Review of Son of God (2014) by Mark K — 04 Mar 2014

Son of God is a moving film, well done and Christ-honoring. The movie focuses not only on Jesus' character, but the characters of those in Jesus' sphere, and its portrayals are excellent. A few examples:

The disciple John, narrator of the film, because the movie is based on the Gospel that bears the gruff fisherman's name...

Caiaphas, who knew Jesus was the Son of God, but fought Jesus every chance he got. The movie portrays Caiaphas as one deeply grieved by Rome's carnage of the Jewish people. His actions are set against the backdrop of his belief that Jesus would cause Rome to bring more destruction upon the Jews...at least, that is what the audience thinks. The high priest's ruthless quest for power is hidden until Judas is brought to him and shrewd Caiaphas has thirty pieces of silver ready and waiting. Caiaphas is an example of one who gained the whole world, but lost his own soul.

Mary, shown as ever present, just like in the real Gospels. I personally wish more of the women disciples had been shown with Jesus, because they were certainly there, but this film took great care to show accurately that a woman sat at His feet and was His disciple. The disciples' responses to her news that the tomb is empty are priceless.

"Son of God" did a great job with Judas' lack of character. When Judas asks Caiaphas, with sniveling joy, "What's in it for me?" one is repulsed completely and realizes that Judas possessed nothing: not heart, love, life, hope, joy, compassion, goodness, salvation. He did not even possess the thirty pieces of silver for which he sold The Lord. Instead, he was possessed.

I have to admit I loved this film's portrayal of Pontius Pilate. The movie presents the man as he truly must have been - apathetic to the plight of those "beneath" him, a politician happy with the trappings of his hard-earned success (and the viewer knows they were hard-earned by Pilate's deeply creased brow). Pilate is depicted as the satisfied husband of his trophy wife and I very much liked the movie's portrayal of Pilate's wife as one who wanted to influence her husband for Jesus. But Pilate was a man of this world. Adept at waging war, Pilate could not see waging peace as an option. When he asks Jesus, "What is truth?" the viewer realizes that Pilate's vested interest was in not knowing the truth, and hopes against hope that the jaded official will give up his earthly allegiance to a man claiming to be god-king to follow the true God-man, the King of Kings. The Lord responds to Pilate's question with His own question: "Are you asking what truth is because you really want to know, or because someone else wants to know?" If only Pilate had wanted to know the Truth. But he was all too willing to render unto Caesar the things which were God's.

The Son of God: I thought that the character of Jesus was underplayed. Then I realized, that's exactly what the filmmaker intended. The Lord Jesus Christ, when He walked the dusty hills of Israel, deliberately avoided making a big fuss about Himself. From the humble manger to His sacrificial death on the cross for our sins, Jesus wanted people to see Him in His humanity, as one of us. Will we love Him as a baby, as a boy, as a man? What do we do with His words, "If you've done it to the least of these, you've done it to Me"? The realization that He is the Son of the Living God is a gift to each one of us given by the precious Holy Spirit of God.

When the stone rolled in front of the tomb where Jesus was placed, I couldn't help but think about Genesis 1: "And darkness was upon the face of the deep." But, just as the Spirit of God hovered over the face of the waters and God said, "Let there be light!", the Holy Spirit of God brought forth the Light of the world out of the darkness of the grave. And darkness is now utterly defeated, never again to reign. I loved the way this film showed the empty tomb - the stone was not only rolled away - it lay broken in half, utterly spoiled and useless, in front of the empty tomb. Awesome!

For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whosever believes in Him, will not perish, but will have eternal life.

John 3:16.