Pictures of Jesus

One of the advantages to having never watched movies like "The Passion," or "The Jesus Film," is that my imagination has remained free to picture Jesus in fresh ways. My parents recognized the dangers associated with these kinds of influences early on, and I'm thankful. Every time I read the Gospels, I try to let the written words become spoken words - sometimes shouted, or hissed, or whispered. Languid black and white scenes are colored in with facial expressions, meals, the sound of laughter, the drama aboard a Galilee fishing boat. And the story is never the same twice.

Toward the end of John 1, in twos and threes, the disciples begin to discover Jesus. After Philip rouses the skeptical Nathanael, Jesus greets him:

"'Behold, an Israelite indeed, in whom is no guile!' Nathanael saith unto him, 'Whence knowest thou me?' Jesus answered and said unto him, 'Before that Philip called thee, when thou wast under the fig tree, I saw thee.' Nathanael answered and saith unto him, 'Rabbi! Thou art the Son of God; thou art the King of Israel.'"

I love this next part. With a twinkle in his eye, maybe even chuckling, "Jesus answered and said unto him, 'Because I said unto thee, I saw thee under the fig tree, believest thou? Thou shalt see greater things than these!'" - John 1:47-50

It is common to hear "the book is better than the movie." In extreme cases, the movie is so bad that it ruins the book entirely. Let's let the Bible tell its own story.