Gran Torino...yes, I just finally watched it.

If you have never seen Gran Torino you need to see it.  It is a film with a clear gospel message.  I want to blog about this movie, however, I am letting you know that I am about to tell you the entire story.  Spoiler alter. 

A crusty, old white guy named Walt, who hated people about as much as he hated life, lived in an urban neighborhood that was becoming a minority neighborhood filled with gang violence.  He can only be described as crude and abrasive.  He eventually softens to his Asian neighbors, taking a young boy he prefers to call Toad under his wing.

Toad comes under pressure to join a gang, and is assaulted by his gang member cousin.  Walt retaliates on Toads behalf, beating up one of the gang members.  The gang members in return shoot up Toad’s house, and they beat and rape his sister.  She and her family are terrified to call the police, and they now feel powerless and afraid in light of the power of this evil. 

An experienced killer from his Army days in Korea, Walt gives every appearance of planning revenge.  We see him cleaning his guns and suggesting to Toad that he was planning how to take out the gang.  Toad wants part in the revenge killing, but Walt locks Toad in the basement.  Walt tells him he has his whole life in front of him, and, based upon Walt’s experience in Korea, he knows Toad cannot live a life of guilt like he had lived.  Justice is crying out, and Walt sets out to “put the world to rights.”

At night Walt stands outside of the gang’s house and confronts them with a barrage of foul language.  This cowboy, wild, wild west confrontation draws the attention of the whole neighborhood.  With multiple armed gang members looking out the windows and doors, Walt reaches inside his jacket, and the gang members unleash their fury, finding their mark many times over through Walt’s chest.  Walt falls dead with only a lighter in his hand.  Walt lays still with his arms stretched out as if in the position of one crucified.  Toad is freed from Walt’s basement by his sister, and they rush to the gang house to find Walt dead.  The police have all the gang members in custody, and the police comment that, due to some many neighborhood witnesses to the shooting, these gang members will spend much of their life in prison.  Justice is served.

That in short is the gospel.  The story is one of humanity oppressed and victimized by evil and violence, and they lack the power to overcome this evil.  In fact their attempts to return fire with fire only makes it worse and evil grows stronger.  Humanity attempts to deal with evil the best it knows how, but they most we can do is to take the life of the perpetrators.  Certainly, we all feel some sense of relief and justice when a Ted Bundy or Osama Bin Laden is killed for the awful things they have done, but it is temporary and incomplete.  Everyone has felt the desire to take matters into their own hands.  Most of us have experienced what it is like to hit back or retaliate with a sharp word.  It feels good but only for a while.

Jesus did something incredible.  He confronted the evil of this world.  Like Walt he stood in plain sight of the powers of evil, the Roman Empire, the corrupted Temple leaders of his day and the Powers and Principalities that operated behind them, and Jesus dared evil to do its worst.  They crucified him and buried him.  Hell spent its fury upon him.  But in their seeming victory they were defeated.  The cross that intended to harm instead brought life.  Like a cosmic jiu jitsu move Jesus became the victor instead of the victim.  He laid down his life so that the enemy of all of humanity might forever be defeated, and his resurrection sealed their fate.  I Corinthians 15:20-28 makes this very point. 

Like Jesus, Walt laid down his life so that evil would be defeated and the world could be put back to rights.  While evil still holds sway in this life, it is on life support, and its days are numbered.  Jesus promised to return, and he promised to consummate what was inaugurated in his resurrection.  While we await his return the power to defeat evil is accessed when we choose, like Jesus and Walt, to lay down our lives for others.  Jesus said that if we want to follow him we must pick up our cross and die, and in this dying we identify with Christ and we are put into union with Christ, ensuring that we will be able to participate in the celebration of his return rather than fleeing in fear at his return.  Maranatha.