4 who gave himself for our sins to rescue us from the present evil age, according to the will of our God and Father,
Rescue. What a concept! We must really be in a pickle, a jam of monstrous proportions for God Himself to have to come and rescue us. With all the media representations of rescues, the image bank of our culture, the linguistic currency of this generation, they almost all have the same plot. Some bad person, force, or creature from somewhere tries to take over. We are down for the last count until one person steps up to bring victory. It is about the strength of a human being to get themselves out of the mess. The movie I Am Legend has a different twist to the plot. He becomes the one to sacrifice himself for others. He has everything to live for, but he gives up his life so others can live. Thus he becomes the Legend to those who remain. His death serves as an example of the way a life should be led. The people don’t forget his life. His death does not cure the ills, it only provides life to two individuals, not the whole of humanity. The movie The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe has a similar twist. Aslan dies in place of the one guilty party and frees everyone in the process. This is a metaphor for Jesus’ death on the cross. He dies in our place and frees everyone in the process. The death sentence over our heads is carried out on Him, if we actively trust in Jesus. I don’t think I need to point out the ills of our present evil age. The child sex slave trade, the hording of wealth, the abuses of power toward the powerless, the use of food for political gains, and the ever-increasing speed that filth travels around the world. Where will it end? I am glad we have both a Legend and an Aslan in Jesus. He is both example of a life well lived, but also one freely given that all might live. I don’t know about you, but I want my life to count on an eternal scale. I am not satisfied with just meeting temporary needs when eternal needs must be met. I don’t want to just represent an inspirational character to the world, I want to demonstrate the rescue I have received in the way I live my life. I need rescue, how about you?
The Arnold Journey 