By Kayla DeKraker
Resurrection day is nearly upon us, and actress Roma Downey reminds us of the amazing and wonderful hope we have in Jesus.
“It is the greatest story of hope that has ever been told,” she said in a previous interview with Movieguide®’s Evy Carroll about her 2021 film RESURRECTION.
“You know, we know from scripture that only John the beloved, Mary Magdalene and Mary the mother of Jesus were at the foot of the cross,” she explained. “So, we may well ask, well, where was everybody else? Where did they go? And why? [The] belief is that they scattered because they were afraid [that] if they were killing Jesus, perhaps they were going to be next.”
Downey’s movie focuses on the wonderful events that happen after the Resurrection, which differs from most films about the Easter story, which focus on the events leading up to it.
Downey said of the film, “One of the scenes that really inspires and emboldens me is the scene of Pentecost. We know that Jesus is now ascended. He shared with them, you know, to go tell everyone the good news, to share the gospel with the world.”
She added, “He reminds them that He will send the Holy Spirit to them to empower them, to strengthen them, and to, you know, to inspire them.”
Downey described how they portrayed the scene where the Holy Spirit descends in the movie: “We see the supernatural occurrence opening in the sky. And down comes these swirls and rings of fire, tongues of fire, and we see them just fill up with God, fill up with spirit, so much so that when they tumble out into the streets, they’re just alive and on fire spiritually.”
She reminded viewers that the same Holy Spirit is available to us today: “I think [it’s] good for us to be reminded that that Holy Spirit, in the same way, is available to each of us, you know, every single day. We just have to remember to ask.”
The most beautiful part of that story is that it keeps going, even to today. Downey explained, “It began with the 12 disciples, and then, you know, it grew to a few hundred, a few thousand, or whatever, but it went from that first century beginnings to the twenty first century, and now there are over 2.2 billion Christians in the world.”
She added, “This is a great love story because it isn’t nails that kept Jesus on the cross; it was love.”
Movieguide®’s review of the film reads:
Related: Roma Downey Challenges Followers to Remember Their ‘Eternal Inheritance’
MOVIEGUIDE® commends the filmmakers of RESURRECTION for making a fresh version of the Passion and the Resurrection. They’ve done a good job of making it entertaining and exciting, while keeping close to the Gospel story. There could be criticism of what they left out or the way they portray the apostles. However, any time you make a movie from a historical document, you have to make tough choices to make the story entertaining. MOVIEGUIDE® recommends RESURRECTION for its biblically faithful, dramatic presentation of the greatest story ever told.
Roma Downey has spent her career encouraging and uplifting people in faith. She also starred in the 2014 film SON OF GOD, which is about the life of Jesus.
Whatever you watch or do this Easter Sunday, remember that God loves you and sent his only Son to die in your place. He rose again so that one day, you will, too.
Read Next: ‘Believers Are Everywhere’: Roma Downey on Success of Faith-Based Content
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