Light of the World: Recap & Review
- Kevin Keating
- 2 days ago
- 11 min read
What would you get if you crossed The Chosen with the animation and writing style of classic Disney (circa the 1990’s)? The Salvation Poem Project’s new animated Jesus film, Light of the World is about the closest we’ll ever get. The film follows John the Apostle, depicted as a child of about twelve or thirteen, as he encounters Jesus and follows him through his ministry, death, resurrection, and ascension. Below I’ll offer a recap of the new film and my impressions (Spoiler: I liked it a lot – and so did my five-year-old).
What happens in Light of the World? (Plot Summary)
Light of the World begins with John (about six-years-old) listening to his wise and faith-filled mother, Salome, offering a brief overview of the biblical mega-narrative: the creation, the commissioning of God’s image-bearers, their fall into sin and darkness, and the promise of a Messianic seed who would drive out the dark and return hope to the world (Genesis 1-3). We also briefly catch a glimpse of Peter and Andrew’s father being imprisoned for not being able to pay his taxes and John’s cynical-but-caring father, Zebedee, stepping up to care for them and their mother.
Jumping ahead, we meet John in his tweenage years eager to help his father and older, more responsible brother, James, as they strive to keep up with the onerous Roman taxes, not as impressed by rumors of the Messiah as their friend, Andrew, who decides to go investigate. Zebedee reluctantly allows John to take their fish to market. Although John bumbles about, bumping into and angering Roman centurion (Lucius), he eventually reaches the market stall, where he meets a friendly carpenter. After receiving payment, John takes the carpenter’s advice and takes a shortcut home, through a dangerous-looking alley, filled with beggars and demoniacs. Emerging, he bumps back into Lucius and loses his father’s money while trying to escape.
Arriving home, John finds Levi/Matthew is shaking down Zebedee for his tax money. Enraged, John has to be held back by James from attacking Matthew, who responds by demanding Zebedee pay double within three days. To make matters worse, James’ arm is broken in the process, preventing him from helping their father fish. Fortunately, Zebedee has the help of Peter, who recalls how Zebedee once showed up for his family and wants to do the same for them.
Ashamed of the trouble he’s brought upon his family, John misinterprets the wise advice of his mother, Salome, and decides to go find Andrew and bring him back to help Zebedee fish. Along the way, John befriends the Baptizer, who reveals that he is not the Messiah but is only inviting people to turn from darkness towards the light in preparation of his coming. John’s activities are monitored by Nicodemus and two other Pharisees, who have been sent by the High Priest Caiaphas to make sure that John’s message isn’t creating a stir that will anger Pilate (John 1:19-28).
The Baptizer sends Andrew and John to Cana, where John meets the carpenter and learns that it is actually, Jesus, the Messiah that John sent him to follow. After witnessing Jesus save the wedding by turning water into wine (John 2:1-11) and hearing about Jesus’ birth from Mary, they convince Jesus to come back and help John’s father.
Zebedee and Peter are on their way back from a disappointing night of fishing when John and Andrew arrive with Jesus, who urges them to cast their nets on the other side of the ship. Arriving on shore, they are able to pay off Matthew and Jesus calls Peter, Andrew, James, and John to follow him (Matthew 4:18-20) – much to the chagrin of the cynical Zebedee. They are soon joined by the other disciples, and Mary Magdalene, whom Jesus frees from an evil spirit (Luke 8:2).
A crowd soon gathers to hear Jesus teach, as he washes feet (John 13), and Nicodemus and his Pharisees confront Jesus over the source of his authority. On cue, John helps lower a lame man down through the ceiling, so that Jesus can prove that he has authority both to forgive sins and heal the lame (Mark 2:1-12). After the miracle, John is chased and caught by Lucius. To his surprise, the Roman witnessed the miracle and wants Jesus to heal his elderly servant, which Jesus does, even though the Romans are the enemy (Matthew 8:5-13). Inspired by Jesus’ love for the enemy, John helps out Matthew, who is then called by Jesus (Mark 2:13-14).
We get a brief montage of Jesus performing teaching, meeting Nicodemus at night (John 3), and performing miracles like the multiplication of bread and fish (Matthew 14:13-21). But sensing Jesus’ growing influence, Caiaphas pressures Nicodemus to bring him back to Jerusalem in chains to prevent him from causing a stir during Passover.
Nicodemus and his minions arrive as the disciples are preparing to set off in their boat, and Jesus is alone with John, praying and grieving the death of his cousin, the Baptizer (Matthew 6:27-31). Before they can be arrested, Jesus sends John and the disciples off on the boat, only to follow them later on, walking on the water like a ghost, calling Peter to join him, and then saving him from the depths when his faith fails (Matthew 14:22-32). Arriving on the other side, Jesus announces that they are heading to Jerusalem – which the disciples expect to lead to conquest. Jesus, meanwhile, prays for his Father to protect them (John 17).
Approaching Jerusalem, the disciples are surprised when John brings Jesus in riding a humble donkey and Caiaphas is alarmed at how the world is going after him (John 12:1-19). Nicodemus refuses to help him take down Jesus and one of his helpers, a blind, old Pharisee, has his sight healed. Later, as the disciples gather over a meal, Jesus explains that his body and blood will now be sacrificed as a permanent payment for their sins, even though they will soon betray him (Matthew 26:26-35).
On their way to the Garden of Gethsemane, John witnesses Judas receiving payment to betray Jesus (Matthew 26:14-16). As Jesus prays in the Garden (Matthew 26:36-39), he explains that he needs to die to heal the darkness within the human heart, but promises him that this is not the end but the beginning. When Judas arrives with the Temple guards, Peter tries to save Jesus by the sword, but Jesus rebukes him and heals Malchus (Luke 22:47-53).
John and Peter follow after Jesus and witness his sham trial. Jesus proves faithful under pressure, but Peter is tested and fails, denying his lord (John 18:15-27). Jesus is then brought before a rather apathetic Pilate, who doesn’t buy the charge but caves pretty quickly when the crowd turns on the bloody and beaten Jesus (John 18:18–19:16). When John bravely attempts to stand up to the crowd, Pilate orders him to be taken away. Fortunately, Lucius is there to set John free.
With horror, John and Mary now watch the crowds that once hailed Jesus now mock him and throw food in his face. Only Nicodemus has the compassion to step in and help Jesus, by wiping his face. As John struggles to understand why Jesus isn’t doing anything, Mary explains that this echoes the prophecies spoken about her son at his birth (Luke 2:35) and insists that all they can do now is to show up for him.
After Jesus is raised on the cross, one criminal crucified beside him mocks him, while the other defends him and is promised paradise (Luke 23:39-43). As dark storm clouds gather, John and Mary watch as Jesus declares “It is finished” and breathes his last (John 19:30). As his blood drips to the ground, the Temple and Imperial palace are rocked by an earthquake (Matthew 27:51) and Lucius declares Jesus is the son of God (Matthew 27:54). As Mary cradles her dead son, Nicodemus approaches with the (once blind) Pharisee, Joseph, who offers to bury Jesus in his large tomb (John 19:38-40).
Full of grief, John and James return home and are embraced by Salome. As they resume their life of fishing, Mary Magdalene goes to the tomb and is surprised to find it empty (Mark 16:1-8). Back in Galilee, as the sons of Zebedee fish, James wonders how they will go back to their old life, but John insists that God rarely shows up in the way we think he will. As if to prove his point, Jesus appears on shore and urges them to cast their nets on the other side of the boat, a call back that John immediately recognizes (John 21:1-8).
John, as narrator, now reworks his mother’s retelling of the biblical story, now climaxing it with Jesus. As he does so, we watch Jesus bid farewell to John and the other disciples, before ascending into the skies and sending down his spirit (Acts 1:6-9, 2:1-4). Arriving just after this, Zebedee declares that he has run out of reasons not to believe and John leads him in the Salvation Poem.
Review: Was Light of the World biblical and good?
I went to Light of the World with my five-year-old daughter, and on more than one occasion during the movie, she leaned over to me and whispered, “Dad, this is a good movie!” At several other moments, I saw her partially hiding her face and when I asked her why, she explained it was because what she was watching was just so wonderful (near the end, there were also a couple moments when she did so because it was so sad/scary). While kids sometimes have an over-inflated estimation of the movies they watch in theaters, in this case, I believe my daughter’s opinion was spot on. Light of the World truly is wonder-full film, that raises the spirit, stirs the heart, holds your eyes, and points your mind toward Scripture (after the film, the first thing my daughter said was that she wanted to read Bible stories when we got home).
There are several things I appreciated about Light of the World:
The film packs a huge amount of Scriptural content into a short amount of time, while developing a relatable main character (John), maintaining an engaging pace, and effectively communicating core themes of the Gospels.
The writing is top-notch, effectively condensing stories, tying events together, and utilizing callbacks and repetition to create connections and show character growth.
The animation is beautiful and employed to great effect to hint inter-textual motifs (especially Exodus and Creation imagery). Far from simply serving as a way to market Jesus to kids, the animation allows the film to provide a stylized vision of supernatural events, similar to how the Gospels themselves function. In addition to the normal-register animation, I like how the film shifts into a more abstract/mythic register (a little reminiscent of Bible Project) during the retelling of Genesis and Jesus’ telling of the tale of the Good Samaritan.
The animation is also part of what allows the story to hum along so quickly. The archetypal design of characters like Lucius, Caiaphas, the Baptizer, and the Pharisees tells us all we need to know about them at a glance, so that the story doesn't have to slow down to give us a long, involved introduction to each figure.
Portraying the horror of the crucifixion for a young audience can be tricky. It’s important to communicate the gravity of what’s happening and the suffering of Christ without overwhelming. As I noted above, my daughter got scared/sad during these moments, but not to an excessive or inappropriate degree. By focusing more on the reaction of John and Mary to Jesus’ suffering instead of showing us all the gory details, the film effectively communicates the emotional significance of the moment in a manner that feels suited for the viewers. It also helps that we get reminders from Mary that this is part of God’s plan, which reassures young viewers without minimizing the sense of grief and hardship.
The decision to focus almost exclusively on John's perspective, except for a few cutaways to the villains, works well. It grounds the film emotionally and gives it a distinct voice and focus, which Gospel films often lack. While The Chosen has effectively humanized all twelve disciples, LotW wisely leaves most of them indistinct in order to keep focus on John and to a lesser extent Peter, James, and Andrew. Even Judas, whose motives often preoccupy Jesus films, is sketched in a fairly general way, allowing our focus to lie on John’s emotional reaction to Judas’ betrayal and not on Judas’ actual decision.
I’m always a sucker for a movie that climaxes with a strained father-son relationship being reconciled, so the John/Zebedee storyline really worked for me.
LotW’s portrayal of Jesus balances his lofty divine nature and Messianic calling with his humility and humanity, and yet it does so in a manner that is distinct from Jonathan Roumie’s lauded portrayal of Jesus. While I certainly enjoy The Chosen’s portrayal of Jesus, it isn't sacrosanct and I'm glad to see strong alternatives. As I’ve argued elsewhere, exposure to a variety of distinct but faithful portrayals of Jesus can prevent Christians from developing an unhealthy attachment to any particular portrayal. Leaning into John’s tweenage perspective, Light of the World portrays Jesus as a wise but slightly mysterious mentor - almost like an Obi-Wan or Gandalf-type figure. He still has a touch of humor, but he isn't nearly as witty or vulnerable as Roumie. Rather, this is a Jesus who feels in control and can offer children a sense of reassurance, hope, and moral clarity in the face of the darkness of this world.
Light of the World takes creatives liberties with many small details of the Gospels, like the manner in which the Baptizer communicated Jesus’ identity to Andrew and John, the reason why the disciples were at the Wedding of Cana, and the manner in which Jesus first called Peter, Andrew, James, and John. Some people will hate these little changes, but I appreciate the wisdom it takes as a writer to discern when it is appropriate to make changes to doctrinally insignificant details for the sake of a clear and flowing storyline.
I typically balance my praise with a healthy dose of criticism, but I don’t have a whole lot to gripe about. It’s important to recognize the intended audience and genre of a film like Light of the World compared to a more mature take on the Gospels like The Chosen. Like most Disney films, the ultimate villains of the film, Caiaphas and Pilate, are fairly one-dimensional, and many of the side characters are archetypal, not authentic, three-dimensional figures. Likewise, the core themes are stated, restated, and demonstrated in clear terms. But I don’t offer any of that as a criticism – that’s just the type of movie this is. Just as it would be inappropriate to judge Aladdin or Mulan according to the same standards as The Lord of the Rings, it’s inappropriate to judge Light of the World according to the same standards as The Chosen.
I’m also not bothered by some of the superficial similarities between the non-Scriptural elements in LotW and The Chosen (e.g. the role of taxes and Matthew in precipitating the conflict of the story). Part of what allows the film to zip along at such a quick pace is that the plot takes the path of least resistance, instead of offering a completely innovative take on the story. What makes Light of the World unique is its distinct point of view, not the plotting or characterization.
Given the centrality of John, I might have liked it if the writers of Light of the World relied more heavily on the specific elements of the Gospel of John instead of drawing quite as haphazardly from all four Gospels. The use of the Salvation Poem for Zebedee’s turn at the very end of the movie also feels a little too on-the-nose – that could have been saved for an after-credits invitation to viewers. But these are all minor quibbles.
Light of the World didn’t have nearly as much success in its opening weekend as it deserved. If you haven’t had a chance to go see it with your children or grandchildren, it really is worth a watch – not just because it’s a Christian Bible film but because it’s a distinct, beautiful, and emotionally-engaging take on the greatest story ever told. This is very much the kind of Bible adaptation that we need more of, so let’s do our best to support it.
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