Guy Hévey and Grand Canyon Urantia Book Society invite you to view the extraordinary movie Jesus of Nazareth this Easter weekend.

SUGGESTION:  Spend six hours with the Master on Easter, by yourself or with some of your loved ones.

WHY: We all have very busy lives, but we can also choose to take the time because we love “Our Master”—Michael of Nebadon incarnate as Jesus of Nazareth, the Son of Man and the Son of God. Taking the time to do this on Easter this year makes “total sense,” and also, our Thought Adjuster will appreciate it too, for sure.

THE SPECIAL EVENT: View this extraordinary movie by yourself or with some of your loved ones. 

Jesus, with Mary Magdalene, in the movie . . .

ABOUT THE MOVIE

Jesus of Nazareth is a critically acclaimed 1977 British-Italian epic movie directed by Franco Zeffirelli, spanning over 6 hours to detail the life, ministry, crucifixion, and resurrection of Jesus Christ. Renowned for its reverent portrayal and all-star cast, the production features Robert Powell in his iconic role as Jesus, alongside actors such as Laurence Olivier as Nicodemus, Anne Bancroft as Mary Magdalene, and Olivia Hussey as Mary. 

Under the leadership of Laurence Olivier, the well known actors accepted to either play for free or for a very reduced fee; nobody could have afforded it otherwise. Each actor gave the performance of a lifetime.  When the movie extras saw how totally dedicated those star actors and actresses were, they too played at an incredible level of dedication. 

Jesus of Nazareth is often regarded as one of the most comprehensive and faithful cinematic portrayals of the life of Jesus, focusing on his profound humanity and spiritual life. The Jesus of this movie is very close to the Jesus of The Urantia Book. Robert Powell, a British actor, plays the role of Jesus. He brings us very close to the Jesus of The Urantia Book, as we know him. I (Guy) strongly suspect that the authors of the script had read The Urantia Book and did everything they could to convey this perspective. Many scenes of Jesus interacting with people are so profoundly, very profoundly, touching.

The Son of Man as well as The Son of God are both well present. In 1977, it would have been very perilous to get too far away from the New Testament’s version of Jesus’ life, but they found a way.

WHEN:  I suggest watching the movie with your loved ones on Easter Saturday, April 4, 2026, starting at 10:00 AM and finishing at about 6:30 PM (I will suggest a precise schedule for that below, with breaks for lunch and pause). This could be the best way to accommodate everybody with their work on Friday and Monday as well as to keep Sunday strictly for family. However, viewing it on any day would also work if you need that kind of flexibility. 

WHERE: At your home or at one of your loved ones’ home, on a big (50-inch or more) TV screen. Or, you can join Brad and Ruthie at their home on Saturday, April 4th, at 10am. (Email gcsurantia@gmail.com to RSVP.) 

SUGGESTED TIMELINE OF THE DAY:

  • 10:00 AM—Arrival and prayer
  • 10:30 AM (2 hours)—Life of Jesus from his birth to 12 years old (to 1:45:30 of the movie)
    • Suggest to your loved ones that they can learn about what Jesus did between the ages of 12 years old and 30 years old, by reading about 120 pages of The Urantia Book for free, on truthbook.com.
  • 12:30 PM—Lunch (1 hour)
  • 1:30 PM (to 4:45:37 of the movie)—The first half of Jesus’ public ministry
  • 4:30 PM—Pause (30 minutes)
  • 5:00 PM (2 hours)—The second half of Jesus’ public ministry
  • 6:30 PM (to 6:21:13 of the movie)—For the end of your Special Event, at about 6:30 PM.

HOW: For a beautiful (high resolution, without ads) presentation and free video of this whole movie, I suggest a free trial of YouTube Premium, good for one month, that you can cancel at any time during that month without having to pay anything.  Once you have your free access, go to the Search Function and just type “Jesus of Nazareth Full movie hd 1977eng.” And then, to make sure you go the the exact movie you want to view, click on the icon that shows the exact duration time of this move, which is 6:21:14.  Here’s a direct link to the movie on YouTube if you’re using a computer.

HOPING: That you will, indeed, find the time and the will to do this.

And if you do, please let us know how your Special Event on Easter 2026 went, by emailing gcsurantia@gmail.com.

Your brother in God’s Love,

Guy Hévey

Chair of the GCS’ Education Committee

with the GCS Coordinating Committee