It’s the morning following my viewing of The Passion film directed by Mel Gibson. My heart aches as I sit in the middle of the controversy surrounding it. I’m receiving e-mails from friends down south urging me to go see it. I share conversations with Jewish friends who are angry and questioning the intentions of the film. Others of no religious affiliation are expressing mixed points of view; some say it’s all about marketing and money, others are sobered in awe of what happened that day and impacted by the forgiveness of Jesus.

For years I searched to figure out what I believe about God, and after an incredible amount of consideration I personally fell in love with Jesus and the message he brought. Yet, I relate to those who don’t understand, and I can sympathize with those who are angry. As I receive those e-mails and phone calls from Christian friends expressing their appreciation for the film and their amazement at Christ’s forgiveness and grace, I also listen to a close Jewish friend express his pain at what to him seems like a re-telling of events in order to throw what happened that day back in the face of Jews. “Jews and Christians are watching two entirely different films,” reported Dennis Prager, an active member of the American Jewish Community. “For two hours, Christians watch their savior tortured and killed. For the same two hours, Jews watch Jews arrange the killing and torture of the Christians’ Savior.”