Risen: Breathing Life Back into the Story, and My Faith

Last updated on: March 15, 2016 at 1:44 am by Guest Contributor

Risen: Breathing Life Back into the Story, and My Faith 2016-03-15T01:44:22+00:00 Guest Contributor

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Clavius (Joseph Fiennes) with Jesus’ disciples, witnesses a miracle in Columbia Pictures’ RISEN.

A few months ago I was invited to see an advance screening of the movie Risen. I said yes, but internally was thinking, “Just what we need – another cheesy, low-budget film pandering to a Christian audience.”

I am absolutely thrilled my cynicism was wrong. There are so many things I enjoyed about this movie.

First of all, the movie pays attention to cinematography and acting. People clearly cared about the craft of the film. Joseph Fiennes brings a genuine heart to the role – this was more than just a paycheck for him – and beyond him there weren’t any moments where I cringed internally at hamfisted dialogue or terrible delivery. The entire cast was great.

Second, this movie nails – maybe better than any movie I’ve seen – the religious/historical setting of 1st Century Palestine. As a pastor who often tries to paint a picture to my church community of the world surrounding the New Testament, I found myself nodding and chuckling at the several small aspects this movie gets right. It’s a small detail, but when Fiennes’ character prays to the God of Yahweh and tells him if he betrays these people claiming Jesus rose again and delivers them into his hands, he will burn incense and initiate games in Yahweh’s honor. The spiritual pragmatism of the Roman culture is juxtaposed with the monotheistic, life-altering loyalty of the small band of Jesus-followers being hunted down.

As the movie progressed I felt my defenses slipping and went along with the story. I found myself deeply moved by the disciples’ confession of their own confusion, how they didn’t have all the answers, how all they knew was there had been a resurrection and how that changed everything. I remembered how radical this message of Jesus was – how it was a dangerous revolution to the powers at large even though this revolution never picking up a sword. I marveled at how fearless the followers of Jesus were, because if a man could raise from the dead, what is there left to fear?

But what surprised me most – and some spoilers exist in this paragraph if you care about such things – was how the depiction of Jesus toward the end of the film leveled me.

There’s a moment where Jesus and the disciples are walking past a small village as a person with leprosy is being literally kicked out. Jesus sees. He stops. The disciples look at each other and smile in anticipation because they’ve seen this before. And Jesus walks over, kneels down, and hugs the leper. Holds him. And whispers something in his ear that’s only for that man and Jesus to know.

And sure, I’ve read the stories about Jesus doing such things for years – and I can explain the theological and cultural significance of them at length – but because this movie spent so much time placing this moment in such a real world, when I saw Jesus hold that leper I broke down crying, because Jesus was holding me too.

In the months since watching the screening, I’ve returned to moments from the movie often and found myself still moved. Risen, to the complete opposite of my expectations, has breathed life back in to my faith and made Jesus, and the disciples, and the early church, feel real to me all over again.

I’m hopeful it does the same for many others as well this Easter season.

Josh Pease is a pastor & writer living in Los Angeles. He works with young adults at Christian Assembly Church. Pease is also the author of the book ‘The God Who Wasn’t There: Searching for God in the Middle of Pain.

Image courtesy of Sony Pictures.

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