Life, Movies, and the Gospel: The Lord of the Rings

Today, I'm going to talk about what is arguable one of the best movie series of our days: The Lord of the Rings.

I'm not sure which I like better, the movies or the books.  Don't get me wrong, both are awesome.  I just don't know how they can possibly be compared.  I love them both, but the two really don't mix.

(Just as a side note, my parents, about five years ago, got me the complete trilogy, extended edition, on DVD.  It's about 12 whopping hours of incredible.  I've never watched it all at once.  Maybe once I have a worthy set-up.)

Anyway, this is probably one of the easiest movies with which to draw a parallel with the gospel.  I am not the first, and probably not the last, to suggest this.  Let's start with one of my favorite characters: Gandalf.

Gandalf.  The very name conjures up an image of a mysterious wizard, beloved by all and known by none.  Noone ever seems to know anything about him, except that he's doing what is best for you, even if you don't know it.  He dies to save his friends, and then comes back to save them again.  In a very real way, you could say that Gandalf is the mastermind behind the entire saving of Middle-earth.  If it had not been for Gandalf, no doubt Bilbo would have kept the ring, been caught by the Nazgul, Sauron would have won, and so much for Middle Earth.

In the same way, Jesus is the mastermind and worker of our salvation.  He was sent here to help us all out of our problems.  Basically, we are all trapped by two problems: Sin, and Death.  By ourselves, we can do nothing.  If it were not for Jesus Christ, all of our existence would be painful, pointless, and would end in oblivion.  However, because he died for me, we all will live again.  I know this to be true, and I will testify to my dying day of the same.

Should you so desire, go check out The Baggins Daily Report, another excellent blog about the Lord of the Rings and the Gospel.