Chris Tomlin's 'No Greater Love' Becomes Musical Centerpiece of New Movie 'The Last Supper'

For the better part of three decades, Chris Tomlin has made a name for himself as an anointed praise and worship musical artist. With bonafide Sunday morning mainstays “How Great is Our God”, “Holy Forever”, and “Amazing Grace (My Chains are Gone) to his credit, the 52-year-old Texas native has earned a reputation over the years for sharing sound Biblical truths through song.

And even though most people see modern worship as singing, Tomlin is quick to point out that praising God is just as much about seeing as it is making a joyful noise to the Lord. Because of this mindset, it seems natural that the Grammy Award-winning artist would naturally gravitate to more visual mediums. Not quite. 

Even though he serves as executive producer on a new Easter-themed movie out this weekend called The Last Supper, his debut as a movie executive actually originated from a song he wrote prior to getting involved with the film. The song, “No Greater Love”, seemed to fit perfectly into the message that director Mauro Borrelli (The Recall) wants to convey to audiences. This divine appointment was enough to draw Tomlin into his role with hopes of bringing the project to a wider audience.

Starring Jamie Ward (Cliffs of Freedom), Robert Knepper (The Hunger Games), and James Faulkner (Paul, Apostle of Christ), The Last Supper depicts events prior to Judas’ betrayal of Jesus, as a group of disciples gather to ultimately unveil secrets and underlying motives leading  to Christ’s crucifixion.

I recently sat down with Tomlin to discuss what attracted him to the movie, why this film has the ability to reach people beyond the four walls of the Church, and something he learned about Jesus from The Last Supper that surprised him.

If you were trying to convince a friend to take the time to get out to the theater to see The Last Supper what would you say to encourage them? What would your sales pitch be?

There's several angles, but I can tell you this. I think it's an incredibly beautiful, powerful movie. It's beautifully made. It feels like the black and white pages of the Bible coming into color, and making them color in a beautiful way. The story is powerful to me. It's really interesting that the movie's called The Last Supper. When you think about Jesus, most movies will be about the Cross or His resurrection or birth. And focusing on this moment, this week of Jesus' life leading up to the Last Supper, leading up to the Cross, leading up to this moment. But what I think is most compelling to me about this movie is how the story is told through the eyes of Peter and Judas.

And you don't see many stories told through Judas’ point of view much, with all the temptations, and the struggles that he was probably feeling. Peter as well. And I think it's so relatable when you think about the Bible stories. You've heard them all your life. You think about these disciples, you think somehow they're these mythical superheroes that have superpowers. This movie brings it right back to his mind. These guys did not have it all together, and did not know what was going on. They only had a heart to follow Jesus. And they literally changed the world. The world's still being changed today through this message. And it's the message that everyone needs, a message of hope, of love, and of mercy.

For every artist/producer, there always seems to be a moment where you say to yourself, “I have to be part of this movie!!” For The Last Supper, what was that moment for you?

As you can imagine, it started with music with me. The guys from their team came to me and asked, “Hey, do you have a song that works with this movie?” I wasn’t sure but they showed me an early screening of it. I saw it and was so moved instantly. I thought this was incredibly well done. And it made me just want to lean in a little bit more and ask what are you guys doing with this? I'd like to maybe get involved in a deeper way. I had written this song that I hadn’t played for anybody.

And I played it for them. And the whole team was like, ‘This is the song for the movie.’ And what’s crazy is I'd written that song well before I knew there was a movie. And yet, if you watch the movie, then when the end credits go up and the song starts playing, you would think, Chris must have just watched the movie and wrote a song about it because it just fits so well. And so it was one of those moments where I determined that I’ve got to be involved in this. God’s putting this together. I'm not doing this. I've never done this before with a movie like this. The movie is so Biblically grounded and accurate. It’s just right on the money where I thought, I can really put my whole heart and my name in this. I've tried to spend my whole life building a trust in people that I'm not going to just throw it to the world. This is not Hollywood. These are people who have a great heart for God, that want to see people experience the Gospel and move in people's lives. I just loved being part of it.

That's fantastic. And the name of the song is?

The name of the song is "No Greater Love’" And it came from John 15 … No greater love than this, than a man who lays down his life for his friends. That is a very famous verse. And yet I'd written it months before, and then here we are in this movie. It just shows in a beautiful way, the sacrifice of Jesus, him laying His life down.

I have seen a lot of ‘preaching to the choir’ material over the years. Does this film have the ability to reach beyond the Christian audience to serve a wider group of people?

That's a great question. That’s because when you first see it, you think, well, maybe not. It's Biblical characters. They are dressed in that time period. It takes you there. Is anybody interested in that? But I know more and more people are longing for this, whether they know it or not. Michael Scott, who is the producer behind this movie said, every time they have released a Christian film in the theater, 30 to 40 percent of the people who go are not Christians and are unchurched.

What an amazing opportunity. People who will never step in a church will step into a theater. They will see this and be confronted. And they may be skeptical about who Jesus is. And yet they're going to see this and be moved by the love and the mercy of God. This movie really tells the story in a powerful, very relatable way, even though it is set 2,000 years ago. I really think people will grasp it and get it.

What is one thing about Jesus that you never knew before but learned while working on this film?

Most of us have seen the Da Vinci painting of the Last Supper? You've seen the portrayal, you've read the story, and yet it never really resonated with me until now. I've been a Christian most of my life. And it really never sunk in that when He stood there, He looked at his brothers, and He looked at his friends. I don't know why, but it never sunk in that when He was talking to them, He knew they would betray and deny Him. And it just hit me because the movie’s really told from those standpoints. And it hit me like, wow, what forgiveness, what love, what no greater love, just like the song. And I was really moved by that, that we're all welcome. And it took me to Revelation 3.

When you talk about the table and it says in Revelation at the end of the Bible. This is in red letters and it says Jesus' words. “I stand at the door and knock. And if anyone opens the door, I will come and I will dine with him at the table.” And I was thinking, what an invitation? The table is quite an invitation. You see it in the film. The last time He will eat with his friends, He knows what's coming. But it’s also just that invitation of forgiveness and to be in relationship with Jesus.

After people have had the opportunity to watch The Last Supper what would you like to see audiences get out of the viewing experience? What is your greatest hope for the film?

Well, you said the word hope. And this movie is coming out during the Easter season. Easter is a celebration of the hope that we have. And I pray that when people walk out of the theater, my hope is that they have this hope filled with hope. I pray they will be renewed. That their heart is pierced once again with the hope that is in the mercy and love of God. And that this is more than just the story from 2,000 years ago, but it's still changing lives today.

'The Last Supper' opens this weekend in theaters nationwide.

WATCH A TRAILER FOR THE LAST SUPPER: