Viral videos suggest streaming platform edited out Bible verse from blockbuster 2004 film
Did Netflix cut a famous Bible verse, which some Jewish scholars say is “the forbidden chapter,” from the opening of “The Passion of the Christ”?
Some viewers have posted videos on social media asking that question after footage emerged from what appears to be two different versions of the opening montage to the 2004 Mel Gibson blockbuster about Jesus’ last hours before His crucifixion.
The movie’s theatrical release included a passage from Isaiah 53, a passage written roughly 700 years before Christ, which reads: “He was wounded for our transgressions, crushed for our iniquities; by His wounds we are healed.” But, in footage from the Netflix version shared on social media, viewers are met with a jarring 13-second blank, black screen — devoid of music or context.
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It’s not clear whether the omission was based on location or if it was specific to the Netflix platform. CP reached out to Netflix for comment on Thursday. This article will be updated if a response is received.
Known in the Old Testament as the “Suffering Servant” passage, Isaiah 53 is a key portion of Scripture that theologians say foretells of Jesus’ gruesome death on a Roman cross.
But according to pastor and CP op-ed contributor Dan Delzell, Isaiah 53 is no longer read in synagogues around the world and has “sadly evolved into the forbidden chapter within Judaism.”
Delzell points to a quote from Eitan Bar, a native Jewish-Israeli scholar, who said, “The 17th century Jewish historian, Raphael Levi, admitted long ago the rabbis used to read Isaiah 53 in synagogues, but after the chapter caused ‘arguments and great confusion,’ the rabbis decided that the simplest thing would be to just take that prophecy out of the Haftarah readings in synagogues. That’s why today when we read Isaiah 52, we stop in the middle of the chapter, and the week after, we jump straight to Isaiah 54.”
According to One for Israel, Jewish scholars throughout history have acknowledged Isaiah 53 as a Messianic text, even if they don’t believe that it was fulfilled in the life of Jesus of Nazareth.
On Friday, one CP reporter accessed the film using their personal Netflix account and reported that the Isaiah 53 verse was there.
It’s not the first time Netflix has faced criticism for its treatment of Scripture: last December, the animated Christmas movie “That Christmas” sparked controversy over a scene where children put on a production of the biblical Nativity story that features a song by Madonna, a singer who has argued in the past that Jesus supports abortion.
A 2020 Netflix series “Messiah” produced by Mark Burnett and Roma Downey drew criticism from some Christians over its fictional portrayal of a man claiming to be the Messiah performing similar miracles today as Jesus did thousands of years ago.
Prior to that in 2019, the streamer faced backlash over a Brazilian comedy special that depicts Jesus Christ as a homosexual.
