Muslim's Cross-Less Jesus Film Draws Mixed Reactions
A new film on Jesus, told from an Islamic perspective, has drawn mixed
reactions from the Christian community over its claim that Jesus did not die
on the cross but was replaced by Judas Iscariot
Fri, Mar. 21, 2008 Posted:
08:34:01 AM EST
http://www.christianpost.com/article/20080321/31609.htm
A new film on Jesus, told
from an Islamic perspective, has drawn mixed reactions from the Christian
community over its claim that Jesus did not die on the cross but was
replaced by Judas Iscariot.
“The Messiah” – written, produced and directed by Iranian filmmaker Nader
Talebzadeh - was filmed in the Islamic Republic of Iran with Iranian actors
to portray how Muslims understand the life of Jesus based on the teachings
of the Qur’an and the Gospel of Barnabas – a book not included in the
Christian Bible and in which the Prophet Mohammed appears.
The movie features two endings – the Muslim and Christian version of Jesus
and the cross – and has won an award at
Rome’s
Religion Today Film Festival for generating interfaith dialogue.
Dr. Emir Caner, dean of the College at Southwestern Baptist Theological
Seminary and a former devout Muslim, recommends Christians to view both
versions of the crucifixion account and ask themselves several questions:
• When was Jesus replaced, according to the Qur’an?
• Why did the disciples not recognize that the man they were following was
replaced before the cross
• Why did the mother of Christ not recognize that her son was not present on
the Cross
• What was the alleged purpose of Allah in deceiving the crowd, including
the disciples and Mary, into thinking Christ was being crucified
Caner, who is also a professor of history, said he believes that in the end
the film should be welcomed.
“Perhaps Muslims and Christians will recognize that the Qur’an only offers
sparse speculation into one of the most noted events in history while the
Bible gives meticulous detail into the historic events of the day,” Caner
wrote to The Christian Post in an email Thursday. “It is a new day when the
public is once again willing to discuss religious issues with eternal
significance.”
For most of “The Messiah,” Jesus is depicted similarly to versions made in
the West – light complexion, brown hair and performing miracles, according
to Variety magazine. But where the Muslim version diverges is at the end
where the disciple Judas Iscariot miraculously transforms into the likeness
of Jesus and is crucified in his place.
“He (Jesus) is not the son of God and was never the son of God. He is a
prophet and he was not crucified, that somebody was crucified in his stead,”
Talebzadeh claimed, according to CNN.
The director said his goal in making the film was to show both Muslims and
Christians their common and different beliefs in Jesus and to generate
conversation between the two groups who in recent years have been pitted
against each other.
“When you show this information (Christian view of Jesus) to the common
people, they don't know. Ninety percent of the Muslims in
Iran
don’t know about this,” Talebzadeh said.
Dr. Gary R. Habermas, distinguished research professor and chair of the
department of Philosophy and Theology at Liberty University, said he has not
seen the film but commented that Islam is “very respectful” of Jesus. He
noted that the Qur'an has almost 100 verses on Jesus.
“The bad news is he is not the son of God, he didn’t die on the cross and
because he didn’t die, he didn’t rise from the dead,” Habermas said to The
Christian Post. “The good news is he is a great prophet, he is sinless, he
is virgin born and he did miracles.”
Habermas, who recently returned from a debate with a Muslim in
England,
said the idea that Jesus did not die on the cross for the salvation of
mankind is based on surah 4:157-158 that says Jesus was not crucified.
He emphasized that the Qur’an does not say that Judas took Jesus’ place but
only that he was not crucified. The interpretation of Judas dying in place
of Jesus is only one of several popular Muslim explanations for why Jesus
did not die on the cross.
But not all Christians are happy with the film. One blogger, who goes by the
pen name “Dan Goldfinch” in his web log at WordPress.com, argues that not
only the Bible but history also declares that Jesus was crucified.
“Jesus didn’t come to earth for mere respect,” wrote the Ohio-based
preacher. “If Jesus has not been crucified then he has not been resurrected.
If Jesus has not been resurrected from the dead, then Christians are without
hope. We may as well party it up if Christ has not been Resurrected from the
dead.”
Goldfinch further said that what the Qur’an does not understand and explain
is that man’s sin must be dealt with and if it is “not dealt with in the
death of Christ then we, and all of humanity from the beginning until the
end, are simply obligated to be 100 percent obedient to the law.”
“So if there is no death of Christ as this man is purporting in his film,
then exactly how will we be saved from our sins?” the Christian blogger
asked.
Director Talebzadeh meanwhile sees the film as an Islamic response to “The
Passion of the Christ,” the 2004 blockbuster of self-professed Catholic Mel
Gibson. Although the Iranian filmmaker praised Gibson’s movie, he said it
was “wrong.”
“The Messiah,” with over 1,000 actors and extras, was one of the largest
film productions in
Iran,
according to Variety magazine. It is the first movie to portray Jesus both
from the Muslim and Christian perspective.
The film has already been released in
Iran
and will soon be available on the Internet, according to CNN.
Michelle A. Vu
Christian Post Reporter
