priority. When men are the priority in our lives, then God – in his great humility – fades into the background of their hearts. Oh if men would defend God as their priority as fiercely as they defend the actions of men! Oh if our love for God was as passionate as the fire many believers have for varying causes in their lives!
The movie, Son of God, presented us with an alternative, man-Christ void of Holy Spirit. It presented us with “the son of an unknown god” – a man who walked the earth, worked magic, operated in a high level of swag and pulled on the emotions of many with no authentic power. We were given a shell – a picture of a type of Christ that this world system wishes that many of us had.
We never met the Son of the Living God on that movie screen. Was it a good movie? Sure it was. It was as good a movie as ANY of the movies that Hollywood releases. But for the discerning believer, my heart breaks as we close our eyes to the priority of God and celebrate a relaxed, tolerant, sin-ignoring, people-pleasing type of Christ that the people of the world hunger and thirst for us to teach in this country.
We come out by the droves to support something like this — and ignore the foundations of the very faith we profess to believe. When we celebrate this “vision” that the world system has for us, we send a reciprocal message back saying that this type of social-Christ is okay to support. We say to them that repentance, salvation, forgiveness of sin and reconciliation are really not that important and that you don’t have to believe in the SON of the Living God, just believe in this man. Further, we are stating that we don’t even need to know WHY He came, as His purpose for coming from Heaven to earth – which was in part to seek and save the lost – was never addressed.
Many people among the congregation of God are grieving right now, and standing in intercession for the Body against deceit, praying that we awaken from our slumber. Declaring that hearts would be touched and immersed by the priority of God. Praying that his priority becomes our priority. I pray that believers would know the Christ from the Sermon on the Mount, the one written of by the apostle John and prophesied by Isaiah. I pray that we will truly love God as Yeshua the Messiah loved him, and love his people through the kind of love revealed through His sacrifice.
Is this a heartless, evil request? Is this cold and mean? People of God, it isn’t. Why can’t we see this?
Is this movie, Son of God, a victory for the Dominion of our God? Absolutely not! It is a victory for the world system in its efforts to counter-evangelize us? Yes, as the elect falls prey. Can God use it? Yes, he can. He used a donkey to speak to Balaam the false prophet. He used Pharaoh to propel the destiny of Moses, and so forth – but not without a cost. What will the cost be for this one people of God in a country that is already fading under the cedars of Lebanon?
Are we okay with a “buddy-bestie” Jesus or are we looking for our King of Kings, Lord of Lords? This review that I have written is not about the potential of THIS MOVIE. It is about who Christ is in the eyes of God; and how he came to seek and save the lost (John 3:16).
It is about the need for the congregation to be INTENTIONAL about LOVING God HIS WAY, and LOVING PEOPLE HIS WAY. There is more to the agenda of these “Jesus” movies than meets the eye. Since Hollywood cannot seem to quiet us, they’ve taken the deceptive tactic of re-shaping our view and the worlds view of Christ.
The question asked of Peter, remains for us today: “Do we love Him more than these?”
