Have you ever tried to see Jesus in movies? I had never really thought about it until a little over a year ago when I was talking with my friend and roommate at the time, Tori Bennett. She went on and on about how she loved searching for the Gospel in every movie she watched. The skeptic in me was like, “Yes, Les Mis strongly resembles the Gospel, but not EVERY movie is like that.” But then I started looking, and guess what. SO MANY MOVIES HAVE THE MESSAGE OF THE GOSPEL IN THEM!!! Mind blown! I know look for it in movies all the way from Disney’s Frozen to my most recent watch, Captain Phillips.
Before we embark on the rest of this blog, I’d like you to watch the trailer to Captain Phillips below!
Based on a true story, the movie Captain Phillips follows the testimony of a US cargo ship Captain Richard Phillips. When modern day pirates overtake his vessel, he must think fast on his feet to protect his ship and more importantly his crew. He finally succeeds at removing them, but at a large cost. They take him hostage. I wont ruin the ending, but I will say (for someone who doesn’t cry much in movies) you might want to bring a few tissues with you.
As I watched this movie, my heart tugged in so many directions. First of all, put yourself in the shoes of the Captain. You can see in the trailer, he is so incredibly calm taking into consideration the insane amount of pressure just placed on his shoulders. He has no idea what the pirate’s intentions are. And on top of that, he is basically kidnapped! I can’t even imagine the thoughts and feelings jolting through him!
Also as funny as it is to say (especially in our culture where you definitely cheer against the villain), my heart goes out the pirates. There is a scene depicted in the trailer above from minute 2:02-2:08. The Captain tries to reach out to the main Somali pirate asking, “Surely, there is more to life than this??” And he answers not once, but twice with the phrase, “Maybe in America. Maybe in America.”
WOW!
I mean can you imagine!?
What if that is what you HAD to do to survive? What if stealing and piracy was your daily job? What if that fed your family and provided your income? What if each day you brought a gun to work, rather than a briefcase? What if your job was to instill fear in other people’s lives?
In the beginning of the movie there is a boy (maybe 15 or 16) who literally begs to come along on this heist! He wants to be a part of this thrilling, adventurous profession. Well, he gets his wish, and surprise, surprise it’s NOT what he thought it would be. By the end of the movie you can tell the Captain has found a soft spot in his heart for this scared boy. At one point he tells the boy specifically to “Surrender.”
This simple word is a plea and a cry from the Captain. He is basically saying to this terrified soul, “Trust me. I don’t know what they have in store for you, but this can all be over with two words: “I surrender.” You are only a boy! You have a future! Surrender.”
Have you ever trapped yourself into a corner so dark and so scary that you don’t know how to get out? I mean if you could have seen a movie trailer of your life concerning that decision, would you have ever entered in to it?
I see Jesus and the Gospel so much right here in the movie! After everything that has happened to Captain Phillips, I think he has every right in the world to be angry and bitter towards his captors, but his reaction is SO DIFFERENT! He extends grace and mercy to these Somali pirates OVER & OVER!
Doesn’t our Father do this for us also!?
Second Corinthians 4 encourages us in these times of despair saying,
“We are afflicted in every way, but not crushed.
Perplexed, but not driven to despair.
Persecuted, but not forsaken.
Struck down, but not destroyed. (8-9)
So we do not lose heart. Though our outer self is wasting away, our inner self is being renewed day by day. For this light and momentary affliction is preparing for us an external weight of glory beyond all comparison. (16-17)”
And in Lamentations 3:22-23 we are told,
“His mercies never come to an end. They are new every morning.”
Where are you TODAY (not yesterday or tomorrow)?
Where are you struggling to SURRENDER and take you Father’s hand?
I’d encourage you, maybe even without understanding, to raise that white flag. He’s got you.
Side Note: I’d also encourage you to start looking for the Gospel in movies! It’s pretty awesome the testimonies found in them!
