| (Copyright 12-06-2024) by Dwight Fleming (Oroville, California) |
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| Mel Gibson has starred in notable films, such as, Mad Max, Lethal Weapon, Ransom, and The Patriot among many other movies. One of his most popular movies is probably Braveheart where Mel portrayed William Wallace of Scottish history. I have linked a movie clip below of an inspiring scene from Braveheart. Of all of his movies that I have watched, I consider The Man Without A Face his best movie. Why? In this movie, Mel plays the part of a misjudged man who had become an outcast of society. Because of his scars, the whole town considered him a freak. Naturally, he had withdrawn from any kind of social life to live out his life in his own lonely corner of the world. His desire to be alone was interrupted by a young lad who sought his tutoring skills. This young boy (Chuck) had his mom and two sisters but never really knew his dad. He would at times get lost in his dreams even during the day. Chuck felt the need to go to a military school but had failed the entrance exam since his academic acumen was not yet at a sufficient level. His mom agreed to let him try the test again since he wanted to spend summer vacation studying for it. Despite Chuck’s own study efforts, he knew that he needed outside help. The least likely source of academic help at their vacation home was from the Freak (Gibson). Because of the negative gossip about the Freak, Chuck didn’t think his mom would approve of him seeking help from a social outcast. Yet Chuck managed to get the Freak to tutor him believing it to be his only hope of passing the entrance exam. The only problem was that Chuck kept it a secret from his mom which later on proved to lead to a gross misunderstanding and evil suspicion of the Freak. The Freak (Justin McLeod played by Gibson) skillfully helped Chuck gain confidence in his academic studies. At the same time a bond of friendship developed between them which Chuck greatly needed after he learned the truth about his father which devastated him. This may all sound interesting to you, but you may wonder what does this have to do with the Bible and our spiritual growth? Revelation 5:10 says that we shall be “kings and priests.” What is the purpose or function of a priest? “Every high priest is selected from among the people and is appointed to represent the people in matters related to God, to offer gifts and sacrifices for sins [imperfection]. He is able to deal gently with those who are ignorant and are going astray, since he himself is subject to weakness” (Hebrews 5:1-2). In other words, a priest is to help bring a seeker of God from a state of imperfection to a state of perfection. The Hebrew writer later says, “Therefore, leaving the discussion of the elementary principles of Christ, let us go on to perfection [or, maturity]” (Hebrews 6:1). And this is what we see happening in The Man Without A Face. The Freak (Gibson) is a kind of priest who takes his pupil (Chuck) from a state of imperfection to a state of perfection or maturity. As any parent or teacher knows, it takes much sacrifice to do this. Braveheart is a good example of a king or leader who inspires people to do what may look impossible to accomplish their mission in life. Both Kings and Priests will be needed in changing the world at Christ’s return to establish His kingdom upon the earth. Things won’t happen by magic. It will take wise efforts to overcome the many imperfections that are now prevalent in the world. May the movie, The Man Without A Face,be an inspiration of the duties and role of a priest in changing lives for the better. Braveheart movie clip: https://youtu.be/h2vW-rr9ibE?si=DSPc4Hmi6nTQ-oDL The Man Without A Face: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u0FgDLSlk6o&pp=ygUWdGhlIG1hbiB3aXRob3V0IGEgZmFjZQ%3D%3D ———————————————————————————————————- See Dwight Fleming’s other articles at: Fleming, Dwight – Church of God, Bismarck (church-of-god-bismarck.org) ———————————————————————————————————- |
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