Post by Rob W. Case on Apr 21, 2019 22:19:14 GMT -6
There are many film and television depictions of the life of Jesus Christ, but very few have focused primarily on His resurrection, and the aftermath that followed. In other words, how did the news of Jesus’ resurrection spread, and how did those who influenced His crucifixion react to the news that He is alive again? How did people who saw Him dead on the cross, respond when they saw him alive again after his death? That and many other dynamics associated with it, are the subject of the remarkable 2016 film, “Risen”.
The Story:
In the year 33 A.D., the large armies of the Roman Empire guarded and enforced Roman Law throughout its vast empire. Governors of each province are responsible for maintaining order within their respective borders, and held accountable to Caesar who in this case is Emperor Tiberius.
Claudius Flavius (Joseph Fiennes) is a military Tribune who works under the authority of Pontius Pilate, the governor of Judea. His job is to help keep order in a region that is steeped in dysfunction and unrest. And this is no easy task. Jews awaiting their Messiah prophesied to them in the scriptures wait for Him to come, to crush their Roman oppressors and put an end to its government. However, in the meantime, aggressive and defensive zealots who hate the Romans and their government resort to violence to overthrow it, thus posing more and more of a challenge to Rome. Clavius’s job is to counter and extinguish uprisings and attempts at political overthrows within the region. Pontius Pilate (Peter Firth) summons Clavius to take control and oversee the crucifixion of a Nazarene named Yeshua (Jesus’s name in Hebrew) that he authorized in order to appease a Jewish mob, spearheaded by the religious leaders of the Sanhedrin. Pilate then orders Clavius to finish the job and assigns an aide to Clavius named Lucius (Tom Felton) to assist him. After Yeshua dies on the cross among two thieves, A man by the name of Joseph of Arimathea acquires authorization to bury the body in his own personal tomb. This infuriates Caiaphas, the Jewish high priest (Steven Greif), who gets involved and appeals to Pilate to have the tomb heavily guarded and a Roman seal placed on it, assuring to anyone who might even consider stealing the body that they would bear the severe penalty of undermining the law and power of the mighty Roman Empire.
The Empty Tomb:
To the detriment of the Pharisees and to the governor of Judea, they learn that the Roman seal has been broken, the tomb is now empty, and the body of Yeshua is gone. With news of this, Pilate is pressured by the Pharisees to officially proclaim that the body was stolen in the night, and come up with a corpse, any corpse if need be, to go with the story. What comes of this is the biggest manhunt in human history, with so much at stake, and potential for tremendous political fallout that Pilate fears will reach the attention of Tiberius and cause significant consequences for him. Clavius then tries to investigate and assist in finding a body. He questions the guards who were assigned to stand guard at the tomb (who are caught lying), questions the woman who was closest to Yeshua, Mary Magdelene (who explains that he rose from the dead and encountered him), and questions some of the very disciples (who encountered him after his resurrection) whom Yeshua spent his ministry with, but scattered from him in the heat of the events that led up to, and included the crucifixion. Clavius’s search ultimately leads him to Yeshua himself (Cliff Curtis), and his disciples wondering what is it about this man that makes him so revolutionary and the people who are following him now so peaceful, unafraid of the power of Rome, and distinctly joyful. And so, Yeshua reaches out to Clavius personally, and from there, things begin to take a new turn. The journey may have begun with the search of a dead body, but it ends with the absence of one, and adds a conviction, a change of mind and of heart, and something extremely deep and personal. And so this dynamic continues in the hearts and lives of millions today.
My Take:
This movie is very clever, unique, and extremely thought provoking. It is symbolic (perhaps whether intentionally or not intentionally, allegorical?) in the sense that Claudius is your “every man,” who gets up for work every day, faces the world, and in attending his job, hopes that his efforts and ambitions will lead him to a prominent position of power, wealth, a family, and an end to travail. Then when confronted with the resurrection of Yeshua, He has to examine the dramatic life changing impact that accompanies it, and from there has a decision to make; deny that He is who he said he was, and in that, deny that he actually rose from the dead, or seek out the facts, and in turn, reveal Him in the process. Either way, throughout the film’s narrative we see, in a very artful and clever way, a parallel to a promise that Jesus himself conveyed regarding those who truly seek him where He says, “Ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you. For everyone who asks receives, and he who seeks finds, and to him who knocks it will be opened. (Matthew 7:7-8)” Another element that I liked with this film was that it started out with a focus on the events from a Roman political perspective and the fears and anxieties associated with it, a first century Jewish religious perspective and the potential threat it had on their monopoly on piety, and then led to a very personal, human perspective that continues to engage people all over the world on a personal level, and resonate with those of us who have experienced it. In that this is a movie that I highly recommend around the Easter holiday season, or whenever you may want to ponder the event, the impact, and the thought provoking facts around the resurrection. Either way, this movie will get you thinking and get you wondering in a deep and impactful way.
The movie is rated PG-13 and runs 1 hour and 47 minutes.
To view a trailer, please click on the “Play” button below.
Trailer 1:
Trailer 2:
Risen is available on Blu-ray and DVD, and is available on multiple streaming services, all of which can be accessed HERE.
The Story:
In the year 33 A.D., the large armies of the Roman Empire guarded and enforced Roman Law throughout its vast empire. Governors of each province are responsible for maintaining order within their respective borders, and held accountable to Caesar who in this case is Emperor Tiberius.
Claudius Flavius (Joseph Fiennes) is a military Tribune who works under the authority of Pontius Pilate, the governor of Judea. His job is to help keep order in a region that is steeped in dysfunction and unrest. And this is no easy task. Jews awaiting their Messiah prophesied to them in the scriptures wait for Him to come, to crush their Roman oppressors and put an end to its government. However, in the meantime, aggressive and defensive zealots who hate the Romans and their government resort to violence to overthrow it, thus posing more and more of a challenge to Rome. Clavius’s job is to counter and extinguish uprisings and attempts at political overthrows within the region. Pontius Pilate (Peter Firth) summons Clavius to take control and oversee the crucifixion of a Nazarene named Yeshua (Jesus’s name in Hebrew) that he authorized in order to appease a Jewish mob, spearheaded by the religious leaders of the Sanhedrin. Pilate then orders Clavius to finish the job and assigns an aide to Clavius named Lucius (Tom Felton) to assist him. After Yeshua dies on the cross among two thieves, A man by the name of Joseph of Arimathea acquires authorization to bury the body in his own personal tomb. This infuriates Caiaphas, the Jewish high priest (Steven Greif), who gets involved and appeals to Pilate to have the tomb heavily guarded and a Roman seal placed on it, assuring to anyone who might even consider stealing the body that they would bear the severe penalty of undermining the law and power of the mighty Roman Empire.
The Empty Tomb:
To the detriment of the Pharisees and to the governor of Judea, they learn that the Roman seal has been broken, the tomb is now empty, and the body of Yeshua is gone. With news of this, Pilate is pressured by the Pharisees to officially proclaim that the body was stolen in the night, and come up with a corpse, any corpse if need be, to go with the story. What comes of this is the biggest manhunt in human history, with so much at stake, and potential for tremendous political fallout that Pilate fears will reach the attention of Tiberius and cause significant consequences for him. Clavius then tries to investigate and assist in finding a body. He questions the guards who were assigned to stand guard at the tomb (who are caught lying), questions the woman who was closest to Yeshua, Mary Magdelene (who explains that he rose from the dead and encountered him), and questions some of the very disciples (who encountered him after his resurrection) whom Yeshua spent his ministry with, but scattered from him in the heat of the events that led up to, and included the crucifixion. Clavius’s search ultimately leads him to Yeshua himself (Cliff Curtis), and his disciples wondering what is it about this man that makes him so revolutionary and the people who are following him now so peaceful, unafraid of the power of Rome, and distinctly joyful. And so, Yeshua reaches out to Clavius personally, and from there, things begin to take a new turn. The journey may have begun with the search of a dead body, but it ends with the absence of one, and adds a conviction, a change of mind and of heart, and something extremely deep and personal. And so this dynamic continues in the hearts and lives of millions today.
My Take:
This movie is very clever, unique, and extremely thought provoking. It is symbolic (perhaps whether intentionally or not intentionally, allegorical?) in the sense that Claudius is your “every man,” who gets up for work every day, faces the world, and in attending his job, hopes that his efforts and ambitions will lead him to a prominent position of power, wealth, a family, and an end to travail. Then when confronted with the resurrection of Yeshua, He has to examine the dramatic life changing impact that accompanies it, and from there has a decision to make; deny that He is who he said he was, and in that, deny that he actually rose from the dead, or seek out the facts, and in turn, reveal Him in the process. Either way, throughout the film’s narrative we see, in a very artful and clever way, a parallel to a promise that Jesus himself conveyed regarding those who truly seek him where He says, “Ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you. For everyone who asks receives, and he who seeks finds, and to him who knocks it will be opened. (Matthew 7:7-8)” Another element that I liked with this film was that it started out with a focus on the events from a Roman political perspective and the fears and anxieties associated with it, a first century Jewish religious perspective and the potential threat it had on their monopoly on piety, and then led to a very personal, human perspective that continues to engage people all over the world on a personal level, and resonate with those of us who have experienced it. In that this is a movie that I highly recommend around the Easter holiday season, or whenever you may want to ponder the event, the impact, and the thought provoking facts around the resurrection. Either way, this movie will get you thinking and get you wondering in a deep and impactful way.
The movie is rated PG-13 and runs 1 hour and 47 minutes.
To view a trailer, please click on the “Play” button below.
Trailer 1:
Trailer 2:
Risen is available on Blu-ray and DVD, and is available on multiple streaming services, all of which can be accessed HERE.