God and Faith – This Holy Week see “Risen” and “The Young Messiah”
March 24, 2016
By W. Thomas Smith Jr.
What is man’s primary purpose or “chief end” in life? According to the Westminster Shorter Catechism, first published in 1647, “Man’s chief end is to glorify God, and to enjoy him forever.” This doesn’t mean we Christians are to know everything about God. Nor should we. God reveals to us what He is pleased to reveal to us through His Holy Scriptures and “that still, small voice” (as my pastor is fond of saying) of the Holy Spirit.
The remaining unknowns – both what has not been written, and the grand mysteries which are simply beyond the scope of human comprehension – are all up for conjecture. And that’s fine. Faith, hope, love and an ever-growing trust fills the proverbial gaps we might have on the knowledge and understanding side of things. At least that’s how it works for me.
But in addition to trust, we have this marvelous gift of imagination. And through this gift we have additional means by which we can “glorify” and “enjoy” God.
Which brings me to two just-released Faith-inspired movies; “Risen” and “The Young Messiah” – a pair of superbly written, produced and directed films that conceptually expand on the life of Christ albeit beyond the Scriptures telling two imaginative tales (historical fiction in the purest sense) never before written, yet remaining faithful to what the Scriptures do indeed teach us.
Now, what do I mean by “remaining faithful” to Scripture? Simply this: That neither film suggests any possibility beyond what might have been. In fact, both elaborate on 1st-century Biblical stories in ways that were not only possible, but engaging, emotionally stirring, and will no doubt lead not only the faithful, but skeptics and unbelievers into a deeper look at God’s Word.
Unlike many other Christian-themed films that are frequently low-budget so a bit disappointing when they hit the big screen; “Risen” and “The Young Messiah” are the kinds of films that I believe will have you remaining in your seat as the credits roll, and – based on what I experienced – not wanting to leave the theater.
I particularly enjoyed “Risen” as – like most guys (especially those with a military frame-of-reference) – I felt I was able to identify with the Roman Army tribune (essentially a Roman colonel) who in his pursuit of the wrongly believed stolen body of the crucified Christ, finds and ultimately follows the true risen Christ. Apologies if I’ve divulged the storyline apex, but this is the kind of tale that tells-well regardless of whether-or-not the end is known prior to the telling. And this plot was fairly predictable.
The film stars Joseph Fiennes as Clavius, the tribune who is hard-pressed by Pontius Pilate to find the missing body of Jesus, or else.
Viewers may remember Fiennes’ as the Soviet commissar Danilov in the film “Enemy at the Gates” (2001), as well as his portrayal of Martin Luther, the great 16th-century “Father of the Protestant Reformation,” in the movie “Luther” (2003) among other roles.
In “Risen,” Clavius is a complicated soul. Despite his ruthlessness as an experienced combat-commander, he is a moral man. He is fierce in battle (has no qualms about killing) and firm with his men, yet he possesses a foundational sense of right and wrong. And when he finds Jesus? Well, watch and see.
Is “Risen” faithful to what we read in Scripture? Roman Catholic Bishop Robert Barron may have said it best: “I was surprised and delighted to discover that the movie is, in fact, robustly Christian and substantially faithful to the Biblical account of what transpired after the death of Jesus.”
Then we have “The Young Messiah.” Like “Risen,” this film imaginatively adds what has not been written, but by-and-large remains true to Scripture. The storyline follows the life of seven-year-old Jesus – portrayed here by Adam Greaves-Neal – traveling with his family from Egypt to Nazareth, and along the way learning that all of the extraordinary unanswered questions He has about Himself and the world have everything to do with His being the Son of God.
The film’s director Cyrus Nowrasteh, says he was seeking “to present a realistic portrait of Jesus as a child both grounded in faith and consistent with the adult Jesus revealed in the Bible.”
That I believe he accomplished.
Though the screenplay was co-written by Nowrasteh and wife Betsy Giffen Nowrasteh, it was adapted from the book, “Christ the Lord: Out of Egypt,” by Anne Rice, a novelist said to be an on-again, off-again Christian. I’m not sure what her beliefs are. I know she’s written a lot of vampire stories. But I’m not going to be musing about that here other than to say that God Himself is sovereign in all things. And as we read in Romans 8, “We know that for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to His purpose.”
Nowrasteh says, “As believers, we hope that children will be drawn to the child Jesus and that this can be an uplifting film for the entire family.”
I believe children will almost assuredly identify with the child Jesus in this movie, and yes, it is an uplifting film for the whole family.
Again, these films are not absolute narrative-documentaries from God’s Word. They’re not meant to be. Neither were the big Charlton Heston epics which we all still embrace. But they are definitely worth watching, thinking about, discussing and imagining as they lead us into a deeper desire for God – yes, enjoying Him – His Holy Word and His grand mysteries.
Happy Easter!
– New York Times bestselling editor W. Thomas Smith Jr. is a military analyst, a partner with NATIONAL DEFENSE CONSULTANTS, LLC, and a former U.S. Marine infantry leader. An active member of Northeast Presbyterian Church (PCA), he also directs Always Faithful Outreach, a Christian ministry delivering bread and pastries to homeless shelters and missions throughout the Midlands. Visit him at http://uswriter.com.
