The Image of Jesus by Scorsese and Young - Essay Example

Both Scorsese and Young imagine their Jesus characters as workmen with love interests, who grow in their self understanding. Compare and contrast with each other and the biblical accounts.In the Gospels, Jesus is sometimes called "the Son of Man" and some other times called "the Son of God." Herein lies the supreme mystery of Godhood manifesting itself in our midst in flesh and blood. Jesus was both God and man at the same time, which is a paradox in itself. But the more intriguing question is what percent of Jesus was God and what percent was man.

According to Christians, this question is not valid because they believe Jesus was 100% God and at the same time 100% man. However, this is logically untenable. Something cannot be black and white at once, someone cannot be both infallible and fallible at the same time, or omniscient as God and ignorant as man together. Hence, it would be more plausible to imagine Jesus essentially as man, but possibly endowed with a core of Godhood. This is what films such as "The Last Temptation of Christ" (1988) and Jesus (1999) have done, and very admirably too.

The attempts of both Martin Scorsese and Roger Young was basically to resolve the paradox of Jesus' humanity and his divinity. The thing that immediately strikes us about their portrayal of the central character of New Testament is that here is a Jesus we can more easily identify with and relate to. In the Bible, Jesus appears as an "avatar" - as Godhood descended upon earth. Though even in the Bible, Jesus does not perform any earth-shattering miracles, comports himself in a humble manner and often appears frail and vulnerable, but because of the connotations that have accrued over the ages, it is impossible to view the Jesus of Nazareth in the New Testament, even before he becomes Christ, as anything but God walking in our midst.

Whereas in these movies, we see a more human side of Jesus, here Jesus is an authentic man searching and gradually ascending his way to Divinity. The Bible glorifies Jesus to the status of ultimate Godhood, while the movies humanify or rehumanify Jesus.The Last Temptation depicts a questioning, seeking, struggling and suffering Jesus. The film has offended many and caused quite a controversy, especially because of a scene showing Jesus in an act of sexual intercourse with Mary Magdalene as part of a reverie.

It is understandable that many faithful followers of the Christ dislike associating too human-like tendencies and weaknesses to their God, nonetheless the Last Temptation is an honest and sincere attempt by Martin Scorsese (director) and Paul Schrader (screenwriter), based on the novel by Nikos Kazantzakis, to bring out an all too human Jesus who eventually however triumphs against weaknesses and temptations, asserting his divinity on the cross. While Scorsese's Last Temptation has the intensity, Young's Jesus has the breadth.

This television mini series is truly epic in scope, taking 10 years to make. It brings alive the Bible stories, yet at the same successfully casting Jesus in a new dimension. Here Jesus evolves from being a simple carpenter to a spiritual leader and philosopher. This movie basically sees Jesus as a man of wisdom and a great teacher, not as the only begotten Son of God. The human aspect of Jesus clearly comes out in his relationships with Mary Magdalene, Joseph, his apostles, and his persecutors.

The most important contribution of this movie is that it brings out a playing, dancing, laughing and loving Jesus, which is a truly refreshing perspective on the person half of humanity regards as the Savior. Both these films inspire us to think over not only about the nature of Jesus, but also about the nature of human potential and possibilities. If Jesus was as human as any of us, yet if he could reach Godhood, perhaps so can we.