A Great Movie

     What makes a great movie great? It could be the feel good message, or the “I didn’t see that coming” factor or simply the general entertainment the movie provides such as a comedy. Many times it’s not the whole movie but specific lines that you remember forever. Every now and then, a move hits all the marks with a great message, memorable lines, a few laughs, and an unexpected twist. 

     However, those are all very subjective in that what one person feels is a great movie, others will be unimpressed by. Napoleon Dynamite is a perfect example. Depending on with whom you are speaking, it’s either one of the worst movies ever or a brilliant dry humor comedy. Regardless of where you land on that spectrum, whether you’ve seen the movie or not you will likely be familiar with at least two lines from the movie: “Give me your Tots” a demand referring to tater tots hidden in the main character’s pocket and the more famous line, “Vote for Pedro” referring to one of the character’s run for class president.

     What I find interesting is how our view of movies tends to reflect our view of many other aspects of life as well. The least of which is not people’s view of the Bible. The Bible consists of 66 books, letters, etc. separated into two parts, Old Testament and the New Testament. The bifurcation being Christ in human form. Generally speaking, the Old Testament is Israel’s history, God’s law, and our need for forgiveness. The New Testament is how that forgiveness is gifted through Christ and living with a mindset of thankfulness for that forgiveness.

     Relating this back to movies, some look at the Bible as having a great message, others are fascinated by how some ‘didn’t see that coming’ when talking about why Christ came in the first place, while others simply recall great one-liners. My view is it’s the perfect story that hits all the genre including tragedy, humor, mystery, and romance with an amazing message of hope, joy, a few twits and an incredible ending that will forever change your life.

     Here are just a few of each of those (don’t miss the last one, it’s the climax of it all):

Tragedy

     From the ejection of Adam and Eve from the Garden of Eden, to Cain’s murder of of his brother Able. There are famines, wars, betrayals of sons of their fathers, plots to overthrow kings, and much more.

     However, the part some often miss is the patience God shows toward his people and those who have turned their back on him. Tragedy is often a means through which God shows his power but also his love just like a parent who will not allow his/her child to go in a harmful direction.

Humor 

     There is subtle humor throughout the Bible such as the competition between John and Peter where throughout the book of John, John points out that he was the ‘one Jesus loved.’ Let us not forget the race to the empty tomb where John points out that he got there before Peter. 

How about in 1 Kings 18:27 when Elijah mocks the false prophets as they try to get their ‘gods’ to respond even asking if their gods are on a bathroom break. “And at noon Elijah mocked them, saying, “Cry aloud, for he is a god. Either he is musing, or he is relieving himself, or he is on a journey, or perhaps he is asleep and must be awakened.”” 

Romance 

     There are many examples of romance in the Bible but the most direct is found in the love letter between King Solomon and his wife found throughout Song of Songs (aka Song of Solomon). Fair warning, there’s some pretty steamy inferences such as in chapter 4 verse 16. I’ll let you read through that portion of the Bible to find the other ones. 

Twist 

     One of my favorites twists is in Ester chapter 6 when Haman (the self-righteous, self-serving right hand man to the King) attempted to get the the king to honor him in front of the all the people. Instead Haman had to lead the honoring of Mordecai, the one person Haman disliked the most. Mordecai was honored while Haman was disgraced in front of all the people. 

Hope / Joy

     Hope and joy is found throughout the entire Bible but the best is knowing that forgiveness is a free gift which we can accept simply by asking for it.

But what does it say? “The word is near you, in your mouth and in your heart” (that is, the word of faith that we proclaim); because, if you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. For with the heart one believes and is justified, and with the mouth one confesses and is saved.

     Beyond that you will find throughout the Bible, especially in the Psalms of the Old Testament and in Paul’s letters in the New Testament, proclamations of God being a solid rock, a protector, a comforter, one who gives peace and rest, and one who is closer than a friend. You’ll read about compassion, patience, second chances, and so much more. As you discover these, you will also begin to fully realize what is meant by the verse, “We love because he first loved us.” - 1 John 4:19

Incredible Ending

     While movies may have a wonderful storyline, and fantastic one-liners, it’s the ending that makes a great movie great and memorable which brings us to the last book of the Bible, Revelation.

     Revelation has bits and pieces of the entire Bible on display. There are beautiful scenes we can hardly imagine, thunderous events that would rival the best special effects in any movie, there’s triumphal entrances, attempts to overthrow God and deceive his people, and power on display that is second to none. But best of all is the grand finale, God’s victory and Satan’s eternal demise.

     Revelation is sometimes hard to understand with it’s analogies but it’s also a fast paced wonderful account of things to come, endless love, and a glimpse into an eternity which will change the way you see everything. And it all comes together with the final promise,

He [Jesus] who testifies to these things says, 

“Surely I am coming soon.”