JESUS TURNS US INTO REVENANTS

The time to award the Oscars, arguably the most prestigious and coveted award in the film industry, is just around the corner. The anticipation is building up with several movies, like The Martian, Mad Max: fury road and Steven Spielberg’s Bridge of Spies all vying for attention. The favourite however for film of the year, is The Revenant that has received twelve nominations and boasts Leonardo DiCaprio and Tom Hardy in the main roles.

What does the word “revenant” however mean? Wikipedia’s wordlist states that a revenant is “a person who has returned, especially supposedly from the dead.” The Mirriam-Webster online dictionary states that it is: “One that returns after death or a long absence.” This concept is strongly portrayed throughout the movie.

The story line of The Revenant is a somewhat free interpretation of the true life story of Hugh Glass, a hunter-pioneer that lived approximately one hundred years before the American Wild West Era. Historic evidence documents the miraculous survival of Glass from a serious bear attack. His hunting party abandoned him for dead in the snow. He however pulled through and crawl-walked approximately 321 kilometres back to civilization to avenge himself on the people who left him to the mercy of the elements.

The movie effectively portrays how a weak, fatigued and fatally injured Glass defies nature and “defeats death” and returns out of the wild, ice- covered woods. Although the movie has strong political undertones, it also displays interesting spiritual themes such as: the search for God, rebirth, and the acceptance that vengeance belongs to God alone. Above all the theme of resurrection is highlighted throughout this movie, as suggested in the title “The Revenant.”

This theme naturally correlates with the gospel. The possibility of Glass’s survival was very slim, most would claim virtually impossible. Paul implies that Jesus is the first true Revenant. He endured the unendurable. He achieved the impossible. He defeated death and returned from the other side to fetch us so that we, as His followers, can also survive that treacherous journey. That is precisely why the resurrection of Christ stands at the centre of the gospel. If He did not rise from the grave, our faith would be empty and totally without meaning. (1 Cor. 15:12-14) If His resurrection did not take place, we would not know which of the many religious groups are right. We would not be able to comprehend that God loves us or discern whether we have any hope in life after death. If Christ’s resurrection stands true, then there is hope next to an empty grave, life has meaning, our suffering has a purpose and our relationships become a revelation of God’s amazing love.

It is due to this fact that many people throughout history have put a lot of effort into ascertaining whether Christ’s death and resurrection can be researched sufficiently to satisfy human reason. Philosophers, historians and even scientists have attempted to find explanations for this mysterious happening which took place in the first century. The following conclusions have been reached:

1. All historians accept that Jesus Christ was a historic figure that lived, was crucified and died on Golgotha just as the Bible relates.

2. It is widely accepted by both Christian and non-Christian historians that the grave, as stated in the gospels, was indeed empty after a few days.

3. It was ascertained that the disciples and other people were truly convinced that Jesus not only rose from the dead but that He appeared to them after His death. How could so many people in different circumstances be convinced of His appearance if there is no truth in the Biblical account of this phenomena?

4. They sought to find an explanation for the rapid, explosive growth of the early church in the first century shortly after all the disciples had fearfully run away a few days prior to this happening. What would have caused this change of heart other than the resurrection?

Many people have consequently deducted that the historical resurrection is the best explanation for this occurrence. Alternative explanations (for instance that Christ’s body had been stolen or that the people who saw Him after the resurrection were hallucinating) are much more unlikely and are rather an expression of the faithlessness of the researchers rather than a historical reality.

Jesus is therefore, the first Revenant. He has returned from the grave and has paved a path to everlasting life for us by His triumph over death. That is why we, as Christians, can live in His resurrection-strength. We can face hardship and even death with hope because our “Revenant” has gone ahead of us and He will lead us through death. All that we have to do is trust and follow.