The Christ Figure

I remember learning about the Christ figure in English classes. A relatively common literary technique, a Christ figure is a character who shares obvious similarities with Jesus. Normally, he or she is a "savior" type figure, often sacrificing his or her life for the greater good and sometimes, like Christ, is marvelously and miraculously resurrected. 

One of the most famous (and perhaps most intentional, as far as the author was concerned) is Aslan in C.S. Lewis's The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe. Narnia's fierce yet gentle lion-king did not have to die. He willingly took Edmund's place...He saved his life. And in his power, he came back to life to defeat the evil queen once and for all.

Kind of like how Christ died in our place, even though we could never deserve such an extravagant gift of grace. Kind of like how he conquered death, Hell and the grave. He has won the war against evil.

Even the show with which I've been pretty obsessed for the past couple of years has (however perhaps inadvertent or unplanned) biblical parallels. This may be a stretch, but Once Upon a Time hinges on the actions of "the savior" and stresses the importance of being "a believer." Emma's son even sacrificed himself in the first season so that the curse would be broken and all the characters would believe the truth.

Another huge one is Harry Potter. I'll argue with anyone who says is just a bunch of satanic mumbo-jumbo because it's about witchcraft. 

Now, I really don't know if J.K. Rowling is a Believer or if she has ever read the Bible. But Harry Potter is a Christ figure. And Voldemort (Hello!! He looks like a snake, has a pet snake, can speak a hissing snake language...remember the Garden of Eden??) is a Satan-like figure. He is the epitome of evil and darkness. And Harry, "the Chosen One," was prophetically destined to defeat him. And by what drastic measure must that happen?

(SPOILER ALERT!!!) His own sacrificial death.

Harry willingly walks right up to Voldemort, allowing himself to be murdered so that no more of the good guys would have to die. And what's more, he didn't stay dead, leaving the rest to defeat the bad guys. He came back to life and personal vanquished Voldemort.

Call me a nerd if you want to. I will always love Harry Potter.

But none of these stories...none of these Christ figures measures up to our Jesus. To what really happened. To what he truly did for us on that cross.

I watched The Passion of the Christ for the first time the other day, and I was an emotional wreck for two solid hours. And the conviction of my inadequacy and wretchedness and the extremity of His sacrifice hit me like a brick wall.

Oh, the love. That He would willingly give His life for mine.

And have you seen that movie?? It's basically two hours of torture. And with every crack of a whip and every blow that drew blood, I thought...that was for me. I deserve that.

"It was my sin that held him there...until it was accomplished..."

How deep the Father's love for us, indeed.

But He who knew no sin voluntarily took the beating and the brutal death for my sake. For your sake.

"Greater love has no one than this, that he would lay down his life for his friends." John 15:13

And then..."Bursting forth in glorious day, up from the grave He rose again!"

And that is why we have hope. Therein lies our salvation. In His power and His glory He didn't stay dead but did what no one else could have done: Shouldering the weight of the world and the sins of all mankind, He rose again and assumed His rightful place at the right-hand of the Father. And He's up there still. On His throne. The Living God who also lives in the heart of every Believer.

Man. That's good stuff. 

"Oh, how I love Jesus...because He first loved me."

Ladies in Waiting & Warrior Princesses

God has truly (and graciously) been teaching me so much about waiting, and I know He's not finished yet. Waiting has been and still is the theme of my life and of the lives of so many other people I know and love this year. Waiting for answers. Waiting for clarity. Waiting for decisions. Waiting for things to happen.

Waiting on the Lord.

"But those who wait upon the Lord will renew their strength. They will soar on wings like eagles; they will run and not grow weary, they will walk and not be faint." -Isaiah 40:31

Other translations say "hope" and "trust" instead of wait. Man, is that encouraging. We can trust Him. He is our hope. As believers, that's what we claim, right? Then why is it so hard to wait for Him?

We want instant gratification. We want what we think we need or deserve or are entitled to right now. We anticipate and want and hope for what we do not (yet) possess...even to the point of aching for that thing or person or, in my case, country and people group. And it's scary because it's unclear when we might see our hopes fulfilled. We can't predict the future. Our hope is unseen.

"But hope that is seen is no hope at all. Who hopes for what he already has? But if we hope for what we do not yet have, we wait for it patiently." -Romans 8:24-25

In the same way, "Faith is being sure of what we hope for and certain of what we do not see" (Hebrews 11:1). So keep the Faith. Don't give up hope. Don't become so exhausted by what you've set out to do that you give up on doing the good He called you to do.

"Let us not become weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up." -Galatians 6:9

Wow. I'm claiming that for myself as I pray for peace and entreat my soul to be still and attempt to take every thought captive for Christ as I wait for Him to make a way for me to go and do what I believe He has called me to do.

Just because it's hard doesn't mean it's not His will. In fact, it may be further evidence that it is. And that Somebody is trying to keep me from it.

In this matter (and all others!) I want to pray like this:

"The Spirit helps us in our weakness. We do not know what to pray for, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us with groans that words cannot express. And He who searches our hearts knows the mind of the Spirit, because the Spirit intercedes for the saints in accordance with God's will." -Romans 8:26-27

Thank God I have His Holy Spirit living in me! Living in spite of me and even instead of me. After all, "I have been crucified with Christ and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me" (Galatians 2:20).

And so I wait. And I beg for Jesus to be what sustains me. What fills me up. What drives me on. 

As David Crowder would say, "He is jealous for me..." He wants to be my one and only love...not going to Italy. Not working in an art gallery. Not even loving people. He wants and needs (for my sake) to be my first and foremost. My one and only.

I need to have an undivided heart.

And oh, has He been faithful to draw me closer to Himself during this waiting period. I'm falling more in love with Him every day.

But while I do feel like a "Lady in Waiting," I also feel like a "Warrior Princess."

My mom called me that today, because she knows what I and our family and our church have been going through. At first I laughed. But then...you know what? Isn't that what we're called to be? We are children of the King and we are compelled to fight the powers of spiritual darkness that are (very evidently) alive and well.

No joke.

While I am waiting and trying to be patient and trust the Lord's timing, I am also not blind to the evil attacks that come up when we strive to serve Him. 

Satan is just plain mean. 

He tells you lies and he makes you doubt and he does his darnedest to prevent you from doing good. He will try to make you numb and complacent and dead, first of all. He likes you that way. But if you become a threat, he'll do whatever he can to keep you from following Christ's leadership. He'll try to push and shove and kick you off that path.

But remember..."Do not become weary to doing good..."

Also, when you feel like you're under attack (and even when you're not, for heaven's sake be proactive!), meditate on Ephesians 6:

"Stand firm then, with the belt of truth buckled around your waist, with the breastplate of righteousness in place, and with your feet fitted with the readiness that comes from the gospel of peace. In addition to all this, take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one. Take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God. And pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests. With this in mind, be alert and always keep on praying for all the saints." 

Protect yourself against lies and unrighteousness and doubt and fear. Guard your heart against such things. Be alert to their presence in this dark world and pray...be in constant communication with the Commander. Then go. Fight back and run ahead, driven on by your confidence in the true word of God and by your conviction of the urgency and necessity and pleasure of proclaiming the gospel of peace.

So, while I'm still here...

Love from Home,

Elizabeth