The Young Messiah: Will Christians Take this Film as Gospel or Fiction?
Bible scholars know little about the early life of Jesus but that hasn’t stopped filmmakers from blending fact with fiction. The upcoming March 11th release of “The Young Messiah” is no exception yet it’s unfair to paint all productions with this brush. “The Jesus Film” (1979) and some portions of “Jesus of Nazareth” (1977) accurately depict the angelic visitation to Mary as well as Jesus’ three-day temple court experience (Luke 2:41-50). After Jerusalem, the Bible tells us little about Jesus until the age of thirty (See Luke 2:51-52).
The Young Messiah, based upon Anne Rice’s novel “Christ the Lord: Out of Egypt,” is a fictional account of Jesus’ life (age seven), the uncovering of secrets about his Messianic identity and his re-introduction into Israeli society. But there are obvious scriptural/archaeological/chronological problems one must address. It is known, according to the Jewish historian Josephus, that King Herod the Great died in 4 B.C.E./B.C. and that Jesus was born no earlier than 6 B.C.E./B.C. Prior to his death the paranoid Herod orders the “Massacre of the Innocents” (Matthew 2:13 -18) targeting males two years and younger in Bethlehem and surrounding areas. Jesus’ family flees to Egypt and then are told to return to Israel after the kings death via dreams (Matthew 2:13, 19-20). This would place Jesus at age two or less not seven, stated Rick Dack of Defending the Bible Int’l (www.defendingthebible.com).
In addition to bad chronology other cinematic Bible myths may include…
• Jesus accidentally killing a bully and resurrecting him.
• Joseph’s prior marriage and son before Jesus’ birth.
• Joseph’s non-sexual, emotionally cold relationship with Mary (contradicts Mark 6:3, Matthew 13:55-56).
• The family struggle in telling Jesus about his true Messianic identity.
• Jesus and his family are almost trampled in Jerusalem during a Passover riot.
• Zechariah, the father of John the Baptist, is killed by Roman soldiers.
Will you go see “The Young Messiah” even if it’s fiction? This ministry wants to hear from you ([email protected]).
Has your Pastor and Principal addressed media Bible myths and offered a defense of the scriptures? If not, your church and school needs to invite Defending the Bible Int’l. This ministry’s “Biographies of the Bible” classes and presentations supply all the answers you will ever need (3D animations of Bible sites, Hollywood stories of faith, archaeological biographies of Bible characters and more). Check out www.defendingthebible.com.
(Source: Christian Newswire)
