THE LAST TEMPTATION OF CHRIST AND THE CHRISTOLOGY OF MARTIN SCORSESE
This controversial film was shown several years back, and I’ve heard a lot of criticisms about it both positive and negative. Controversial indeed, because the film tackled the sinful nature of humans, which as the book of Genesis recorded, came into being soon as sins entered humanity first through Adam and Eve. And this film earned the ire of select conservative Christians as the film director Martin Scorsese portrayed the Lord Jesus Christ in his “sinful” human nature while having romantic relationship with Maria Magdalena. May be still a taboo for many Christians, but to me, the film, though fictitious can be rated as “highly recommended for adult audience” as Scorsese gave his own interpretation of the adult human life of the God incarnate, Jesus Christ. Maybe, the director did this for both artistic and commercial purposes.
If Scorsese were an evangelist, three concerns may be detected in his “gospel”. First, that Jesus emphasized Love, the unconditional and indiscriminating love for thy neighbors, be they good or bad. Scorsese clearly portrayed how Jesus associated with the sinners and loved them. He indeed loved the sinners, not necessarily their sins. This was portrayed in the scene when Jesus was queuing along with other “customers” of the prostitute, but when his turn came, he did not do it. All have sinned, and when he said, “those among you who have no sin may cast the first stone”, only indicates how he cares for the sinful humanity. “To err is human, to forgive is divine”, as Alexander Pope puts it aptly described Scorsese’s “gospel”. Second, that spiritual salvation is a gift from God, and humanity can be saved only by grace. No man can be perfectly good to earn salvation. Only grace from God can save men. Even Jesus while in flesh seemed to struggle against sin. In this Scorsese’s film, this human nature of Jesus was portrayed right at the a crucifiction scene when he shouted, with full emotions, “Father, why thou have you forsaken me”. Jesus was then in flesh, and he can feel the pain and agony of being human. Scorsese further interpreted this by showing post-crucifiction scenes when Jesus as guided by an angel went down from the cross, go to the wilderness, got married and birth several children, as if he lived a normal human being. This could be the title of the movie in this reflection – The Last Temptation of Christ. He was supposed to be God-like, as the Father sent him – no complaint but with all willingness to die. And third concern, Jesus is the messiah. The entire film is essentially Bible-based. While Scorsese focused on the human nature of Jesus, the film ended with the Deity of Christ. Jesus accomplished his mission when he shouted, “it is accomplished!” right before he died. At the end of the film Jesus has the dialogue with the Father who seemed sorry for what Jesus did as human. The Father seemed to tell him that he must be more spiritual rather than being human while on earth, and that he must die as God and not as human. And while the Father seemed sorry for what Jesus struggled as human, the Father still expressed his unconditional love for his begotten son and forgave him. That finally happened when Jesus accepted and died “happily” on the cross. That event started human salvation for all those who believe him.
Fictional or Scriptural? One of the elements in the film which I may considered fictional was the thought or theme that Jesus fell into sin/s while he was here on earth. He may be tempted several times throughout his over 30 years on earth, but it is unscriptural to conclude that Jesus fell into sin. He remained sinless till he ascended back to heaven. He may have mingled with sinners like prostitutes, but he never ever prostituted himself. He may got angry with people who made the holy Temple a market place, but he did not sin. He did everything in love. He told and corrected one’s mistakes and sins with love. When he saved the prostitute (Magdalena?) from angry mob who were determined to stone her to death, that was a feeling of compassion to the sinners, yet, he told her, “Go and sin no more”, for he never tolerated sinful acts.
Another fictitious and unique portrayal by Scorsese was the “Jesus getting away from the cross”, who, upon the guide of an angel, went into the wilderness, and marry a bride who during her pregnant stage died. Then, he found another woman friend (Martha or Maria?) with whom he seemed to birth several children and lived a normal life as human. This could be another temptation in his life as God incarnate. Thus, at the end of the film when the Father confronted him, he was asked, “What are you doing with this woman and these children?”
The crucifiction scenes also received unique portrayal like the form of the cross he bore (it was unassembled cross) contrary to the traditional completely formed cross. The mountain where the crucifiction was done was likewise unique, so with the other criminals crucified with him. Jesus was crucified in total nudity. Physical arrangement was different from that we traditionally saw from other artists’ interpretation.
The dialogue between the ailing Jesus and the Father may also be considered fictitious, as Jesus, as well as the Father ascertained his felling into sins while here on earth. Jesus was then “struggling” to heavens showing the hell at the background.
Christological Theme. In this film, Jesus’ self-awareness was torn between his being the Son of God (the Messiah) and the son of Mary. During his ministry, he seemed to be what the Heavenly Father wanted him to be – preach, make miracles and lead humanity to God. He even once told Mary, his mother, that he didn’t know them, and that the Temple was his house as what his Heavenly Father planned for him. Yet, in some moments in his life, his being son of Mary prevailed, as what he was while hanging on the cross upon seeing his mother Mary and others at the scene.
On his trial and eventual crucifiction, he was both forsaken and charged by his fellow Jewish people for allegedly collaborating with the Roman empire, and for breaking the Laws such as working on Sabbath, and for preaching his being the messiah. Similarly, he was charged and eventually sentenced to death by crucifiction by the Roman empire for alleged sedition, enciting the Jewish people to rebellion.
In a nutshell, Scorsese’s Christological theme may be inferred from the following Plot of the story:
The film begins with a man whispering in despair, "The feeling begins. Very tender, very loving. Then the pain starts. Claws slip underneath the skin and tear their way up. Just before they reach my eyes, they dig in. And I remember. First I fasted for three months. I even whipped myself before I went to sleep. At first it worked. Then the pain came back. And the voices. They call me by the name: Jesus." Jesus of Nazareth (Willem Dafoe) is a carpenter in Roman-occupied Judea. He is torn between himself as a man and his knowledge that God has a plan for him. This conflict results in self loathing, and he collaborates to construct crosses used to crucify Jewish revolutionaries, an act that brands him a traitor in the eyes of his fellow Israelites.
Judas Iscariot (Harvey Keitel) belongs to a nationalistic splinter faction which wishes to revolt against Roman rule. Originally sent with orders to kill Jesus for being a collaborator, Judas instead comes to suspect that Jesus is actually the Messiah and asks him to lead a revolution against the Romans. Jesus tries to tell Judas that his message is love, that love of mankind is the highest virtue that God wants. Judas joins Jesus in his ministry, but warns Jesus that he will kill him if he strays from his obligations as a revolutionary. Jesus also has an undisclosed prior relationship with Mary Magdalene (Barbara Hershey), a Jewish prostitute. Mary asks Jesus to stay with her, a request that he considers seriously before deciding to leave for a monastic community. Jesus later saves Mary from an angry mob which has gathered to stone her for the crimes of prostitution and working on the sabbath. Jesus persuades them to spare her life—instructing "he who is without sin [to] cast the first stone"—and instead preaches to the crowd using many of the parables from the Sermon on the Mount.
Jesus soon acquires a following of disciples, but during this time he remains uncertain of his role and status as Messiah. He travels with his disciples to visit John the Baptist who has already heard of Jesus' reputation. John baptizes Jesus, and that night the two discuss their differing theologies and political views. John believes that one must first gain freedom from the Romans before the world of God is declared, while Jesus maintains that love is more important and people should tend to matters of the spirit. Jesus then resolves to go off into the desert to see if God really speaks to him. While in the desert, Jesus is tempted three times by Satan (Leo Marks). He resists each of these temptations and instead envisions himself with an axe chopping down an apple tree. Jesus then appears as a vision to his waiting disciples where he seems to rip out his own heart and invites them to follow him. With newfound courage as the Messiah, he proceeds to perform many signs and wonders such as restoring sight to a blind man, turning water into wine, and raising Lazarus (Tomas Arana) from the dead.
Eventually his ministry reaches Jerusalem. Jesus is outraged by the money changers in the temple and throws them out. He even leads a small army to try to retake the temple by force, but instead halts on the steps and begins bleeding from his hands. This convinces him that violence is not the right path and that he must die in order to bring salvation to mankind. Confiding in Judas, he asks his best friend and strongest disciple to turn him in to the Roman guards, something that Judas does not want to do. Nevertheless, Jesus implores that this is the only way and a weeping Judas acquiesces. Jesus convenes his disciples for Passover seder, an event which later comes to be known as the Last Supper. After the meal, Judas leads a contingent of soldiers to arrest Jesus while he is praying in the garden of Gethsemane, identifying him with a kiss. In the struggle to defend his master, Peter (Victor Argo) cuts off the ear of Malchus; however, Jesus performs the miracle of reattaching it and turns himself over to the soldiers' custody. Pontius Pilate (David Bowie) confronts Jesus and tells him that he must be put to death because he represents a threat against the status quo, that being the authority of the Roman Empire. Jesus is subsequently flogged and a crown of thorns is placed on his head. He then proceeds to Golgotha where he is crucified naked.
While on the cross, Jesus sees and talks to a young girl who claims to be his guardian angel. She tells him that he is neither the Son of God nor the Messiah, but that God loves him, is pleased with him, and wants him to be happy. She brings him down off the cross and leads him away while the jeering onlookers seem not to notice. The angel takes him to be with Mary Magdalene, and the newly married couple make love. They are soon expecting a child and living an idyllic life. One day, however, Mary abruptly dies in their home, and a sobbing Jesus is consoled by his angel who says that God has sent for her and that all women are "Mary", thus he takes both Mary and Martha, the sisters of Lazarus, for his wives. He starts a family with them, having many children, and lives his life in peace. Jesus is next seen as an older man who encounters the apostle Paul preaching about the Messiah—that is, about "Jesus"—and he tries to tell Paul that he is the man about whom Paul has been preaching. Paul (who in this film has slain the resurrected Lazarus in his earlier life as Saul) repudiates him, saying that even if Jesus hadn't died in the cross, his message was the truth, and nothing would stop him from proclaiming that. Jesus debates him, claiming that salvation cannot be founded on lies.
Nearing the end of his life, an elderly Jesus calls upon his former disciples to attend him at his deathbed. Peter, Nathaniel, and a scarred John all visit their master as Jerusalem is in the throes of rebellion. Judas comes last and denounces Jesus as a traitor. He reveals that the youthful angel who released Jesus from the crucifixion is in fact Satan who has been tempting him into this alternate life of comfort as a mortal man. Jesus at last understands and accepts that he must die to bring salvation to mankind. Crawling back through the burning city of Jerusalem, he reaches the site of his crucifixion and begs God to let him fulfill his purpose and to "let him be God's son."
Jesus instantly awakens from his reverie and finds himself once more on the cross, having overcome the "last temptation" of escaping death, being married and raising a family, and the ensuing disaster that would have consequently encompassed mankind. Naked and bloody, Jesus cries out in ecstasy as he dies, "It is accomplished!", and the screen flickers to white. (End)
