| This is an excerpt from a movie review for The Passion of the Christ. I felt the same way this man felt while watching this movie.
"As I've contemplated this aspect of Jesus' life over the years, I've often wondered whether I had it in me to do anything even remotely as selfless. I've usually concluded that, if called upon to do so, I could indeed endure great physical pain for the sake of those I loved. I wouldn't look for opportunities, of course, and I would certainly blubber endlessly about the pain involved, but I've generally thought that I could be stoic and brave enough to suffer immensely if it were truly necessary. But seeing Jesus' torment so vividly recreated -- the scourging, in particular -- made me rethink that position. I thought, "OK, here's an example: Could I endure THIS specific punishment if it would, say, save my mother's life?" And I was humbled to realize the answer was no -- not because I'm a coward, or because I don't love my mother, but because I was seeing, in graphic detail, the extreme level of sheer physical agony involved. It was no longer a nebulous, imaginary thing or a morbid "What if?" game. It was right there before me, projected in sound and color on a giant movie screen. I could barely endure the pain of watching someone else endure the pain -- and it was only an actor, and his pain wasn't real." And that's just the physical part of it. I can't even fathom how it felt for Christ to lose His connection with God. I haven't felt much pain in life. I haven't gone more than 2 or 3 days without eating. I've never broken a major bone. I've never had to have a major surgery, but the worst pain I have ever felt is heart break. The tease of death is not as painful as the loss of love. But Christ not only lost His Father. They weren't pulled apart by death. "About the ninth hour Jesus cried out in a loud voice, "Eloi, Eloi, lama sabachthani?"—which means, "My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?" God left Christ, at least that's what He thought. Just the thought of my father leaving me, forsaking me, hurts so much. How much more did it hurt for Christ when it really happened? If Christ, who is infinitely Holy, took on sin, which is infinitely evil, then to my understanding it must have been infinitely painful.
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