Maximising This Passion Week

There cannot be a better model than Jesus Christ, writes MONDAY PHILIPS EKPE

In 2004, Hollywood dropped a film that shook the world. The Passion of the Christ, written and directed by Mel Gibson, captured some raw, graphic details of the period in the Christian calendar referred to as Passion Week, the week that ended with the resurrection of Jesus Christ. The numerous scenes of extreme suffering, torture and cruel defacement of the lead character, Jesus, attracted criticisms and negative reviews but all Gibson did was to use expressive visuals and sound to re-enact the actual events narrated in the New Testament of the Bible and the prior pronouncements about the then expected messiah.

According to Prophet Isaiah, Jesus would be “despised and forsaken of men, a man of sorrows and acquainted with grief…. We ourselves esteemed him stricken, smitten of God, and afflicted, but he was pierced through for our transgressions. He was crushed for our iniquities…. By his scourging we are healed… As a result of the anguish of his soul, he (God) will see it and be satisfied.” Most words here are neither soothing nor mild, putting it mildly. For Jesus and the people who loved him then, that entire defining moment was not a tea party.

Complaints by some individuals that the motion picture was anti-Semitic or historically inaccurate could not stop it from breaking records and fundamentally influencing many of its watchers. Apart from drawing inspiration from the Bible, the screenwriter also derived some ideas from The Dolorous Passion of Our Lord JesusChrist, an account of a vision of an 18th Century German nun, Sister Anne CatherineEmmerich, written by Poet Clemens Brentano. In my view, Gibson successfully employed art and technology to portray, in a captivating manner, a time-tested truth.His efforts instantly raked in 600 million dollars in box office income alone. In another interesting instance,a Texan businessman, Arch Bonnema, reportedly purchased 6000 tickets to the opening screenings of The Passion and gave them out freely in his community. Beyond those financial breakthroughs, the currency and relevance of the man who lived and moved around in Palestine over two thousand years ago cannot be questioned, at least in the reckoning of billions of Christians.

Jesus of Nazareth.The uniqueness of his person is, without doubt,superlative and incomparable. His public service lasted for just about three years, something that started at the age of 30. His only record of writing was when an angry mob brought a woman caught in adultery to him, threatening to stone her to death in fulfilment of the Law of Moses. He wrote on sand at a point but even the content was never captured. Yet, as many scholars have argued,Jesus has inspired more writings than any other person. And, what is more elevating than having a number of world’s religions speak, usually reverentially, about one particular man in their ownsacred books?

Martyrdom has, in reality, played a key role in further authenticating the mission of Christ on earth. Equally noteworthy is the fact that that did not come by way of people being hoodwinked into following a merely charismatic or hypnotic principal. As soon as he was arrested, the men he had worked and closely interacted with took off for the love of their own lives. That act of abandonment encouraged the Roman authorities and religious leaders to attempt to influence them into denying the authenticity of the resurrection of their master. In a turn of events and with the passage of time, however, the same disciples rediscovered their courage and voices and stood firm for what they believed, against the intimidating odds that were rapidly cropping up mainly from the political and religious hierarchies.

A deep reflection on the lives, activities and end of those men, long after Jesus had departed, could set us, Nigerians, on the path of true loyalty to causes that have extra-mundane, more enduring values. Life, after all, has much more to do with convictions about ideals and the common good.The lead apostle, Peter, begged his tormentors who were about to crucify him to do so upside down since, he reasoned, he was not qualified to die in the same position as his boss. Fed up with his fervent preaching, the authorities in Greece summarily hanged Luke. James who was the head of the church in Jerusalem was thrown down from the temple top when he refused to distance himself from Christ. That did not kill him. His torturers then clobbered him to death.

James, afisherman and son of Zebedee, was murdered in Jerusalem. A Roman soldier who watched him passionately defending his faith at the trial became converted and then proclaimed Jesus publicly. He felt privileged to be beheaded alongside James. Matthew was fatally stabbed with a sword in Ethiopia. Mark was tied to horses and dragged through the streets of Alexandria, Egypt until he gave up his ghost. Bartholomew who operated much in Turkey became a great missionary in Asia as a whole. He was eventually whipped to death in Armenia. Arrows feasted on the body of Jude as he remained adamant about his beliefs.

Andrew’s demise was somewhat slower, relatively. Seven soldiers beat him with whips numerous times and then tied his fragile body on an x-shaped cross from where he continued to proclaim the message of Christ for the next two days before he finally expired. Matthias was stoned and later had his head cut off. On one of the extensive missionary visitations of Thomas (the man who had doubted Jesus’ rising) to India, he was gruesomely speared. In Rome, John was thrown into boiling oil but did not die. Shocked, the rulers sentenced him to prison on the Patmos Island from where he wrote the Book of Revelation. He later died at an old age. Imprisoned and brutalised many times, Paul, who was initially a persecutor of the church, later became Christianity’s most prominent and influential leader but was eventually beheaded in Rome by Emperor Nero for remaining unbending.

In effect, Nigerian Christians do not lack worthy ancient examples.The unfathomable, humanly incomprehensible sacrifice of Christ and the sterling devotion of his immediate ‘best-men’ should be enough compass in this sometimes foggy earthly journey. Thankfully, unlike those revered pillars of the faith, we may not even need to pay the ultimate price in pursuit of noble ideals. Where to start from? It ought to bother us that the ever-increasing number of churches and imposing cathedrals have not yet translated to a better social and cultural climate for our bleeding country. Too much religion but meagre, miserable spirituality.

This week represents the climax of a clearly eventful and fulfilled life.“The Son of man came to give his life as ransom for many,” Jesus told his disciples at intervals to prepare them for his finishing line. From his triumphal entry into Jerusalem, last supper, betrayal by Judas, agony in Gethsemane, arrest, trials, torture, cross bearing, crucifixion, death, burial and then revival, the Man of Galilee demonstrated an uncommon capacity for selfless love, strength of character in the face of extreme provocation and anguish, obedience to his sender and father, and commitment to completing his assignment strong. In a world short on these traits, there cannot be a better model.

Dr Ekpe is a member of THISDAY Editorial Board

Suggested quote: “What is more elevating than having a number of world’s religions speak, usually reverentially, about one particular man in their own sacred books?”