It's the question Bruce Wayne faces over and over again as he is tested. Although the question itself asked only a few times throughout the Batman trilogy, its echoes are heard in many scenes. When Gotham City is at is greatest point of desperation and Batman is on the ground, he hears this inquiry. If he fails to live according to the answer, Gotham will fall forever. If he discovers it and meets its demand, he will be a savior... of sorts.
I watched The Dark Knight this evening with my brother Aaron. While the wretched feeling is still fresh in my mind, I wanted to blog about it. Throughout the movie, there is a feeling deep inside the pit of one's stomach that makes him want to turn off the TV. After the movie was over and I had seen this middle movie for the second time, I asked myself if I should ever watch it again. It's deep. Dark. Almost depressing. Should Christians really fill their minds with this?
Then I asked myself what the point of it was. Why immerse myself in this evil? What have I been preaching about on this blog for the past month?
Why does evil exist?
Why do we fall?
Jesus was virtually trampled over and over again. The Pharisees were always out to make Him stumble. They couldn't beat Him, yet they couldn't bear the thought of joining Him. So they sought to kill Him, and eventually they did.
Satan is a strange character. I don't think he's after sitting on Heaven's throne anymore. He knows that God is God, for "even the devils believe." For crying out loud, the fear of God is stronger in demons than it is in me. So Satan isn't out to be the king of the universe. He doesn't have much of a plan; He just wants to mess up God's, and all he does is somehow directed toward just that. No, the Devil isn't organized; he's angry. Hateful. Almost psychotic. Somewhat of a...
joker.
You know what? His plan almost worked. Looking strictly at the world around us, we can say a huge part of his plan did work. Eve ate the fruit, Adam followed, and my great great grandkids will be born damned because of it. There's suffering and sin, sorrow and sadness, bitterness and violence. The earth groans. (Me too). Jesus died for it.
But why did He fall?
So he could get back up. And he did just that on the third day.
Why does evil exist?
So it can be defeated.
Jesus has completed His main mission. All that's left is taking the victory and sting of death away, and that is as good as done. No, He's not the Hero Gotham want - He's the Hero we need.
So why watch The Dark Knight when it is an intense, bitter, wrenching, dark movie?
Because God ordained evil so that He could defeat it. He made Gotham so He could introduce a Hero. He tested that Hero with evil so that the Hero would be perfected (Heb. 2:10). He let that Hero's heel be bruised by a Joker, a menace, so that the Joker would be defeated.
Why did the God make the Hero - His Son - fall?
So that the Hero could get back up - so He could rise again.
Because The Dark Knight Rises in the end.
CAST
Batman/Bruce Wayne....................................Jesus
The Joker......................................................Satan
[Classified].......................................Judas Iscariot
[Classified]....................................................Peter
[Classified].....................................................John
The Residents of Gotham...................................Us
CREDITS
J.D. Willett
John Piper
Hebrews
Christopher Nolan
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