Last weekend I saw Batman: The Dark Knight.
At 11:55 AM Sunday I showed up to see The Dark Knight IMAX experience. It was sold out for the next 2 days so I decided on the regular old big screen. The theatre was packed with Kansans about to watch a film all about one man bent on justice and another ruthlessly bent on evil. The unending universal conflict summed up in two characters. At dinner with friends last night I asked them about the movie. Their favorite character was the Joker by far, the most intriguing in the Dark Knight. Heath Ledger’s performance is a tour de force. From the first moment to the very last, he steals the show.
The performance aside, why is evil often the most intriguing element in stories? Some say it is because our sin nature gets so tantalized by the deeds of darkness that we can’t get enough. Others say it is a sign that things are getting worse. I believe it’s a combination of both multiplied by a misunderstanding of the advancement of God’s Kingdom as taught in Jesus’ parables. In the West many believe that the cosmic struggle of good and evil is an extrapolation of the law of entropy. If good (Batman) doesn’t respond to evil, things will continue to get worse. Entropy focused morality lowers the bar, makes us throw in the towel and think, “Someone is bound to steal it sooner or later anyway.”
Jesus, on the other hand, teaches us that the Kingdom of Heaven has already arrived. His resurrection is the first fruits and things will get better and better even as they get worse and worse. In the Parable of the Wheat and the Tares, the farmer, whose field has been sown with weeds by “an enemy” says; “Let both grow together until the harvest. At that time I will tell the harvesters: First collect the weeds and tie them in bundles to be burned; then gather the wheat and bring it into my barn.”
So as the world continues to be troubled by Jokers of all shapes and sizes, remember you are fighting for the Risen King. Grab your cap and cowl and become a hero.
Batman: The Dark Knight
Last weekend I saw Batman: The Dark Knight.
At 11:55 AM Sunday I showed up to see The Dark Knight IMAX experience. It was sold out for the next 2 days so I decided on the regular old big screen. The theatre was packed with Kansans about to watch a film all about one man bent on justice and another ruthlessly bent on evil. The unending universal conflict summed up in two characters. At dinner with friends last night I asked them about the movie. Their favorite character was the Joker by far, the most intriguing in the Dark Knight. Heath Ledger’s performance is a tour de force. From the first moment to the very last, he steals the show.
The performance aside, why is evil often the most intriguing element in stories? Some say it is because our sin nature gets so tantalized by the deeds of darkness that we can’t get enough. Others say it is a sign that things are getting worse. I believe it’s a combination of both multiplied by a misunderstanding of the advancement of God’s Kingdom as taught in Jesus’ parables. In the West many believe that the cosmic struggle of good and evil is an extrapolation of the law of entropy. If good (Batman) doesn’t respond to evil, things will continue to get worse. Entropy focused morality lowers the bar, makes us throw in the towel and think, “Someone is bound to steal it sooner or later anyway.”
Jesus, on the other hand, teaches us that the Kingdom of Heaven has already arrived. His resurrection is the first fruits and things will get better and better even as they get worse and worse. In the Parable of the Wheat and the Tares, the farmer, whose field has been sown with weeds by “an enemy” says; “Let both grow together until the harvest. At that time I will tell the harvesters: First collect the weeds and tie them in bundles to be burned; then gather the wheat and bring it into my barn.”
So as the world continues to be troubled by Jokers of all shapes and sizes, remember you are fighting for the Risen King. Grab your cap and cowl and become a hero.