Into this chaos walks Jesus, whose peaceful ways are a stark contrast. As he travels from village to village, Jesus attracts not only devoted disciples, but when he arrives in each place, there are delighted cries of “Jesus!” Children run to greet him and he returns their smiles. Crowds gather to hear him speak and preach the gospel. He performs astounding miracles, such as healing a cripple simply by laying his hands on him and telling him, “Your sins are forgiven, my son.” A man who was dead for four days is brought back to life. Jesus stops men from stoning a woman by picking up a rock and telling them he’ll give his stone to the first man who can say he has never sinned. Abashed, they walk away quietly and Jesus gently tells the woman, “Go, and sin no more.”
Although his actions bring him many followers, he also attracts many critics and skeptics who dislike the power Jesus has with the people. They object to him healing on the Sabbath and the fact that he forgives sin, claiming that only God can forgive sin. When asked how he can do this, he responds, “The Son of Man has authority to forgive sin.” In their eyes, he is saying he is God, and they consider that blasphemy — punishable by death.
Diogo Morgado plays Jesus as a being who shines from within. He is patient, kind, and brimming with goodness. He cares about people and wants to help sinners find their way to the Lord. Jesus is portrayed as someone with enormous warmth and charisma. It’s easy to see how his quiet beneficence could have attracted so many followers.
The story is told very accurately according to the Bible, and gives an insight into the Son of God and why his legacy lives on so strongly today. Special extras include a behind-the-scenes look at the movie in Son of God: Reborn, which includes interviews with producers Mark Burnett and Roma Downey, who reveal that when they were making the miniseries The Bible, the story of Jesus shone through and it became obvious that it would make a beautiful feature film. There are also interviews with Diogo Morgado and several other cast members. From the Set: The Passion shows the recreation of the crucifixion. In Faith Into Practice: Introduce Children to a Relationship with Jesus Christ, Mark and Roma talk about the Compassion program, which has helped 1.5 million children escape from poverty and live lives free of having to work in factories or as child prostitutes. Instead, they attend school, eat regular meals and have play time. Finally, the theatrical trailer is included. Click here to watch our interview with Roma Downey and Mark Burnett. We have several copies to give away – please tell us in the comments below by Sunday, June 8 at 9 p.m. why you would like to win a copy. Winners will be notified by Tuesday morning. ~Alexandra Heilbron
Also releasing on DVD this week are: Lone Survivor, RoboCop, The Rooster of St. Victor and In the Blood.