Jesus at the Movies
Anyone who knows me well knows that I love movies. I have ever since I can remember. There’s just something about the power of story that grips my soul. The clip above, from the movie Blood Diamond, moved me to tears the first time I saw it. We’ll come back to this clip in a bit…
Many years ago, I started to realize that the scenes that moved me the most in movies were always Biblical in some way. Why is that? Well, God communicates to us in stories. The Bible is full of history communicated through stories. Jesus tells stories or parables. The Gospels are the true story of God taking on human flesh in Christ to redeem humanity. Acts is the story of the early church. When we combine all the stories together and look at the Bible as a whole book, we see a GRAND STORY. It’s the story of our great and awesome God. His people gave up their freedom to serve a wicked ruler. The rest of history has been the story of God coming after His people to redeem them from the power of this wicked ruler and to rescue them from the sickness of their own sinfulness and rebellion.
Often, the movies (and stories) that touch us deeply do so because they are echoes of the grand story. Let me show you what I mean by using this clip from Blood Diamond. Here a young boy has been kidnapped from his father and brainwashed into hating him. He becomes a rebellious, young murderer. The father comes to rescue his son from this bondage. But the son is full of hatred towards the Father and he has pledged his allegiance to an evil ruler. He is so full of rebellion that he almost shoots His father. The father begins to tell him who he was always meant to be and reminds him of the life that he was meant to live with his father. And what finally gets through to his son? LOVE. He speaks so tenderly to his son and puts his own life on the line in doing so. He loves him and calls him home.
Sound familiar? It should! It’s an “echo” of the grand story of our sinful rebellion against the Father and of our enslavement to an evil ruler (Satan). It’s also an echo of God’s quest through sending His Son to rescue us from ourselves and the evil we’ve become enslaved to. In the end, His love draws us home to be with Him.
Great stories are great stories because they reflect God’s story…
Your Thoughts…
Take a minute and think of one of your favorite movies. Think about the parts that really move you or impact you. How does it reflect the great story? Can you see characters who reflect characteristics of God? Is there romance that reflects Jesus and His bride? Can you see a battle that reflects the spiritual battle around us? Is there deception that reminds you of Satan? Can you see corruption that reminds you of sin? Do you see sacrifice that reminds you of the Cross? Now take a shot at it! Tell us one of your favorite movies and how you think it relates to the Grand Story!
November 3rd, 2009 at 4:39 pm
Well, my favorite movie ,The Lion, The Witch, And The Wardrobe, moved me especially when Aslan is put to death, but he triumphs and comes alive once again. This is just like how Jesus died, and everyone thought it was over. But then he came alive again and triumphed over the enemy.
November 4th, 2009 at 8:21 pm
One of my favorite movies is Radio starring Cuba Gooding Jr. I always cry when i watch that movie because the main character (Radio) exhibits such innocence, joy and honesty. What i love best about that movie is that the coach of the football and the director of sports at this southern school (in the 1950s) breaks that barrier between the different color races. He judges not what Radio is on the outside but on the inside-not that Radio may be a little bit special, but wonderfully and beautifully made! I absolutely love this movie because it shows us how to act with other people and to essentially not “judge a book by its cover” which is what God says for us to strive to do, in Psalm 37 not to be influenced by other people who are bad influences on you, or to reject someone who is a little different and doesn’t have friends. We should all try to be a little like Radio!
November 4th, 2009 at 8:48 pm
thats one of my favorite movies to well my favorite movie is tranformers 2
it has a prity simillar story optamos prime saves sam and in the end he comes
back to life so there prity mutch the same only lots of explosion
this is my comet shanenelson peace out lol
November 6th, 2009 at 3:40 pm
One of my favorite movies that I can relate to this is Terminator Salvation. John Connor is the leader of the resistance that protects the remaining humans from the machines. John Connor is the prophesized leader of the humans to fight evil and keep the world alive. And as Christian Bale pointed out in an interview is that his initilas are JC just like Jesus Christ. He is willing to make sacrifices, including death, to make the world a better place; like Jesus.
November 6th, 2009 at 5:46 pm
i love movies too nate, so it is really hard to choose a favorite since i get new favorites all the time. but some of my favorites are the Rush Hour series,It’s a Wonderful Life, 1-2-3,Independence Day,8 Men Out, Men in Black,The Great Escape,To Kill a Mockingbird,and pretty much every disney movie ever made:) i don’t really see how any of these have anything in common w/ the Grand Story but if anybody else does let me know.(please.)thanks ps. oh! and i like the star wars movies:D