The theme of the glorification
is hinted at in many films at their conclusions when they show the hero or
situation fading into pure light. In Platoon, the hero, in a helicopter,
fades into the pure light of the sun as his voice-over submits to seeking goodness;
in The Peaceful Warrior, the master passes away by turning into pure
light.
The common
way the glorification is represented is by superhuman feats the hero performs,
particularly if these deeds have to do with saving the world. In The Matrix
(the first film of the Matrix Trilogy) Neo does this when he saves his
fellow rebel and beloved, Trinity, by hanging on to a cable from a crashing
helicopter, trusting she will cut it and hang on. In The Avengers Iron
Man swoops in and catches an atom bomb
and then directs into the heart of the enemy ship and thereby saves the
world. Also, when Superman saves several men from certain death when he walks
through fire and holds up an enormous tower as they are saved by a helicopter.
This is glorious because “the One” has the skill and awareness to perform the
feat that saves the world.
The theme of
superhuman powers is most like the glorification when it is combined with the
hero’s willingness to sacrifice his or her life for others. But there is much
more to the process of the glorification that the Lord went through, and there
are only a few films I know of that depict greater particulars of the
glorification.
Often, the
glorification process is represented in film by the hero having the power to
enter the heart of the enemies abode when this seems the most impossible thing
to do, but by doing so he destroys the evil forces from within.
Superman does
this when he enters the power beam from the world engine that is transforming
earth into Kripton. With incredible determination, Superman flies up through
the heart of the beam—withstanding its massive force—and begins to move upward.
He strains higher and higher into the light until he reaches the world engine
and destroys it. When the deed is accomplished, the captain of the army says,
“He did it,” similar to Jesus saying, “It is finished.” (Similarly in The
Matrix, when Neo has finally destroyed Smith, the leader of the Machine
World, he says, “It is done”). In the Bible, these words signify Jesus
accomplishing his glorification. Superman is then shown in a peaceful, colorful
scene lying down with the rays of the sun on him as he reaches toward its pure
light, (a trope in many hero films). Superman is known to get much of his power
from the earths sun. One of the reasons this scene is so meaningful and
powerful is that Jesus is the Divine Human in the midst of the spiritual sun in
the spiritual world, and from it provides life for all living things. In the
transfiguration and other places, the Lord is described as shining like the
sun.
To a lesser
extent, the remake of The Day the Earth Stood Still pursues this
theme when ‘“the one who can save the world,” an alien named Klaatu, becomes
convinced of the goodness in humanity and fights his way against the swarm
(which is certain to consume the earth in darkness) and dares to enter the
heart of the alien mother ship. He is shown at the end fading into pure light,
and the swarm recedes and leaves.
The best film
in this genre to depict some of the details in the process of the glorification
is The Matrix. Prophecies are an important part of the glorification of
Jesus. In The Matrix the theme of prophecy is essential and well
developed. In it “The One” is the person who can and does fulfill the
prophecies just as Jesus fulfilled all the prophecies told about him in the Old
Testament. Simply put, prophecy is divine truth from God, and whoever fulfills
prophecy is from God, and as he or she accomplishes each fulfillment she or he
comes closer to oneness with God. The Lord’s process was not a forgone
conclusion—a common misconception; it was an enormous battle and struggle in
doubt from moment to moment. When he fulfills the last temptation on the cross
He says, “It is finished,” meaning that he made his human body divine and returned
to oneness with the Father, which is the culmination of the glorification of
Christ.
In the first
film of the Matrix Tilogy, Neo’s status as The One is constantly in
doubt, but He gradually performs the deeds as no one but the Divine can. His
status as The One is confirmed when he is Killed by the agents, but then
resurrects from the dead and has gained exponentially greater powers - which he
then demonstrates by defeating three agents with supernatural power.
In the last
movie, in spite of everyone telling him he is insane except a few who believe
in him, Neo travels into the heart of the evil realm of the machines. This
comparable to Jesus descending to hell, and the disciples pleading with him not
enter Jerusalem where he will be killed. As he is walking closer to face the
power center of the machines, the image switches between a realistic view of
metal walkways, scrambling insect machines, grey cables and such - to Neo’s
inner vision, which is burning light that depicts perceiving and entering the
internal of all things. He at once submits to and transcends the power of the
machines, and they allow him to battle the multiplying agents alone, for they
know he is the only one who can do it. He gives himself up, and trusting in the
truth. This compares to Jesus allowing the religious leaders to capture and
torture Him, and entering the last temptation. Neo then has a royal battle with
the evil agents, and defeats them by the power of his light and truth. Swedenborg tells only the might of the Lord
from divine truth can battle against and defeat the forces of evil. This is why
Neo alone can do this. All of these events are allegories of the glorification
of Christ.
One of the
scenes that makes the Matrix the greatest representation of the
glorification occurs at the end of the battle between Neo and his nemesis,
agent Smith. Smith presses his hand into Neo (as he has done to many others
during the movie) and a suffocating blackness consumes inside and out. This
blackness represents the over -accumulation of hereditary evil that is
overtaking the world and each person. As Swedenborg said in reference to the
accumulation of evil on earth before Christ came, if Jesus had not stopped it
humanity would have eternally lost in darkness. Smith attacking is the moment
Neo has been waiting for, for when the evil consumes him - it also gives him
access to all evil and with divine power enters the innermost and defeats their
forces from within. Neo is then shown in the machine city lying in the cross
position in pure burning light and the machine voice says, “It is finished,”
just as Jesus says when he has accomplished his glorification.
This victory corresponds to
Jesus purifying his body of all hereditary evil, subjugating all the forces of
evil, and especially expanding his presence infinitely by entering the natural
level of reality, that is, the innermost of all things in all the universe. In
this way Neo in the movie, and Jesus in the world, renewed all things of heaven
and earth. Jesus, by his supreme act of love and skill made his human body
divine, merging it with the divine of God, which is the glorification; He also
released all the captives in the false heavens of the spiritual world, which is
redemption, and He restored spiritual freedom to the whole world. Simulerly,
Neo embodies divine power, he redeemed all of Zion (the land of non-subjugated
humans outside of the Machine) and released all the captives that were held so
long in the pods, and restored freedom to everyone. This release is confirmed
at the end of the movie where the Oracle asks the Architect if he will release
all the people in the pods, and he says, “What do you think I am—Human”. Then
at the very end there is a salvation scene in which the Oracle and the little
girl take great pleasure in a suddenly beautiful and colorful land.
No comments:
Post a Comment