I generally hate action movies especially when superheroes are involved. I also never publically recommend movies. But alas there are always exceptions to such conclusive statements and Wonder Woman is one of them. I saw it for the first time last night and it moved me in a way no other movie has before. I could go on raving about the film from a feminist perspective but for now I’m going to focus on a different aspect (as I’m sure you could find no lack of other feminist reviews on the interwebs). Wonder Woman was not merely every feminist's dream superhero but also a beautiful depiction of the gospel of Jesus. Basically, the premise of the movie is Diana aka Wonder Woman leaves her utopian homeland into the “real world” of men to help bring end to what is presumably World War 1. However she believes that this is not merely a human conflict but an evil outworking of Ares, the God of War. If she can just kill him then mankind will return to their former existence as the passionate and wonderful creations they were designed to be. *Spoiler Alert* in the end she defeats Ares and to her dismay realizes that evil and selfish gain still preside in the heart of man. Let’s look at Diana’s (Wonder Woman) character for a minute because as believer I think we have a lot to glean from this heroine. Unlike the other men she is fighting alongside, she understands that the battle she is fighting is not against flesh and blood but rather against spiritual forces of evil. Sound familiar? Read Ephesians 6:12. Despite the pressures placed on her by others, this belief gives her the resolve to not involve herself in the politics of war and not waste her time fighting battles that are not hers to fight. Diana knows her mandate and is secure in her identity regularly declaring it throughout the movie. "I am Diana of Themyscira, daughter of Hippolyta, Queen of the Amazons. In the name of all that it is good, your wrath upon this world is over." Wow, imagine if we as followers of Jesus wielded the power vested in us by the Holy Spirit with such authority! We are children of the Most High King, The Great I AM, The Name Above All Names! In His name we can heal the sick, raise the dead, drive out demonic forces and see justice prevail on the earth. Now that’s some real world superhero action, where God receives all the glory! Another aspect of the Wonder Women movie which I found particularly poignant was the depiction of Diana’s antithesis Ares and the parallels between his character and Satan. Ares disguises himself as a harmless contender negotiating for an armistice, all the while whispering lies and provoking evil the hearts of men. Doesn’t this out right expose the craftiness of Satan’s wicked ways? When he lies he speaks his native tongue (John 8:44). He doesn’t force us to sin but rather presents its temptation in an appealing manner and plants perversion into our hearts leading us astray from the God of love. The final battle was particularly emotional for me. Who would have thought I would cry in an action flick fight scene but hey I guess there is a first for everything! After Ares was defeated mankind did not return to the perfection and goodness of their original design. War continued to ravish; death seemed to prevail. In reality there was no good guys, every nation in all of mankind remained depraved. What a picture of this age of tension we live in! When Christ died, he had victory over Satan and brought redemption to all the out workings of his evil. 2,000 years later the Kingdom of God prevails on earth! We see healings, miracles and life change yet we still experience death, disease, poverty, heartbreak and violence. We live in the balance between Jesus’ death and resurrection and His awaited second coming where he will judge all that is evil and make all things new- a hope that not even Wonder Woman could secure. Wonder Woman in all her glory and perfection saw the depravity of mankind yet she chose leave everything she knew and loved and devote her life to serving them. The most touching scene was after the final battle and to her dismay Diana realizes that mankind is not the inherently good creatures she once thought they were. In this climactic moment she looks back with compassion at the motley crew she has fought alongside and who have now become her friends. This also happens to be the moment when the tears really began to roll down my face and drip off my chin into the empty popcorn box. I found this to be a powerful depiction of our Father’s great love. He knows every sin lurking in our hearts and was never disillusioned like Diana. He felt the sting of our betrayal as Jesus was nailed to the cross on our behalf yet he calls us friends and longs for nothing more than to be with us, to share our lives together in communion with him. He wants that so badly that no cost was too high, he would give everything… and so he did. Wonder Women was a small step in seeing women portrayed differently in the media but more than that it resembles something of the Gospel. May we, like Diana, walk in our true identity in connection with our Father the King of Kings. May we fix our eyes on things above and not get caught in the swirl of meaningless affairs. And most of all may we have the power to understand, how wide, how long, how high, and how deep God’s love is for us (Ephesians 3:18) and may we walk in friendship with Him all the days of our lives.
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1 Chronicles 16:8"Give thanks to the Lord and proclaim his greatness. Let the whole world know Archives
December 2017
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Sisterhood