Movies: The Fisher King
**WARNING: THIS POST CONTAINS SOME OF WHAT THE AUTHOR DEEMS TO BE NECESSARILY MATURE CONTENT
Peter Kreeft once wrote, "Christianity is not a hypothesis, it is a proposal of marriage." This scene (below) from The Fisher King makes me think of his insightful words. We in America have grown skeptical of real love and rightly so. We are a ruggedly individualistic people, selfish to the core, whose motto may as well be "What's in it for me?" Many of us never find, much less give, the kind of love Peter talked about that "covers a multitude of sins" (1 Peter 4:8) or that Paul said "does not envy or boast" (1 Corinthians 13:4). Such love is central to this movie, which is a parable of redemption. Jack Lucas (played by Jeff Bridges) is a shock-jock host of his own radio show on the verge of infamy whose life and career come crashing down around him, mainly because of by careless words he arrogantly spoke to one of his callers who went on a shooting spree. Down and out, Jack eventually crosses paths with Parry, a former college professor now homeless after the tragic death of his wife. Jack learns that Parry's wife was killed in the shooting spree he helped cause; and Parry thinks Jack is the key to his spiritual quest to find the Holy Grail (Christ's cup from the last supper). Each is trying to escape the pain of his past, Jack through a climb back to the top of his industry, and Parry through his quest for the Grail, which he believes to be resting on the bookshelves of a Manhattan mogul. They are looking for redemption. They are looking for grace.
This scene comes later in the movie. Parry has been admiring Lydia from a distance, watching her commute to and from work every day. Now he has finally gotten the chance to take her to dinner (through Jack's earnest efforts). And after dinner Parry walks Lydia home. As they talk she becomes genuinely shocked by the sincerity and quality of his love. **THIS SCENE CONTAINS MATURE CONTENT**
Lydia is so taken aback that she says at the end of their conversation, "You're real. Aren't you?" What opens her up to the possibility of love is the selfless kindness Parry shows her. He doesn't just want a one night stand; he wants a real relationship. Lydia, who perhaps thinks herself unworthy of such love, does a bit of a double take. Real, live love is always a bit miraculous to us because we are so used to its counterfeits.
Eugene Peterson once wrote, "Salvation is not a one night stand." He means that most of the time we want to use God without the strings of commitment. Sometimes this is because we have no strong notions of the marriage proposal Jesus has offered us in the gospel. We may try to use God; but God never tries to use us. Instead, He has deeply committed Himself to us. We know this because of what the Bible says about the cross of Jesus Christ, which is both the fruit and the root of God's love.
If the love of Parry is refreshingly shocking, how much more so the love of another homeless man, Jesus Christ. The love of Jesus is seen not merely in his words, but much more in his deeds. Paul describes Jesus in Galatians 2 as "the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me." Jesus has a much different motto than we do. He did not head to the cross thinking, "What's in it for me?" Instead He thought, "What's in it for them?" And the answer of course is the gospel itself: a restored relationship to our Creator, from the depths of brokenness within and without, through the blood, sweat and tears of His Son, to be consummated and celebrated at the greatest party the world has ever known, the Marriage Supper of the Lamb (Revelation 19). When a person says "Yes" to the proposal of Jesus, life on earth becomes an engagement; Heaven, on earth too, becomes a honeymoon that lasts forever.
In the end Parry finds the Holy Grail. But it's not what any of us think. Shortly after his magical moment with Lydia, Parry is beaten within an inch of his life by hateful teenagers. Jack goes to visit Parry in the hospital only to find him in a coma. Jack, whom Parry designates early on in the movie as "the one" who will bring his quest for the Grail to completion, decides that he will fulfill his role. So he breaks into the home of the Manhattan mogul, swipes the Grail off of the expensive bookshelves, and brings it back safely to Parry, who wakes up. This Grail's power, just like the real Holy Grail, rests not in the cup, but in the man behind the cup. Jack Lucas risked his career, his life, for his friend. And the power of the real Holy Grail rests in this: Jesus Christ did not merely risk his life, but gave it for the sake of his friends. Indeed it is a "symbol of divine grace," the promise of a new relationship with God through the blood shed by Jesus for the sins of many; even arrogant Jacks and homeless Parrys.
Peter Kreeft once wrote, "Christianity is not a hypothesis, it is a proposal of marriage." This scene (below) from The Fisher King makes me think of his insightful words. We in America have grown skeptical of real love and rightly so. We are a ruggedly individualistic people, selfish to the core, whose motto may as well be "What's in it for me?" Many of us never find, much less give, the kind of love Peter talked about that "covers a multitude of sins" (1 Peter 4:8) or that Paul said "does not envy or boast" (1 Corinthians 13:4). Such love is central to this movie, which is a parable of redemption. Jack Lucas (played by Jeff Bridges) is a shock-jock host of his own radio show on the verge of infamy whose life and career come crashing down around him, mainly because of by careless words he arrogantly spoke to one of his callers who went on a shooting spree. Down and out, Jack eventually crosses paths with Parry, a former college professor now homeless after the tragic death of his wife. Jack learns that Parry's wife was killed in the shooting spree he helped cause; and Parry thinks Jack is the key to his spiritual quest to find the Holy Grail (Christ's cup from the last supper). Each is trying to escape the pain of his past, Jack through a climb back to the top of his industry, and Parry through his quest for the Grail, which he believes to be resting on the bookshelves of a Manhattan mogul. They are looking for redemption. They are looking for grace.
This scene comes later in the movie. Parry has been admiring Lydia from a distance, watching her commute to and from work every day. Now he has finally gotten the chance to take her to dinner (through Jack's earnest efforts). And after dinner Parry walks Lydia home. As they talk she becomes genuinely shocked by the sincerity and quality of his love. **THIS SCENE CONTAINS MATURE CONTENT**
Lydia is so taken aback that she says at the end of their conversation, "You're real. Aren't you?" What opens her up to the possibility of love is the selfless kindness Parry shows her. He doesn't just want a one night stand; he wants a real relationship. Lydia, who perhaps thinks herself unworthy of such love, does a bit of a double take. Real, live love is always a bit miraculous to us because we are so used to its counterfeits.
Eugene Peterson once wrote, "Salvation is not a one night stand." He means that most of the time we want to use God without the strings of commitment. Sometimes this is because we have no strong notions of the marriage proposal Jesus has offered us in the gospel. We may try to use God; but God never tries to use us. Instead, He has deeply committed Himself to us. We know this because of what the Bible says about the cross of Jesus Christ, which is both the fruit and the root of God's love.
If the love of Parry is refreshingly shocking, how much more so the love of another homeless man, Jesus Christ. The love of Jesus is seen not merely in his words, but much more in his deeds. Paul describes Jesus in Galatians 2 as "the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me." Jesus has a much different motto than we do. He did not head to the cross thinking, "What's in it for me?" Instead He thought, "What's in it for them?" And the answer of course is the gospel itself: a restored relationship to our Creator, from the depths of brokenness within and without, through the blood, sweat and tears of His Son, to be consummated and celebrated at the greatest party the world has ever known, the Marriage Supper of the Lamb (Revelation 19). When a person says "Yes" to the proposal of Jesus, life on earth becomes an engagement; Heaven, on earth too, becomes a honeymoon that lasts forever.
In the end Parry finds the Holy Grail. But it's not what any of us think. Shortly after his magical moment with Lydia, Parry is beaten within an inch of his life by hateful teenagers. Jack goes to visit Parry in the hospital only to find him in a coma. Jack, whom Parry designates early on in the movie as "the one" who will bring his quest for the Grail to completion, decides that he will fulfill his role. So he breaks into the home of the Manhattan mogul, swipes the Grail off of the expensive bookshelves, and brings it back safely to Parry, who wakes up. This Grail's power, just like the real Holy Grail, rests not in the cup, but in the man behind the cup. Jack Lucas risked his career, his life, for his friend. And the power of the real Holy Grail rests in this: Jesus Christ did not merely risk his life, but gave it for the sake of his friends. Indeed it is a "symbol of divine grace," the promise of a new relationship with God through the blood shed by Jesus for the sins of many; even arrogant Jacks and homeless Parrys.