Frank Deasy's script is beautiful, real life drama which has just the right amount of words to link the story to the scriptures without it sounding or feeling like a cut and paste job. James Nesbitt as Pilate along with his Irish accent is an extra sprinkle of spice.
The Jesus in this film, however, is too humanised and does not line up with the Jesus I know personally or that is projected from sacred texts. I love the down to earth nature of this film narrative and the Joseph Mawle-Jesus' personality that identifies with the marginalised, the poor and sinners.
But what the film has painstakingly done at least in the first episode, is to delineate His divinity through His doubts of who He is. They also do the same to Mary! I think this is too self effacing about the authority, self awareness and spiritual power that Jesus Christ walked in constantly all through scripture.
This first episode at least does little for me concerning identifying the Jesus I know. I feel those that meet Jesus for the first time through this nice series would be short-changed. They are meeting a very natural Jesus robbed of His divinity. Jesus is simply presented as a good man and nothing more!!
Having said that, I think it is a brilliant piece of cinematography, first class acting and great narrative of the Easter story. It would get lots of people talking about the message of the gospel and potentially get many coming to find faith in Jesus.
I will be following these series to see if Joseph Mawle evolves into the Jesus I know and love.
Pastor Jonathan Oloyede is Senior Associate Pastor of Glory House in London, one of the UK's largest Pentecostal churches.
