Jesus, many have said, didn't come to usher in a new set of rules or a new set of morals. He came, John says in his Gospel, to "bring life and bring it in full." So much of the world I see lacks life, lacks hope. But there are glimpses that we get - akin to what the Celts called "thin places" - that remind us of what hope looks and feels like. The end of The Shawshank Redemption is one of those glimpses.
It is one of the most beautiful movies I have ever seen and I am drawn back to it at what feel like defining moments in life - or perhaps it is better to say that every time I see it becomes a defining moment. The movie builds to just this moment and this moment is one of the best statements of how Jesus wants us to live. Watch:
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I don't know if you ever watched the whole movie, but you'd have to in order to understand why not. Let's say it wasn't a casual, or unnecessary decision.
So working at a grocery store is dehumanizing?
Start living as a human being? Gee, I wonder what an ex-con would do in mexico to start living as a human being?
When I think about the beauty of the gospel as depicted in The Shawshank Redemption, I don't picture this scene. I love this scene, but what instantly comes to mind is when Andy emerges from the water after his escape, covered in sewage, raises his eyes to the sky, spreading his arms in freedom, allowing the rain to wash him clean. It's a picture of what every moment in Christ should feel like...
I love that scene Amy - the symbolism is overwhelming. It is indeed one of the most beautiful depictions of redemption I recall.
What is so beautiful about beauty is the angles from which that beauty can be appreciated. It speaks, I suppose, to the longings and desires in our own hearts...
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