It’s
hard to imagine a Jesus movie might be entertaining rather than mainly pious,
heartrending, or inspiring, but the first thing Aida said when the credits
ceased rolling on the way out was, “That was a lot of fun!” This movie is fun.
It’s also very moving, inspiring, and heartrending. Filmed in South Africa, the
visuals are expansive and beautiful. The characters are memorable and well-acted.
Some
may be shocked at the boxing scenes, but Jesus movies are known for their gore
especially inflicted on Jesus in the crucifixion. But boxing was a popular sport
in the Greco-Roman world,[1]
and we are spared the crucifixion which is done off set. The relationships are
important and do drive the film, especially the moments when Yeshua (Jesus,
played by Jeff Dickamore) teaches the boxer who has become his carpenter
apprentice (Oren, played by Kameron Krebs). Oren will be accessible to men and
boys watching this film. He is reminiscent of a modern time traveler dropped
into the ancient world. He thinks his dream mate is “out of his league” and he
seems to elicit a modern response from his brother Levi (Kaulin Krebs) who asks
if he is going to “take her out on a date.” The boxing training sessions are
certainly all ancient and appear believable.
The
film is refreshing. It’s definitely the most different Jesus movie we’ve ever
seen. But it’s very likeable and well worth watching if you don’t mind the
opposite of a chick flick—what we might call a rooster flick. If you haven’t
had the experience Bill had as a small boy sitting in his dad’s lap watching
the Friday nights fights, you might brace yourself up for some of these scenes,
but they are not R-rated and quite tame for what you might see in a secular
movie.
One
of Aida’s favorite scenes was: when our protagonist Oren makes a table and asks
Yeshua how he knows so much about him. Yeshua says, you know everything about
the table you make. The Creator knows everything about what he creates. We’ve
never seen John 1:3 flushed out more poignantly (“all things through [the Word]
came into being and apart from him came nothing, not one came into being”) or Luke
12:6-7 (“Are not five sparrows sold for two pennies; and not one of them is
forgotten in God’s presence. But even the hairs of your head are all counted.
Do not be afraid. You are worth more than many sparrows”).[2]
Bill was impacted by the scene where Yeshua gives Oren a kithara that Yeshua
crafted (a predecessor of the guitar) and tells him to write a song and sing it
to the woman he loves (Mira, played by Aurora Florence). If she can still love
him after hearing him sing, then he can know this is true love. Yeshua also
points out that writing songs is not for oneself, but to give them to others. A
major theme is Yeshua’s generosity which fills the entire story, which he
embodies throughout the film by his infectious actions (“It is more blessed to
give than to receive” [Acts 20:35]).
Did
you ever wonder why Jesus never asked the centurion whose servant he healed to
drop out of the Roman army in Luke 7:2-10 but simply praised his faith and
moved on? The Jesus for The Carpenter answers that puzzle. He simply
tells people where they are, assesses the level of their faith, and moves them
on in it by involving them irresistibly in his own search and rescue
activities. He simply works with them.
And,
what about its mixed messages? The director, producer, and one of the writers
is a Mormon: Garrett Betty. The movie is aimed at general audiences, but its Mormon
theology comes through when he has Jeshua speak to Oren about finding an “eternal”
mate. This explains why the film begins by picturing couples, such as Adam and
Eve and Abraham and Sarah, which alludes to their eternal marriages that
produce in eternity spirit children who await being assigned bodies that will
come to earth to learn to “become like their eternal father, return to him, and
achieve their exultation to godhead” (Doctrine and Covenants).[3]
However, the real Jesus never promoted marriage after death or becoming equal
to the father God as he was (Phil 2:6). The Sadducees asked Jesus about a woman
who married seven brothers, “In the resurrection, whose wife would she be?”
(The Sadducees, unlike the Pharisees, did not believe in the resurrection.)
Jesus replied firmly that there was no marriage in the resurrection (Matt
22:30; Mark 12:25; Luke 20:35). The Apostle Paul reiterates that marriage is
annulled at death and is not eternal or forever (1 Cor 7:39).
In
short, this film is engaging and entertaining. But, beware of any Mormon
doctrine that is implied. The takeaway is to enjoy practicing and perfecting
the gift God has given you, because it was given to you in love for the benefit
of others, but its use is not sufficient to ensure salvation (cf. Rom 10:9-10).
Bill
and Aída
[1] E.g., see E. Norman Gardiner, Athletics of the Ancient World Chicago: Ares, 1930 [1980], ch. 15.
[2] The translations are by Aída unless otherwise indicated.
[3]
See further Harold Carl, “Families Are Forever: Why Eternal Families Just Won’t
Work,” Africanus Journal 9:2 (Nov. 2017): 15-23. Mormons emphasize doing
good works as part of the plan of salvation since they believe the
substitutionary death of Christ for our sins is not sufficient. See Harold
Carl, “The Impossible Gospel: The Doctrine of Salvation According to the Text
and Canon of Mormonism,” Africanus Journal 2:1 (April 2010): 14-24;
Walter Martin, The Kingdom of the Cult, ed. Hank Hanegraaff
(Minneapolis: Bethany House, 1997), ch. 6, especially 237-40.
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