Transformed

“And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what is that good and acceptable and perfect will of God.”
Romans 12:2

I heard Jim Caviezel speak yesterday morning at a church service. A humble man and full of passion for a lost world. He spoke of how God has been moving in his life, and of the miraculous chain of events that happened as he was filming The Passion of The Christ. If some of you are unfamiliar with his name, he played the part of Jesus.

Alright, I will admit to you that as of this moment, I have not seen the movie. But I have read the book, and I know how it turns out. After seeing this man talk about the transformations, revelations and inspirations that transpired in his heart because of his role, I long to see it. But more than that, I long to experience the deep and intense sense of God that he spoke of. I will never have the opportunity to go through the journey he went through – nor do I want to. The suffering and near death physical trauma he endured is not one I feel prepared to duplicate. But I believe my everyday life has something to teach me, and I want to be better at getting it. I want others get it because of the way I live.

Jim said that four out of five scene takes were Jim playing Jesus, and one out of five takes were Jesus playing Himself through Jim. That one take was the one that ended up on film. He would pray for Jesus to come through – and He did. Jim was in a sense transformed into the likeness of Christ for the Glory of God.

Lest you think this a bit strong in theology, read the book of Revelation. It’s pretty strong in transformation theology. None the less, transformation is what our lives as Christians is all about. I heard about an extreme case this morning – extreme but tempered with compassion, humility and peace.