restless reformer

I finally got out to see Batman Begins last night, and I was quite impressed.  There’s been a chorus of praise for the movie from everyone and their maternal figure, so I will not bore you with another review like that. 

Rather, I want to turn your attention to the glimpses of the gospel that jumped out at me as I watched the movie.  I’ll address two instances in particular: the running theme of justice and compassion, and a scene from the climax of the movie.

The basic plot tension throughout the film was the contrast of two view of justice.  On the one hand, espoused by the Ras a’Ghul and the League of Shadows, was a concept of justice that gave what was fair and deserved - if a city fell too far into corruption, that city was destroyed for the preservation of the goodness of society as a whole.  Rome and Constantinople had gone too far, and this League of Shadows, having existed for centuries, caused their respective falls; and Gotham was next on the chopping block.  "Balance" had to be restored to the world by the merciless eradication of what was evil and seemingly hopeless.

On the other hand, we have the view of justice held by Bruce Wayne/Batman, who refuses to join the League on account of his desire to extend compassion, even to the guilty.  Wayne believes, though he has experienced great suffering himself and at one time would have murdered his parents’ killer, that salvation will not come to the city by its destruction, but by the proper administration of a justice that holds deeply to principles of compassion and mercy.  Wayne’s view of justice and salvation was optimistic - you do not bring salvation to a people by murdering them, and the city can indeed be redeemed, even from its desperate state.  Gotham is as morally corrupt as any city on earth, and in terms of what it deserved, was ripe for judgment; but Wayne found hope even still and was willing to sacrifice himself to see that hope come to fruition. 

I couldn’t help but think of the harsh view of God that Jesus turned upside down during His ministry.  Certainly the Pharisees awaited God’s coming destruction of the wicked and vindication of the righteous.  Sinners had no hope, for they had broken God’s law and would not be saved.  Jesus saw Jerusalem as ripe for destruction, predicting its fall and declaring the temple desolate.  Yet coming destruction was not Jesus’ final word, for hours after He gave His teaching on Mt. Olives, He suffered and died, taking judgment upon Himself for all who would believe.  Believing that mercy was at the heart of salvation, He fulfilled within Himself all Israel was intended to be and then took her judgment upon Himself, being brutally murdered by Rome and opening wide  salvation’s doors.

In the movie’s climax, there is a chilling scene in which, as Batman presses onward to save the city, he is held up by the very people he is trying to save.  Gotham’s citizens, deluded by the poison they have inhaled, can see in Batman only a terrifying figure, and a mob attacks him, preventing his progress.  This, obviously, brought to my mind the delusion that gripped so many, crying out for Jesus’ crucifixion, turning on Him as He headed towards His death.  "He came to that which was His own, but His own people did not receive Him." 

Now, why and how would the gospel find its way into a Batman movie, of all places?  Surely the movie’s director did not deliberately intend such?  Well, probably not. 

Then how did a totally depraved person manage to communicate a glimpse of the gospel?  Aren’t you just delusional, Travis?  Well, hopefully not. 

Pascal wrote about the God-shaped hole (a phrase that’s become far too cliche for my liking).  Augustine penned, "Our hearts are restless, until they find rest in Thee."  I think they were spot on.  I have what I would call a strong view of human depravity, but I do not think the image of God is erased from us entirely.  Being as such, whether we realize it or not, our hearts resonate with the message of love conquering what is evil, the message at the center of the gospel.  At the same time, without the powerful work of the Spirit, our hearts hate the One who alone carries the message perfectly, and indeed is the message.  But glimpses of the gospel call us away from our hatred and to the wonderful love of Christ.  Would that more of us, including myself, kept our eyes open for the gospel in stories and myths we all tell to each other.  We might hear, more often, our need for our Savior.