![]() Last night, as we were talking about the nature of Jesus’ authority in a world addicted to narratives of violence and the exercise of a particular expression of power, he said, “It reminds me of a line from a poem.” He paused, struggling to remember. Sometimes he will leave poems in my church mailbox or just recite them to me in the foyer. One of the guys that comes to bible study loves to quote poetry. Jesus’ authority and power comes, paradoxically, through self-sacrifice, through dying at the hands of his enemies, through forgiveness and a determined love that stretches far beyond the parameters we would prefer or choose. It’s not because Jesus is the most kickass of all the superheroes. It’s not because he rode in from the clouds swinging his sword (or his trident) in a display of righteous vengeance (although some Christians still greedily anticipate such a spectacle, no doubt). Of course, the interesting question is another simple one: How? How does Jesus come to inhabit all of this lofty language? It’s not because he flexed his muscles and forced the evil powers to bend to his will. He possesses “immeasurable greatness” and “great power.” He is seated at God’s “right hand in the heavenly places, far above all rule and authority and power and dominion.” He has “all things under his feet” and is “head over all things.” There’s no mention of a cape or big muscles, and it’s doubtful there is any kryptonite or cool tattoos involved, but still. It talks about Jesus in pretty lofty, power-drenched language. This week’s passage was Ephesians 1:15-23. ![]() We usually just read the passage or passages that will be read the following Sunday during worship and then talk together about what we think it/they might mean. And if our rescuers happen to come with lean, attractive bodies with cool tattoos that we can stare at while the saving is taking place? Well, so much the better for us, er, I mean the planet.Įvery Wednesday evening, I gather with a handful of seniors to study the bible. We’re always worried about the end the world, at least on some level, and we’re always waiting for a strong man or woman, or a league of strong men and women to ride in from the clouds (or the sea or the grave ) to rescue us. The kinds of stories that we pour our time and money into is indicative of what we are afraid of and what we hope for. As I read what I wrote five years ago, I still mostly agree with myself (which is by no means a guaranteed outcome when I trawl through past archives on this blog!). I even suggested that going to the movies is partly analogous to an act of worship. I argued that these kinds of films give us narratives of good and evil within which to negotiate our hopes and fears, particularly in a mostly secular context. A few years ago, I wrote about what I think that “more” might be. There’s almost certainly some truth to each of these explanations.īut I think there’s more to the story. Or we just like seeing explosions and have a lust for sex-tinged violence. ![]() Or we’re just looking for a mindless escape from the drudgery of every day life. Why? Why do we bother with these utterly predictable and unimaginative stories? What accounts for the popularity of these kinds of films? I suppose among the more parsimonious explanations would be that a lot of us are fairly uncritical viewers and have appallingly bad taste. Whenever I leave one of these films, a simple question occurs to me. Rinse and repeat every few months and you have a tried, tested, and true Hollywood formula for raking in millions. Lots of two-dimensional characters with capes and shields and fine looking bodies in special suits flying around, cracking atrociously bad lines, flexing their muscles and using their superpowers to save the world from the really bad guy (an individual named Steppenwolf, in this case, who I must confess often just made me want to chuckle) bent on destroying the world. ![]() Truth forever on the scaffold meaning movie#Also, I figured that no matter how awful the movie was, I would at least have the pleasure of listening to Jeremy Irons deliver a few lines. As a rule, I find this genre of movies rigidly formulaic and not terribly interesting, but my wife tells me that I’m not supposed to be antisocial so I went along for the ride. A few nights ago, I went with some friends to see the latest superhero film, Justice League. ![]()
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