"The Bible" Miniseries - Episode 4

I am supposed to write the fourth of five reviews on the History Channel’s “The Bible” docudrama, according to the goal that I set to myself, but it is getting harder and harder to write these reviews.  I am beginning to wonder what I have gotten myself into with this project. 

Part 4 of the miniseries covered highlights from the public life of the adult Jesus after he recruited the first of his disciples. It included the following:

The feeding of the multitude, walking on water, cleansing of the leper, healing or the lame, sermon on the mount, Jesus and the woman caught in adultery, raising of Lazarus, clashes with Pharisees, Jesus’ riding on a donkey into Jerusalem, cleansing of the temple, the Last Supper, Jesus’ betrayal by Judas, Jesus’ arrest, the healing of the ear of Malchus, and Peter’s denial of Jesus.  Again, a lot of stories are jam packed into less than two hours, and it is unlikely that anybody who’s not already familiar with the biblical storyline would be able to make sense of the life and ministry of Jesus based on watching this docudrama alone.  This hardly can be avoided, given the ambitious scope of the project.

Others have aptly pointed out that there are many places where this episode deviates from the account of the gospels:  words are placed into the mouth of the wrong people, Jesus enters the tomb of Lazarus instead of calling him to come out from the outside, Mary Magdalene pops up in many scenes that she was not part of in the New Testament, and so forth.  For my part, I don’t understand the motives of the producers in making these changes, either.  I don’t understand what may be gained from having the high priest Caiaphas ask “What good can come out of Galilee?” instead of Jesus’ disciple Nathanael. What’s wrong with sticking to the Biblical script?

In watching this episode, I found all the Jewish opposition to Jesus conflated into one.  Somehow, the differences between the Pharisees and the temple authorities (Sadducees, High priest, scribes, etc) got blurred.  To truly understand how Jesus fit into the landscape of first-century Judaism, however, it would have been very helpful to distinguish between the varied reasons that led different Jewish factions to oppose him. 

Instead of further critiquing this episode, though, I’d like to draw your attention to an important scene that the producers added:  While Jesus is praying in the Garden of Gethsemane (“My Father, if it is possible, may this cup be taken from me.”), the camera cuts away and first shows the High Priest Caiaphas and eventually Pontius Pilate and his wife.  The High Priest gives thanks to God for creating him as a Jew, whereas the Roman couple sacrifices to their ancestor, giving thanks for their lives and good fortune.  Eventually, the camera cuts back to Jesus, who now surrenders to God’s will (“Yet not as I will, but as you will”).

The difference between these prayers is important. In a way, Jesus models to us how we ought to approach God … in life and in prayer.  True faith – Jesus teaches us – implies that we surrender to God’s will, even when God’s will might conflict with our own desires and aspirations.  This attitude of surrender is what distinguishes Jesus from the priest and the Roman couple.  My hope for all who seek to follow in Christ’s footsteps is that we learn to surrender to God’s will as he did.

May Christ’s message of eternal life fill you with hope and peace!