Risen

Risen

a review by John Haynes

I went to see the movie Risen recently. It was a very good film. Not much in the film actually happened, but more on that later. It was a good story. I like stories, and I know Jesus does too. He may have told more stories than anyone who's ever lived.

First the good. This was a beautifully made film It was filmed mostly in Spain and Malta. Really nice photography. The acting was also superb. Joseph Fiennes is a very experienced actor. You may remember him in Luther. In this role as the tribune Clavius, he does another fine performance. He is very believable. You know from the get go that he's a skeptic.

The movie begins showing the Judean wilderness, where Jesus was tempted by Satan (although they don't say this). It says the year is A.D. 33 (The screen shot says 33 A.D., but this is not grammatically correct. A.D. goes before the date. B.C. goes after). I don't think Jesus was crucified in 33. I think it was more like 29 or 30, but I won't quibble about it. The year 33 has traditionally been thought to be the year he died.

Jesus is on the cross when the movie starts, and he's actually dead. But this is not yet known. The tribune Clavius is told by Pontius Pilate to make sure he's dead. "Break his legs," he says. So Clavius sets out to do that.

He speaks to the centurion (who is traditionally known as Longinus, but he's not named in the film). Clavius stops the soldier who is breaking the legs of the other criminals. That soldier thrusts a spear into Jesus' side. Tradition says that the centurion did this, but the Bible doesn't say who did. That is pretty much all we hear about the centurion. You can read a lot about the legends surrounding him if you look on Google. Many believe the centurion became a believer.

On the Saturday after the crucifixion, the movie shows the tomb being opened and the high priest Caiphas is allowed to go in to make sure Jesus body is still there. I don't think this happened. Scripture doesn't say it did. Could it have happened? Sure, but I really doubt it did. I think the tomb was sealed on that Friday evening after Jesus was entombed.

There were only two guards at the tomb. This is very inaccurate, but I think I know why they did it. The Bible does not say how many were guarding the tomb, but it does say that "As the women were on their way into the city, some of the men who had been guarding the tomb went to the leading priests and told them what had happened" (Matt. 28:11). "Some" means more than two. We don't know exactly how many they were, but it seems clear that four is the absolute minimum (see http://sntjohnny.com/front/how-many-guards-at-the-tomb-of-jesus/485.html). I think they used two because Clavius interviews both, though at different times. He catches both in lies, but there's nothing he can do about it. The high priest Caiphas has made a deal with Pilate to say that they were asleep when Jesus' disciples came and stole his body.

Clavius was given the task of finding Jesus' body. He interviews many people. At one point he talks to Mary Magdalene. He tells her that he will give her her freedom if she will tell who Jesus' followers are. "I'm already free," she replies. Good answer!

After Clavius finds the disciples in the Upper Room, he sees Jesus among them. Did this happen? I doubt it, but that's okay. As I said, it's a good story. He is overwhelmed by seeing him. And he recognizes him because he was there at the crucifixion. He saw Jesus. Then Jesus is gone. The disciples are talking and decide to leave Jerusalem and go to Galilee. So they leave. Clavius follows them from a distance. Finally, they invite him to travel with them, and he does. At one point, they see some Roman soldiers who are trying to find them. Clavius knows how they think, so he has them follow him to escape. But suddenly the centurion who had been assigned to Clavius is there with a sword at Clavius's throat. Clavius is able to take it away. "No one dies here today," he tells the soldier. He tells him to go back and say nothing. He lets him go, and he goes. He appears before Pilate and shakes his head that he couldn't find them.

In the last scenes of the movie, Clavius talks to Jesus. Jesus comforts him. He know he was at the crucifixion. We don't really know when Clavius became a believer, but it is clear that he did. What happened to him? We don't know, but it's clear that he became a "fisher of men" as he spoke with Peter about.

Some people have found fault with the fact that Jesus is not called Jesus in the film. He is called Yeshua. This is probably more accurate. The Hebrews (and Greeks, for that matter) do not have a J sound. It's a Y in the case of Hebrew, and an I in the case of Greek. So I certainly don't find fault with this.

As I said, this is a story. And it's a good story. Not everything in a story actually happened, and that's okay. Even when it comes to the Bible. The only thing I wish they had changed is having some good Christian music at the end, as they did in God's Not Dead. The Newsboys are an awesome group, but there are many Christian artists whose songs would have fit very well.

So go see Risen if you haven't already. I know you'll enjoy it! Yes, "He is not here: for he is risen, as he said!" (Matt. 28:6).