Missions

Christians Look to Share Gospel with BBC's 'Miracles of Jesus' Documentary

Christians are hoping that the BBC's new documentary, 'The Miracles of Jesus', will win new hearts to Christ when it airs for the first time this Sunday.

by Daniel Blake

Posted: Wednesday, August 2, 2006, 19:43 (BST)

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A new BBC documentary series will air for the first time this weekend, as ‘The Miracles of Jesus’ hits TV screens.

The Miracles of Jesus, is presented by former Middle East correspondent Rageh Omar airs on BBC 1 on 6, 13 and 20 August.

The Bible Society has testified the importance of the production, and the opportunity the series poses to share a deeper understanding of Jesus’ life. The Bible Society will introduce the programme to Religious Education (RE) students and churches, to take them on a gripping journey into the meaning of Jesus' miracles.

To celebrate and supplement the series, the Bible Society has published extensive classroom and church resources for the autumn term. The Christian charity will make the series available on DVD, together with specially commissioned materials for GCSE and A-Level students.

Commenting on the series, Captain Jim Currin, Executive Secretary of Group for Evangelisation, a part of Churches Together in England, said, “It is a bold experiment which I think works well, giving Christians a valuable opportunity to talk about our Christian faith in natural conversation.”

The BBC has told that the more than three hours of on-location reporting and 'time-slip' Matrix style effects help viewers to investigate objectively the meanings behind the miracles attributed to Jesus. They examine what these meant to Jesus' contemporaries, his enemies and his followers.

It is a bold experiment which I think works well, giving Christians a valuable opportunity to talk about our Christian faith in natural conversation.

Captain Jim Currin, Group for Evangelisation

Commenting on the documentary, Rageh Omar said, “As a Muslim I am fascinated by this man Jesus. Jesus has changed the lives of millions of people … so let’s try and ask the question ‘why’?”

Author of the teachers' pack, educational writer and former Head of RE, Sue Hookway, said, “The BBC series is highly credible and thought-provoking. It’s a terrific tool for all kinds of students and we think we've come up with a flexible tool that will help teachers make the most of it.”

The Bible Society’s teacher’s pack will include a DVD, a study guide, teacher support and a range of creative classroom activities. Other resources will also be made available online including printable downloads.

The Miracles of Jesus will be released on BBC1:

EPISODE 1: SUNDAY 6TH AUGUST: BBC 1, 6.35 p.m.
The miracles of the raising of the widow’s son, the feeding of the 5000, walking on water and turning water into wine.

EPISODE 2: SUNDAY 13th AUGUST: BBC 1, 6.35 p.m.
The miracles of the healing of the blind, the exorcism of the man known as Legion, the baptism by the Jordan, the stilling of the storm, the healing of the Syro-Phoenician woman’s daughter and the death on the cross.

EPISODE 3: SUNDAY 20th AUGUST: BBC 1, 6.35 p.m.
The empty tomb, the appearance of Jesus, Pentecost, St Paul’s vision on the road to Damascus.

For more information on the programme and teaching packs please visit www.miraclesofjesus.co.uk

Also a special web page has been created by the Catholic Agency to Support Evangelisation (CASE) and includes a variety of Christian resources. These can be viewed by visiting www.life4seekers.co.uk

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The comments below are readers' personal opinions and are in no way intended to reflect the editorial opinion of Christian Today.

Added: Wednesday, September 20, 2006, 14:01 (BST)

I watched Episode 2 only of the Miracles of Jesus series.

I enjoyed most of it but I did find some, what I believe to be, errors.

The Muslim narrator was saying that Jesus, like other Jews, was quite insulting to non-Jews. However, Jesus said that He would be the One Shepherd of two flocks - Jews and Gentiles - to make them one flock.
Also, the Jewish prophet Elijah was sent to Syria to cure a man of leprosy, he would have been an Arab.
There is also Jesus' proclamation that no prophet is accepted in his home town. So these facts are not at all insulting to non-Jews.

The narrator also seemed to be under the impression that Jesus was deliberately trying to get the death penalty. I do not agree. As evidence, Pilate said that he had examined Jesus and found that He was not guilty of any crime deserving death. If Jesus had deliberately tried to get the death penalty, He would have committed a crime deserving of death.

Another point I disagreed on, was the narrator saying that Jesus was led into the desert and was tortured and tormented by Satan. That is not accurate. Satan was tempting Jesus, with offers of e.g. power to rule the world. Satan was tempting Jesus, not torturing Him.

Lastly, the narrator's supposition that Jesus was overcoming evil by suffering, I disagree with. Jesus died for His future follower Christians - myself included - to be saved from Hell. We, as Christians do not need to suffer, nor do we need to do anything else to win salvation. We are saved by His atoning sacrifice. One sacrifice was all that was needed, once. In fact Jesus went further in instructing His disciples not to want to suffer - by telling them to buy a sword.

As enjoyable as that Episode 2 of Miracles of Jesus was, I think that the factual inaccuracies should be replaced with the truth, for future broadcasts.

Jan Brooks, Pentre, Mid Glam, S Wales.