There have been numerous movies made about the life of Jesus, both live-action and animated. Each one offers a unique twist to the story of redemption that is so familiar to us. This twist often causes us to see the stories of the Gospel with fresh eyes.
Along these lines is Light of the World, releasing to theaters on September 5th. Produced by the Salvation Poem Project and directed by John Schafer and Tom Bancroft, this new film tells the age-old story of the triumph of light over darkness from the perspective of John the Apostle (voiced by Benjamin Jacobson), only in this version, John, traditionally believed to be the youngest of the apostles, is still a teenager and discovering his way in the world.
Like many of his time, John was fascinated by stories of the promised Messiah told him by his mother, Salome (voiced by Erin Mathews). His father, Zebedee (voiced by Dave Petitt), on the other hand, scoffed at the idea of a Messiah.
Tasked one day to sell the family’s fish catch at the market so they could pay Matthew (voiced by Adam Kozlick), the tax collector, John proves just how prone he is to catastrophe. He angers a Roman soldier (voiced by Colin Murdock) by slapping him in the face with his bag of fish, then drops the coins he’s been paid all over the street when he stops to help a homeless girl. Returning home, the clumsy teenager has only one small coin left and Matthew delivers an ultimatum: double the required tax in three days.
Having heard whispers of a possible Messiah who was baptizing at the Jordan River, John sets off to find his friend Andrew (voiced by Vincent Tong) so that the Messiah can help them make enough money for the taxes. He finds the Baptizer (voiced by Jesse Inocalla), a rather odd fellow, and is both relieved and dejected when the Baptizer proclaims that he is NOT the Messiah.
When John finally meets Jesus (voiced by Ian Hanlin) at a wedding in Cana after being introduced by Mary (voiced by Rebekah Schafer), he witnesses the water-into-wine episode. Convinced Jesus can help solve his family’s money problems, he asks Jesus to come home with him. A miraculous catch of fish is delivered, the tax man is paid, and John joins Andrew, Peter (voiced by Sam Darkoh), and his big brother James (voiced by Dylan Leonard), in following Jesus.
What follows is not your typical life-of-Jesus movie. As John and the other apostles try to wrap their heads around a Messiah who’s not interested in overthrowing the Roman occupiers, they witness how Jesus brings light to a variety of people who have been in darkness of some sort, including Joseph of Arimathea, a Pharisee who was blind before meeting Jesus. Of course, the High Priest (voiced by Adam Nurada) is cast as the villain.
Directors Schafer and Bancroft stay true to their theme of portraying Jesus as the Light of the world. The film is so timely in our world today as many people are living in some kind of darkness, whether that be the darkness of war, the threat of violence (I write this review two days after the shooting at Annunciation Church in Minneapolis where two children were killed and a number of others injured at the opening Mass for the school year), or a darkness within their own selves. Jesus is the antidote to the darkness, and Light of the World presents a Jesus who is kid-friendly without sugar-coating his death. The film can help children (and grown-ups) understand what the Lord did to bring light into our darkness.
The film is full of great one-liners that are just simple enough so that kids can grasp the thoughts being provided. Here’s a little sampling: “The Messiah will overcome the darkness.” “He will be the Light of the world.” “There’s nothing broken that God can’t fix,” and “God rarely shows up in the way we think he will.” Jesus – speaking of his own death – explains to John, “The only way to free you from darkness is for someone without darkness to die in your place, a perfect sacrifice.”
When Jesus ascends to heaven, John, together with the other disciples, are commissioned to now be the light of the world. They urge us to find our own darkness, let Jesus bring light, and then bring that light and hope to those around us and the whole world.