The Gospel according to a child

MPAA Rating: G
Reel Rating: 5 out of 5 reels

Earlier this year, I said The King of Kings was the greatest animated Gospel story. I spoke too soon. I now think it is Light of the World.

Produced by the team behind the TBN hit Superbook, Light of the World is the story of Jesus told from the perspective of John, the beloved disciple. Combining beautiful hand-drawn animation, witty dialogue, and the heart of a child, it presents Jesus as both the Lord of the Universe and our best friend.

At the start of the narrative, John (Benjamin Jacobson) appears to be a young teenager. With his older brother James, he belongs to a fishing family who are next-door neighbors to Peter and Andrew. John always wants “to help” but constantly messes up any task given to him, making his father Zebedee hesitant to advance his responsibilities.

Their lives are constantly on the edge of disaster because of any number of problems: crippling Roman taxes, dwindling fish numbers, and the realities of getting older. Despite his father’s despondency, John’s mother insists things are looking up because “the Messiah is coming soon, who will bring light to the darkness.”

Then John meets Jesus (Ian Hanlin), who looks and sounds strikingly like Moses from The Prince of Egypt. Directors Tom Bancroft and John Schafer guide the film through the “usual” events of the Gospel: Christ’s Baptism, his miracles, his Passion, and Resurrection. These events happen quickly (the film is just 90 minutes long), but nothing feels rushed. Films of this sort tend to lean on the Gospel of Matthew, whose five-act structure lends itself to adaptation. Light of the World instead focuses on Jesus’ metaphors, parables, and great expressions of love.

However, no one but John seems to get the message. Nearly everyone else wants Jesus to be a great warrior king like David and to overthrow the Romans. When it becomes clear that He has entered the world to suffer and die, only John stays faithful.

The animation in Light of the World is gorgeous, some of the best of the decade. The style takes a cue from illuminated manuscripts such as The Secret of Kells, with bright colors and unusual framing. As the name suggests, the directors play a great deal with light and darkness. The characters and landscapes have a muted color palette that becomes vibrant and fleshed out whenever Jesus appears or a miracle occurs. Even though 3D animation has progressed noticeably in the last three decades, there is still something meaningful, even special, about knowing these characters were drawn with human hands.

Since there are a number of films of this type, it takes something special for a Gospel film to stand out from the crowd. While the animation is spectacular, it is the character of John and his relationship to Mary that shine. Throughout the film, John has many side conversations with Mary, in which she shares many details about her son.

On the Via Dolorosa, he helps her meet Jesus; it is an extremely tender sequence that is rivaled only by the same station in The Passion of the Christ. Jesus shows his trust in the young man by giving Mary into John’s care from the Cross. Although Light of the World is made in a Protestant context, it represents a greater willingness in some corners to engage in such Marian devotion.

“Unless you become like little children,” says Jesus, “you will never enter the Kingdom of Heaven.” Although John isn’t a child in this film, he does have a youthful perspective, rich in faith and love. He is the beloved disciple, not just because of his great love for Jesus, but also the love Jesus has for him. One can see this childlike love even in John as an old man in his epistles, which contain profound and beautiful passages such as this:

Whoever confesses that Jesus is the Son of God, God abides in him, and he in God. 16 So we know and believe the love God has for us. God is love, and he who abides in love abides in God, and God abides in him… (1 Jn 4:15-16)

This is, I think, a perfect Easter film for children, who understand the love God has for us better than any of us. It’s also one of the best films this year.