Gospel Of John

In order to believe that Jesus is the Son of God we must posit three things. First, that he has perfect love for mankind. "God so loved the world that he gave his only begotten son to suffer and die for our salvation." Jesus knew from the beginning that death on the cross was his mission and he accepted his mission to the end and forgave his enemies with some of his last words on the cross.

Second, Jesus must be the most patient of men. He knows all things including the heart of man. He loved everyone in spite of what they might have done or might do in the future and he offered forgiveness to all right to the end when he said to the good thief that he would see him in paradise that very day.

Third, Jesus is completey understanding. He loves uncondtionally and has the highest regard especially for sinners such as the prodigal son. Some might argue that what is required is for the sinner to turn to Jesus for forgiveness and that the scribes and pharisees are confirmed in their sin and are unable to repent. This point of view would be a Calvinistic interpretation of the Gospel and one not warranted by the film under discussion. For God to be God, God must be love and love does not condemn but seeks endlessly to forgive. God's love is so powerful and overwhelming (see The Hound of Heaven) that it is never possible to say that salvation is impossible for anyone.

For this film to be accurate, Jesus must be completely without sin -- "one like us in all things but sin." To be strident in tone or impatient in action would be inappropriate for Jesus and the viewer must determine if the director properly demonstrates humility and love in all that Jesus says and does.

"It is only with the heart that one can see rightly; what is essential is invisible to the eyes." Jesus saw rightly with his heart. The viewer must decide if the filmmakers are true to his vision. Highly recommended.


BEAUTIFUL AND MOVING   May 29, 2004
 8 out of 8 found this review helpful

WHAT A POWERFUL AND MOVING FILM. MADE IN 2003 IT HAD VIRTUALLY GONE UNNOTICED. THERE IS SOMETHING VERY PURE AND GENUINE ABOUT THIS FILM.THIS FILM DOESN'T INSULT THE INTELLIGENCE OF THE VIEWER AS THE MORE RECENT BIG BUDGET HOLLYWOOD FILM THAT DEPICTS THE CRUCIFIXION OF CHRIST WITH ITS GRATUITOUS SCENES OF VIOLENCE. I RENTED THIS DVD AND VIEWED IT WITH MY YOUNG DAUGHTER, AND FELT THAT PEOPLE OF ANY AGE CAN FIND IT INSPIRING.


A deeply moving masterpiece.   May 25, 2004
 3 out of 3 found this review helpful

"The Gospel of John" is one of the best films I seen during the last few years. As a word-for-word interpretation of the gospel from the Good News Bible, TGOJ gives a faithful representation of the Gospel According to John. Henry Ian Cusick, I believe, is one of the best actors ever to play Jesus (ranking in the company of Robert Powell in "Jesus of Nazareth" and "The Passion of the Christ's" Jim Caviezel), and Christopher Plummer's narration is also powerful. I know it's been noted here before, but I'll go ahead and say it again anyway: TGOJ and "The Passion..." make great companion films to each other, with one film focusing on the crucifixion of Jesus and the hours leading up to it, while the other movie focusing on His life, teachings and ministry. Both movies are great, although I would have loved to have seen TGOJ get as much exposure as "The Passion."