The Gospel According to Matthew is a word-for-word account of the book of Matthew and is part of the Visual Bible Series of films. It is one of my favorite portrayals of Jesus because it captures Jesus as a man (not just God) filled with overwhelming love and joy.
Jesus- Man of Joy
Actor Brue Marchiano did a fabulous of capturing the love that Jesus must have had for us as opposed to the typical treatment of other films about Jesus who portray him as solemn and reserved.
This is the first film where Jesus was portrayed with joy instead of as a solemn and angry God. Oh, there are moments where His anger comes out, but it was always based in love.
It makes sense when I think about it for a few reasons.
God loved us so much that He sent His Son to die for us while we were still sinners. No one does that without a very deep love.
“For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish, but have eternal life.”
John 3:16 MEV
He healed all kinds of people. If He didn’t love us, why would he heal the lepers, give sight to the blind, raise Lazarus from the dead and so much more.
When he when back to heaven after dying on the cross, He sent the Holy Spirit to lead us, teach us and comfort us and help us grow. Part of that was the gift of the fruit of the spirit. The first couple of which are “love, joy, peace”. (see Galatians 5)
How can he give us these things if it isn’t at the very core of who He is?
The Gospel According to Matthew
The Gospel According to Matthew is the word-for-word account of the gospel of Matthew. Basically, the book of Matthew was the script for the movie.
This is the first film, where you see Jesus fully alive!
In Matthew, when Jesus heals the leper, you can’t help but laugh with joy with Him. You can’t help but see his heartbreak with love at the hypocrisy of the Pharisees and Sadducees. You also see Jesus with a sense of humor.
You see the unconditional love in Jesus throughout the entire film.
In the Footsteps of Jesus
In the Footsteps of Jesus is the story of Bruce Marchiano who had the opportunity of a lifetime to play Jesus in Matthew.
In the Footsteps of Jesus is a powerful eye-opening story of how God worked in Bruce Marchiano even years before to prepare him for the role of Jesus and how he worked in him every step of the way through the filming.
It is the story of his experience and insights into who he came to learn Jesus was. It is also the story of how God prepared and changed Him in the process. Additionally, it is the story of how so many people were blessed as this group of people answered the call of God on their own lives to bring the Gospel of Matthew to life.
How Do You Picture Jesus?
I always pictured Jesus- a loving heavenly father who loves us unconditionally, more than we could ever imagine. Yes, God is righteous and holy. But, He is also a father who is filled with joy over his creation- us. Yes- saddened when we reject Him. But, He loves us so much.
Why wouldn’t he laugh with joy when He heals someone? Or, have a sense of humor?
Where do you think that we get our joy or humor from?
Where does the love we have for our children, friends, and family come from? Imagine how much you love your kids, and multiply that about a billion times over and you may get a glimpse of how much He loves you.
God is love! He is the source of everything.
Conclusion
I highly recommend that you take time to watch the Gospel According to Matthew if you haven’t already as well as read the book In the Footsteps of Jesus by Bruce Marchiano. They go hand in hand and you will get so much more out of the movie by reading the book and vice versa. It gives you the whole picture.
I believe it will change the way you read the Gospels and give you new insight into the Words of Jesus. It did that for me.
If you’ve read the book or seen the movie, leave your comments below. I’d love to know what you think.
Also, for more great books and movies visit my Favorite Books or Favorite Movies pages.
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