We Love Epic Movies. Movies That Tell Stories of Consequence. Where the Fate of Many Hangs

Why

We love epic movies. Movies that tell stories of consequence. Where the fate of many hangs in the balance upon the thread of an unlikely hero’s will to overcome unimaginable obstacles, to uphold what is good and redeem what is dear to him.

These kinds of stories are, by necessity, underdog tales. They are the kind of tales where the villain has the upper hand, and is only a moment away from spilling doom over all until, in the most unexpected way and at the last moment imaginable, he is thwarted—by a weary, yet relentless hero, fighting with unquenchable resolve to uphold what is good.

Whether we know it or not, tucked inside all the most inspiring stories man has penned and told, are elements of the one true and great Story: the Story of the Lamb who was slain before the foundation of the world.

Yes, Jesus is the true Hero. Jesus is the ultimate protagonist. JesusChrist—God clothed in flesh—is the great warrior who overcomes all odds with infinite love and furious strength to save and redeem.

And Jesus did all of this in the most unlikely, underdog way. Jesus took the costly road no one else could have or would have traveled to accomplish His great purposes: the way of the cross. He left His perfect place of glory at the Father’s right hand, entering into the pain and heartache of His rebellious but beloved creation. He stared down all the powers of death, darkness, and sin by living a sinless life and obeying the Father—even to the point of His own gruesome death on a Roman cross.

Why? Why would God, who knows no need or discontentment, go through all this?

Isaiah 53:11 tells us, “Out of the anguish of his soul he shall see and be satisfied; by his knowledge shall the righteous one, my servant, make many to be accounted righteous, and he shall bear their iniquities.”

What satisfied Him? What did He see out of the anguish of His soul that was so pleasing? It was you and me—with Him, forever. Evil sinners justified by His blood, made able to come to Him as sons and daughters, as fellow heirs with Christ.

This Gospel, this story of the Lamb, is the ultimate epic love story. Jesus is the hero; we are the beloved, the rescued.

And soon, Jesus is coming again. This time He will not come as a seeming underdog servant, but as warrior King, feared by all. And He will put an end to death and suffering and rescue those who are waiting for Him, once and for all.

Now that's epic.