From a very young age I was always interested in words. I remember clearly the first time I read the phrase ‘The Passion of Christ’ and rushing to the dictionary to understand what it meant. I had always understood the word ‘passion’ to be associated with deep, and often sensual, love. To my surprise, I found that in fact the first definition given by all of my dictionaries was specifically a reference to the sufferings in the last few hours of Jesus’ life and ultimately His death on a cross at the very first Easter.
My understanding of the word ‘passion’ was way down the list of definitions and caused me to think. However, I even found significance in this lesser meaning. Jesus had Himself said that there was no greater demonstration of love, than for someone to give his life for his friends. Jesus truly understood what was meant by deep love; He even died for His enemies.
My love of words goes further. Despite being teased, I am a keen Scrabble player; indeed some would say a passionate player! Passion is also about being totally absorbed in something, and Jesus had passionately determined in His heart that He was going to demonstrate the greatest of all love by going to a cruel death on a cross, bearing intense physical suffering, so vividly described in the Bible and portrayed in the Mel Gibson film, ‘The Passion of the Christ’. However, the physical sufferings were as nothing compared to the three hours of darkness, during which Jesus bore the anger of God for all wrongdoing on that cross, something that no film could ever depict. All because He wanted to show His love to us, so that we might love Him in return for bearing the punishment we deserve for our own wrongdoing.
Now that truly is passionate love!
“By this we know love, because He laid down His life for us…”
(1 John chapter 3 verse 16, The Bible).
