The Meeting Point of Mercy and Justice; As Explained Through Two Films

“Come now, let us settle the matter,” 
    says the Lord.
“Though your sins are like scarlet,
    they shall be as white as snow; 
though they are red as crimson,
    they shall be like wool.

Isaiah 1:18

            When taking on the task to sit and write this “analysis” of, what seemed to be, two complete opposite takes on the crucifixion event the words did not instantly take on form.  I found myself struggling to find a common theme.  But, then I reminisced upon a lecture given in class on Luke and its telling of Mercy and Justice meeting at the cross.  It was that moment in time, at that very place on Mount Calvary at the feet of Jesus, the Christ, the chosen ben-'adam that justice and mercy met for the first time. It was easy to see where this story was foretold in the film The Passion of The Christ but where was it in The Last Temptation of Christ?

            The Passion of The Christ, a 2004, Mel Gibson film depicting the Passion narrative of Jesus; drawing a little from each Gospel of New Testament Gospels covers the concluding 12 hours of Jesus' life.  It begins with a scene of anguish in the Garden of Gethsemane and culminating with of his resurrection. The film portrays brief flashbacks of the childhood Jesus and some of him as a young man with his mother.  It also hits most of the major events in the life of Christ such as; the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus as a Rabbi to the Twelve Apostles, and at the Last Supper.

            The opening in Gethsemane with Jesus praying and being tempted by Satan, while his apostle’s sleep follows most of the Gospels account. There is then a flash to a scene where one of Jesus' other apostle, Judas, receives thirty pieces of silver.  That same apostle then approaches Jesus with the temple guards and betrays him with a kiss in the immediate following scene.  Guards move in to detain Jesus, Peter, as portrayed in Matthew and John, cuts off the ear of one of them.  

Jesus is then taken to Pilate and after questioning is taken to Herod.  As in Luke, Jesus is silent before Herod.  It is then he is taken to stand before the crowd where a hesitant Pilot is slow to and unwilling to do as the crowd has asked and that of a crucifixion.  After an in depth look into the brutal beating of Jesus, and that struggle to bare his own cross we arrive at the summit of the Mount where he will be hung from his, more so our, cross.  Jesus prays forgiveness for all that did this to him and for the ones hanging next to him. After Jesus gives up his spirit and dies a single drop of rain falls from the sky, triggering an earthquake which destroys the Temple and rips the cloth covering the Holy of Holies in two.  Satan is then shown screaming in defeat. The story ends with Jesus rising from the dead and exiting his tomb.

It is with the prayer of forgiveness and the act of punishment mercy and justice collide in this depiction of the crucifixion of the Messiah.  As Jesus prays for his father to forgive the ones who had just persecuted him, beat him, called for his unjust execution as he hangs for the sins and justice that should be poured out on every other man an event that had never happened before takes shape in the mist of the cosmos; justice and mercy collide for the first time.  A single drop rain marks the occasion with a rumbling that causes destruction, one that would be expected when two monumental forces collide.  The moment being so big, so drastic it causes the Heavens to open up a drop rain and the Earth to split.

It is easy to see where Mel Gibson depicts this one-time event.  However, where does Martin Scorsese’s adaptation of Nikos Kazantzakis’ book do this?  Or does it?  I assert it does!

Like Nikos Kazantzakis’ novel, Martin Scorsese’s film depicts the life of Jesus and his mortal like struggle with innumerable forms of temptation.  These include; fear, doubt, depression, reluctance and lust. The film portrays this by Jesus being tempted by visualizing himself betrothed in sexual activities, marriage, and child rearing.  The movie fully makes note that it departs from the typical Christian canonical portrayal of Jesus and those stories from the Gospels.

The plot covering more than just the last 12 hours of Jesus’ life is too much to get to here in its entirety.  The story opens with Jesus being tortured by this calling he is receiving.  It immediately shows a bond between Jesus and Judas and that of friends.  It then shows the two going to John the Baptist to be baptized and then it is off to the wilderness.  However the reason is for different reasons it looks to suggest there were certain nomadic peoples out there in which he needed to converse with about this calling he feels.  He then goes in to the wilderness alone for 40 days and nights where he is tempted by Satan in the form of a snake. 

After these events he and Judas go to find his disciples.   What is different from the Gospel telling is that Judas knows the others formally, and they are all depicted as members of the Jewish group the Zealots.  I say this because they all want a violent overthrow of the Government (Rome.)  We see Jesus perform his miracles, and even attempt to go through with an insurrection event upon Roman troops.  However, playing with the theme of Jesus not knowing of one event to the next as if there is a cloud of vagueness as if there is knowledge of what will happen next seconds before they play out. 

He then tells Judas what his mission is, and Judas is un-wanting of this call.  The last supper is held and Judas departs only to return with the guards in the garden to detain Jesus.  I must mention however the kiss given to Jesus is one of sincere and love.  The cautiousness to carry out the mission is displayed.  Jesus is then led away only to pick up with him carrying the cross.  He is hung on the cross and it is at this moment Jesus feeling alone, has a temptation that his mission is over.  He is shown what his life would be like if he came down; kids, a wife, and a normal life.  But in the end the mission is more important. 

Where is the meeting of mercy and justice in this portrayal?  I assert it is when he finds out his final mission that’s when Justice hits, and mercy comes sprinting in when he chooses to hang there on the cross knowing he could come down.  That monumental moment is depicted in the film when Jesus chooses to suffer for all and forgive them past, present, and future.  The collision between these too polar opposites happens when a man decided his call to be the slaughtered lamb over his own mortal wants and needs gets the ear of God, his father.  To me it seemed God the father never thought his Son would go through with it.  But, when he did, when Jesus stayed on that cross of the just punishment of all, God’s mercy came in like a flood and collided with justice.

Both films showed and marked an event in history the scholars still struggle to explain; the moment where mercy and justice collide.  This assignment brought out and into light the true meaning of mercy and justice and what it means when they collide.