In his movie The Passion of the Christ Mel Gibson makes a few alterations to the dialogue of Christ’s last hours, for dramatic effect. I recall one line in particular that Jesus utters to His mother Mary while fallen down in pain and exhaustion: “…I make all things new,” Jesus says.
I remember seeing the film in the theater and bring struck by the poignancy of that line. At home I searched for it in the accounts of the Gospels and didn’t find it there. At first I thought Mr. Gibson had put some words in Jesus’ mouth, and even if effective I wasn’t thrilled by adding to our Lord’s final words. But then I found the text. And I must say, it was a brilliant theological connection by the writers.
Jesus utters these words in the Revelation to St. John. In chapter 21, verse 5, Jesus sits on His throne as the new heavens and new earth are revealed and declares, “Behold, I am making all things new.”
In recent days it seems that the brokenness of creation and this world has become more and more apparent. Things are falling apart in this country and globally. Men are less and less interested in the Truth and instead in what is true for them. Christians are hated, persecuted, and in some parts of the world constantly put to death.
Yet Gibson perfectly captured what Holy Week and Christ’s Passion are all about. In His innocent suffering and death Christ dies to defeat sin and redeem man, and in so doing He begins the restoration of all of creation. When Christ declares “It is finished” He means that Sin is paid for, death is conquered, and Satan’s head is crushed. And the fulfillment of this is the Last Day, depicted in Revelation.
Holy Week is the chief week of the Church’s year. There is no more blessed liturgical time than the 8 days from Palm Sunday to Easter. And there is no better time to be in the Services of the church. I hope you’ll make plans to come throughout the week and hear of Christ’s making all things new and finishing His work of salvation and restoration.
In the name of our victorious Lord Jesus Christ,
Pastor Schuermann