Are Movies about Jesus Okay?
Graven image?
Is an illustration of Jesus a “graven image,” in violation of Exodus 20:4? I don’t believe so.
1. Leviticus 26:1 defines "graven image" as something people would bow down to. In a Bible search, references to "graven image" are about idols (heathen gods) that would be worshipped, including things that are in "water" (for example, the fish-idol Dagon). An image of Jesus is simply meant as a representation of what He may have looked like, to aid in telling the account of His life.
2. God is a Spirit (John 4:24), and doesn't have a physical form, so of course we would not make an image of God the Father. On the other hand, Jesus did come in physical form, and looked like a regular person (Isaiah 53:2).
Words
What we should not do is change the words of God; and Jesus is the Word of God, so everything He spoke is what the Father would speak.
1. Words define a person (Matthew 12:34).
2. God honors His Word above His name (Psalm 138:2).
3. Proverbs 30:6 warns about adding to God's words.
4. Job 42:7 shows that God was angry when Job's friends spoke presumptuously about Him. They seemed confident in their statements about God, and in some ways their statements may appear accurate, compared with Scripture, but nonetheless, they were wrong.
We might think God "would" say such-and-such, and yet we can't prove it. In our limited understanding, we could easily come to wrong conclusions and accidentally misrepresent Him. So we should not make quotations of God that He never spoke, but only represent Him as He has represented Himself.