A Jesus Movie for the Next Generation

Actor Bruce Marchiano is known as "the smiling Jesus" because of his choice to portray Christ, not as the somber, judgmental rabbi that Hollywood has often reflected in the past, but instead as a loving, joyful Savior in The Gospel According to Matthew.

He explained his choice to play Jesus in this way in a recent interview with Nest Entertainment:

"It came from all the pages of scripture. At the same time, these things like joy, passion and tenderness were all discoveries for me as well. Hebrews 1:9 says about Jesus, 'He was anointed with the oil of joy above anyone else,' meaning he was the most joyous man who ever walked he earth. During the last supper he prayed to his father, 'That they may be filled with my joy.'”

Now, nearly 15 years after the release of Matthew, Bruce Marchiano has a renewed passion for the life of Christ. As an actor, author and international speaker, Bruce is the founder of Marchiano Ministries, a non-profit organization reaching out to people both spiritually and practically in the USA and across the world. Ever since his portrayal as the joyful, passionate Jesus in the film, The Gospel According to Matthew, where he captured the heart of Christ that is so often missing in Christian films, Marchiano has been compelled by something greater than himself to create another portrayal, this time using the book of John, to create a new film, "Jesus…No Greater Love."

Why Another Jesus Film?

According to Marchiano, the quality of the film making for The Gospel According to Matthew was constrained by an $800,000 budget. In the new production, Jesus…No Greater Love, Marchiano is inspiring a movement that will bring Jesus to film in a version that literally leaps off the screen and into the hearts of viewers. It will be a film that will be for a new generation of Christians that he hopes will last for generations to come.

"The truth of the gospel never changes," Marchiano says. "But Christianity has many faces. They reflect the customs and cultures and the beautiful diversity of the global church. They are lined with the wisdom of age and vibrant with the passion of youth. One gospel for all the world … but how will we deliver it in a way that reaches the whole world? How will we reach the next generation?"

Jesus…No Greater Love will be a word-for-word, verse-by-verse film adaptation of the Gospel according to John. “The gospel is the power of God unto salvation," Marchiano explains. "That’s really our concept, that the gospel would go out in the power of the film medium, unaltered by any human script writer.”

This new Jesus movie is more than just a technological update of previous films in the genre. “The story as it is traditionally told begins in a manger or with John the Baptist and takes us through the events of Jesus’ human life—healing, teaching, the cross and the resurrection,” Marchiano says. “Jesus…No Greater Love tells the story from the point where it truly began—‘in the beginning’ as John writes, with Jesus as God before the dawn of time and creation.”

Many people have formed their understanding of Jesus from the images that movies have shown—Jesus as a weakling, showing little emotion and pausing often to gaze at the heavens. Marchiano’s Jesus is a passionate hero, God’s perfect embodiment of manhood, who gives everything to complete His mission. For the first time, the gospel will be revealed through the prophetic, holistic, kingdom perspective of Jesus, whose every move fulfilled the past, reached out to the present and provided for the future. The script includes imagery that ties specific moments in Jesus’ ministry to Old Testament prophecy, Israel’s past and glimpses of Revelation.

The budget for a typical Hollywood production is $100-110 million. Actors’ salaries account for much of that cost. Because the new Jesus movie will not be paying big name actors, Marchiano and his team feel they can produce a world class, state-of-the-art film incorporating the latest digital technology for just $45 million. The production will be shot on location in Jerusalem and shot digitally using CGI backgrounds and a green screen stage, providing unlimited potential for sharing the gospel for generations to come.

His experience as a hired actor observing the production in the Gospel According to Matthew, a for-profit project, convinced Marchiano that the new Jesus movie would have to be produced differently. “As I sat on the sideline, I saw this clash between business and ministry, and it seemed that ministry often lost. When I felt God’s clear call to make a Jesus film that would truly capture the heart of his Son, one that would reach every culture and win souls around the world, I knew it would have to happen apart from the influence of profit seeking investors,” states Marchiano.

So who will produce the Jesus film for the next generation?

Marchiano believes that young Christians today are more like St. Francis of Assisi than a circuit riding preacher. “Preach the gospel at all times and when necessary, use words.” "This is a generation focused on being the hands and feet of Christ and meeting the physical needs of those in both the local and global community. They are building houses, planting gardens, taking food and clothes to the poor and helping the widows and orphans… and then they are sharing the gospel. And they are using technology like never before. They communicate the message through audio, film, video and the internet, and they strive for excellence within those mediums. They must. This is how they will reach their generation for Christ."

Marchiano and his team are inviting Christians from all nations and all generations to join this movement to bring the gospel to all people. "A movement made of 4.5 million Christians contributing a tax deductible donation of $10 each would fund the cost of the film. In all humility, I am asking Christians around the world to support us, to unite across cultures and denominations in the name of Jesus. It will be a long process, but if we all pull together, we can get this movie made—that the nations might be saved.”

The gospel belongs to everyone, and Jesus…No Greater Love will be produced expressly so it can be accessed by everyone, no matter their financial situation. Marchiano’s vision is to see the film translated into as many languages as possible and supplied to mission organizations and churches all over the world.

Jesus…No Greater Love is becoming a movement that is already drawing support from noted Christian leaders.

"Bruce Marchiano is a gift to the Body of Christ as an accomplished actor, a missionary with a burning passion to spread the Gospel to the multitudes and by the way he lives his life as a vessel for Jesus' glory," says Dr. Jack Hayford, President of International Foursquare Church and founding pastor of The Church on the Way.

Best-selling author and popular Bible study leader Kay Arthur comments, “What a wonderful tool this will be, the living Word of God. I know lives will be touched all around the world. You can’t make a better investment! Join this life changing and valuable project and make an investment that will have eternal value.”

You know the story. You know the ending. To learn more about this exciting movie project go to http://newjesusmovie.com/.

Order your copy of The Gospel of Matthew Visual Bible

More from Bruce Marchiano at his website