It’s interesting how each representation of Jesus gives us a slightly different perspective of who he was, and a sliver of truth to take from it. I couldn’t help thinking about all of the movies that Phillip Yancey mentioned in “The Jesus I never knew�. I can’t remember if this was one that was on his list or not; but I remember him describing how each film portrayal of the life of Christ gave him a new appreciation for a specific quality of Christ.

I suppose it is a flaw of humans to try to capture a person’s life in biography or film into one particular character trait or summary thought. For Jesus Christ SuperStar, it is simply a modern superstar. Specifically the weakness of a modern superstar… for me it seemed to become more of a commentary on stardom from the perspective of Jesus rather than a commentary on Jesus from the perspective of super star popularity. That is to say they used certain aspects of Jesus life to comment on rock stars, and Mr. Rice took great liberty wherever the example of Christ was insufficient for such a comparison. I do believe it presented a noteworthy perspective of the meekness of Christ, the impatience of his followers, the distrust of those closest to him, and the love and concern of the few who understood his heart.

But like so many other portrayals of Christ, it seems that people are more in touch with his humanity than his deity. He was shown to be a few steps beyond meek, almost dysfunctional in his unassertiveness. They show him as unable to handle the relationships around him, and responding in frustration and disconnection. They showed a near emotional dependency on the women in his life. They showed him as being overpowered by the call of his mission and the needs of humanity. They showed us a struggling, needy, and emotionally tortured Christ. I believe these are accurate moments of his humanity, but the balance of his love for mankind, dependence on the Father, commitment to discipleship, and acceptance of his role as the mediator and sacrifice for us were missing.

I love watching something like that, because it forces me to think through who Christ really was and is. In that process I can empathize with the artists perspective and I am compelled to balancing it with all the others I have come across. Who Jesus is becomes that much clearer, and why anyone would want to become a superstar becomes that much more distant.

Categories: Movies, Theology