As we consider an Easter celebrated from home this year, are there appropriate movies about the crucifixion to show and discuss with young children?

Of course, this may depend on the maturity of your child. I would preview any suggested Passion film to watch with your children and ask yourself:

• • • What questions does this film raise that I can discuss with my children?
    • Is this scene of death or blood too much for their age or sensitivity?
    • Have I prepared them for these visual images?
    • Is this depiction Biblically accurate or what discrepancies should we look for and discuss?
    • How will I help my child if this is unsettling to them? (In this article we discuss how to help your children process and pray through fears or fears of death.)

As a college Bible professor, my husband has considered many Jesus movies to show in his class, but with a mature audience. We knew we could not show The Passion of the Christ with our toddlers at home but wanted to find a visual example to show them after having read the Bible story to them for a few years. What would help them get a better image of the Jewish crowd and Roman soldiers as real people? The movie gives voice to the text. 

 

FOR YOUNGER CHILDREN?

We started watching the ending of the original Ben-Hur (1959) when our oldest son was four years old. We appreciated that Jesus’ face is not depicted, His death is not shown as realistically bloody, and some of the other miracles that most movies leave out, are in there!

We appreciate Ben-Hur because we could discuss with our children and look up in the Bible:

• • • Is is true that the sky went dark and there were earthquakes?
    • Is is true that people were healed or raised from the dead at Jesus’ resurrection?
    • What would have it been like to be one in the crowd watching or one of the lepers healed? How did this impact Judah?
    • When they have the attention span to watch the whole movie, consider what it would have been like to grow up the same time as Jesus and have seen Him as Judah did.

 

HOW TO WATCH

My suggestion would be to watch this incredible movie the evening before with your spouse (once we wrapped sheets around our clothes for “togas” and watched, eating grapes!) and end it where you want to begin the next day with your children, about the last 12 minutes of the movie. Prepare them if you need to that these are actors, but that the story is real. This can be a serious time, but strive to make it comfortable and fun. Be understanding if your pre-schooler is not as serious or moved as you. This may still be an important aspect of them “getting” what Christ has done for us.  

 

The Crucifixion scene from Ben Hur (1959)

 

The storm and healing after the Crucifixion

 

FOR OLDER CHILDREN/TEENS?

The film of choice for my husband’s college New Testament class was The Gospel of John (2014) This film portrays a sympathetic Jesus and does not enhance the script because it is only a reading of the Gospel book of John. In Don’s words, “the acting is not cheesy, it is well-filmed, and convincingly the actor delivers some of the harsher words of Jesus in a loving way.” How do you even say, “If I were to say that, I would be a liar like you” in a controlled and loving way? Henry Ian Cusick does in this version.

HOW TO WATCH

The movie in its entirety is 3 hours long, but this is a 14 minute clip of the just the Trial and Crucifixion, which covers the true story and Scripture but is not overly gratuitous. This would be a good choice to split up an hour each over three nights, ending on Easter or the night before. There is also a 2 hour theatrical version that reduces the movie by skipping some scenes in the Gospel of John.

Encourage them to get their Bibles out and follow along. This will help to connect their text with the images when they read it again. They will also see that every seen is exactly what the text says. We often follow Bible movies or lessons with discussion time, praying about a theme that came up, or drawing a favorite scene.

Again, don’t anticipate what their response must be, but pray for the Holy Spirit to communicate what Hollywood cannot do.    

 

 

Some other movies we’ve previewed are: Jesus of Nazareth, The Jesus Film, The Greatest Story Ever Told, The Passion of the Christ but the two movies featured are what we have narrowed down from the list to become traditions in our family.

What has your family used to give voice to the text of the Bible? What traditions do you have?

Please feel free to share these with us in the comments!

 

 

Other articles about celebrating Passover or Easter with your family:

• • Family Seder 2020 from www.whentheyask.com 
  • Celebrating a Simple Seder with Kids
  • Christian Passover Easter Jesse Tree
  • DIY Felt Easter Calendar