Disparity Between The Passion Of The Christ by Mel Gibson and The Bible

"The Passion of the Christ" by Mel Gibson, recounts the last twelve hours of the life of Jesus of Nazareth, portraying his arrest, trial, crucifixion and death. One of the most popular religious movies in modern times, it therefore becomes susceptible to criticism. Although the film is based upon the stories within the four gospels of Matthew, Mark, Luke and John, there are many exaggerations and non-biblical elements present in the movie. This is not unexpected, since it is a movie, but the vivid detail of the brutality in the movie as well as the Anti-Semitic theme are the most publicly criticized elements of the movie. The Passion emphasizes the brutality Jesus endured to give himself for his people, but at the same time in the movie the Jews are the ones that cry for his death. During several scenes of The Passion of the Christ, there are elements such as characters, themes, and motifs that are not found within the gospels, but are in the movie to add more dramatic elements. One of the most common arguments about The Passion is that it is focused on the intentional blaming of the Jews for the death of Jesus Christ. Throughout the movie, and in particular the scenes where he is held before Pontius Pilate and Caiaphus, Jesus is berated and blamed for blasphemy by his own people, a notion that is not explicitly talked about within the Bible. It is obvious in the movie and the Bible though, that Jesus has no bad intentions or threats to anybody, yet he becomes the enemy. The implied reason for this is that the Jews rejected Jesus and God. But why are the ideas of love and freedom that Jesus is promoting, in the movie and the Bible, so evil and unacceptable according to the people and high priests? At most of t... ... that the whole Earth experiences the consequences of his crucifixion and death. Also, in the gospel of Luke, it is noted that one of the thieves being crucified asks of Jesus, "Remember me when you come into your kingdom", and Jesus accepts his recognition. In the movie, the other thief just laughs at this conversation, and a raven lands upon his cross and pecks out his eyes. This is not detailed in the gospels, but is added into the movie as a sign of karma. The slight differences in The Passion of the Christ and the gospels' accounts are made to create a more dramatic feeling for the viewer. The addition of devils and Satan to the story adds more emotion, and stresses the dedication Jesus had to his people. Overall, the differences between the stories are to show a more creative depiction of the sacrifice and determination that Jesus gave for his people.