Questions for Discussion and Reflection of "The Passion":
1. What was your initial or immediate reaction(s) to the film? Why do you think you responded that way?
2. In what ways were the techniques of film-making (lighting, casting, direction, script, music, sets, action, cinematography, editing, etc.) used to tell the story, or to make it plausible or compelling? In what ways were they ineffective or misused?
3. With whom did you identify in the film? Why? With whom were we meant to identify? What did you think of the way Jesus was portrayed? Discuss the various characters in the film and determine their significance for the story: Satan, Judas, Mary, Pilate, Pilate’s wife, the other Mary, the disciples, the Roman soldiers, the Jewish leaders and priests.
4. Has the film changed your attitude about Christ’s death?
5. How does The Passion compare and contrast with other films which depict the death of Christ? Which is closer to the truth of the biblical text? How is the depiction of Jesus similar to/different from the usual depiction in popular religious art?
6. How is the depiction of the actual crucifixion similar to/different from the usual depiction in popular religious art?
7. Note the various extra-biblical scenes included in the film. Do they add to the message of the film or detract from it?
8. Did any of the scenes cause you to see the narrative of Scripture in a different light? Is it legitimate to have a film affect our view or interpretation of Scripture?
9. A few Christians object to The Passion on the grounds of the second commandment, which forbids the making of any image to depict divinity. How would you respond? (See for example, chapter four “The Only True God” in Knowing God by J.I. Packer.)
10. The graphic depiction of Christ’s flogging and crucifixion suggests that it was a horrible event, wrenching almost beyond endurance to watch. With this in mind, should Christians ever get comfortable with the story? To what extent is it right to speak of the cross without any sense of horror? What does this suggest for 1) our own private devotional life; 2) our corporate worship; 3) our wearing a cross as a piece of jewelry; and 4) our way of speaking about the cross?
11. How are your non-Christian friends responding to the film? Why do they think they responded the way they did? How do they understand the events they saw depicted? Are there ways in which they are misunderstanding the message of the film? To what extent does the movie provide an opening for discussion? How might we best prepare for such conversations?
12. Why might The Passion fail to generate a good discussion with some non-Christians about the Big Questions of Life? What films might provoke better discussion?
13. What emotions does The Passion evoke in Christians? In non-Christians?
14. The two main charges against The Passion that have been popularized in the media are that 1) it is anti-Semitic or may whip up anti-Semitism in some believers; and that 2) it is anti-historical. What arguments have been put forward to support these charges? What aspects in these charges are true and therefore should be affirmed by us? What is the Christian response to the charges which are not true?
15. One question that might arise is how this particular crucifixion, out of so many, 2000 years ago in a distant province of the Roman empire can possibly have significance for us today. What is the Christian response? What might a non-Christian need to consider, especially if they are unchurched and largely unaware of biblical Christianity, before they are ready to accept the significance of The Passion for their own life?
16. Consider a cross as a piece of jewelry and as a tattoo. Could the argument be made that if a Christian is going to wear a cross, it should be a tattoo (instead of jewelry) because the tattoo involved pain, is far more permanent, and serves less to “prettify” than to identify? Why or why not?
17. Should Christians who decline watching films chosen by their non-Christian friends because the movies are “too violent” invite those friends to see The Passion?