Producer Roma Downey’s latest movie comes just in time for Easter and for many of us struggling during the coronavirus pandemic.
Working along with creator/husband Mark Burnett, “Resurrection” observes Jesus’ crucifixion and the disciples’ struggle to adjust to losing their leader and standing against persecution. Like the disciples who grappled with trials, people are suffering a year-plus into the pandemic.
Shining a light in the darkness, “Resurrection” is a stark reminder He has Risen in all our lives.
The film opens up with the crucifixion, but audiences are then taken to the upper room where the disciples are coming back together after Jesus died.
” I think what’s so powerful in that scene is we see full humanity on display,” Downey shared with CNJ. “They become a very relatable bunch because they’re confused the leader is gone they’re filled with heartbreak and grief because Jesus is dead and they’re afraid they will be next.”
Peter, of course, is destroyed at the beginning, he denied Jesus three times, as Jesus said he would. But when Jesus came back, He forgave him, giving Peter the power to grow from strength to strength. “He really stepped into that, and by the end, empowered by the Holy Spirit — we all kind of in various stages of being deconstructed,” said Downey.
Be encouraged, she added, this story is “an amazing reminder that just from a handful of disciples we are now over 2 billion Christians in the world.”
When the disciples are gathered in the upper room, a flame, whisked around their heads and God filled them with the Holy Spirit.
After editing that scene, Downey, also the producer behind the hit miniseries “The Bible” and the film “Son of God,” said she thought, “‘I want some of that,’ forgetting that it’s absolutely available to each and every one of us. I find it very empowering because the year that we’ve had and the division that we’ve experienced, that this isolation that we’ve all felt, [Jesus] is a reminder that we belong to the Creator, a larger family — all of us are sons and daughters of Christ, and it’s so comforting.”
Another powerful scene is when Jesus leaves the disciples for the last time to enter heaven.
The Archangel awaited His arrival — just a gorgeous scene in the movie.
“We ended up with this kind of warrior Angel…You know, he’s like the bodyguard of Jesus. Jesus could have called armies of angels to come. But that wasn’t the plan. The plan was that He would sacrifice His life out of love for us. And then He would rise from the dead, to take away our fear. And it’s such an extraordinary story. And we’re so grateful to be able to bring it to audiences in the safety and comfort of their own homes this Easter season.”
Download Discovery+ and watch “Resurrection” together as a family this Easter season.
—By Corine Gatti-Santillo