There are some movie clips that just resonate with me… if only this was one of them. Oh wait, it is.
If you’ve never seen I Am Legend, you should know this clip is a little intense and also reveals how the movie ends. Consider yourself forewarned.
If you had to pick the character in this scene you most identify with, who would it be? Will Smith’s character is Messiah-like, working diligently, risking everything, and ultimately sacrificing himself to save all that’s left of humanity. We want to emulate his heroism, but we probably identify more with the woman and child he gives the vial of blood to (did you catch him say, “The cure is in her blood”? Too cool.).
But that’s not who we are. If we take these scenes as a parable of the gospel story, then in this story we are the…
zombies.
I know it’s harsh, but the Bible’s harsh on us, too. Check it:
I know that nothing good lives in me, that is, in my sinful nature. (Romans 7:18)
The sinful nature is always hostile to God. It never did obey God’s laws, and it never will. (Romans 8:7)
When we were God’s enemies, we were reconciled to him through the death of his Son. (Romans 5:10)
God loved us so much, that even though we were dead because of our sins, he gave us life when he raised Christ from the dead. (Ephesians 2:4-5)
Did you catch the good news in all of that? In case you missed it, here it is again, eerily similar to how the movie plays out:
When we were utterly helpless, Christ came at just the right time and died for us sinners. (Romans 5:6)
We were are wretched. Completely hideous. And wanting nothing to do with God. Actually preferring He was dead.
Yet God saw sees us as His beloved. Worthy of being saved. Worthy of the effort required to be restored and reconciled. In the eyes of the King of Kings, I’m worth it. You’re worth it.
Even in an apocalyptic zombie movie, that’s beautiful.
