I'm reminded of a beautiful film made in Brazil a few years ago. The film is quite Biblical, an historical reimagining of Jesus's life that treats him as both fully human and fully divine at the same time – the mainstream, orthodox theological position.

The filmmakers used dark-skinned actors for almost all the characters, including Jesus. Characters included sex workers and ostracized members of society befriending Jesus both before and after his public ministry began. Some rather wild parties were portrayed, though Jesus never appears to behave badly or contrary to Jewish law. He does seem, however, rather decidedly poor and fringe, himself ... which the historical AND Biblical Jesus certainly was.

All of this portrayal raised rather an enormous ruckus in Brazil and even in U.S. Christian circles.

But the biggest ruckus of all stemmed from Jesus appearing to feel intimate love and attraction toward a close male friend. Indeed, in some scenes he appeared to be resisting enormous human temptation while at the same time neither rejecting nor remotely judging the man who clearly reciprocated his feelings.

Riots broke out in Brazil —literal riots in which Brazilian Christians threw bricks and beat people bloody over supposed "sacrilege." American Christians didn't riot, but they condemned the film with vicious language — all over a thoroughly orthodox storyline.

Yes, the film was dark and a little squalid. Yes, the filmmakers used humor in some situations. Yes, they treated Jesus as fully human, but they also recognized his full divinity.

Of course nobody can know if the historical Jesus ever experienced strong same-sex attraction or romantic feelings, but every mainstream seminary in the world teaches that the Jesus of Christianity experienced temptation on the same level as every other human ... if not possibly MORE temptation. (I've read certain mainstream theologians who claim that Jesus must have experienced every temptation possible to a human being.)

So how tragic is it that the moment that temptation involves homosexuality, Christians riot and beat people bloody?

How instructive is it?

John 3:16, indeed.