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Rambo

It can be easy to forget that Rambo was not just an action movie; it was a movie about the psychological issues a Vietnam vet was going through. It was not a pro-Vietnam War movie; it was a pro-Vietnam Vet movie. Only Rambo was such a good warrior and was such a psychologically damaged vet that he was practically autistic, or like an idiot savant, only in weapons and warfare instead of with numbers, like the character in Rainman. The last sequel was the resolution for Rambo, who saw something of himself in the mercenaries hired by the missionaries and whom he was transporting into the jungle of Burma.

Yet, at the end he saw the female missionary, and she saw him. She, a pacifist, saw the value of a warrior who could protect her and those doing God’s work from the most wicked. But he saw the woman and the Christian missionaries whom he was defending. His life was redeemed. She saw the calling and purpose of the warrior, and he saw that his work as a warrior had purpose, not just any purpose but God’s purpose. And he went home . . . healed by the knowledge that his talent for fighting was not worthless. He was not worthless. In a sense, he had come full circle. Like any young man, Rambo probably had a vision early in his life of doing something with purpose in life, perhaps even something for God. Yet, he saw it crumble to dust before his eyes. His resurrection as a guardian for God’s servants was the ultimate validation of his life. And so it will be for those who persevere in faith.

Rambo, Avatar-both movies deal with war. People have a purpose; they spare nothing for accomplishing the mission – on both sides. Is that mission, that all-consuming purpose still alive in our time? What purpose could there be in living in peacetime, other than surviving and getting the most stuff we can? This question belies an incredibly great blindness as to the war occurring constantly all around us – the battle for men’s souls and the kingdom of God. If we are called to deploy in that battle, what are we doing worrying about how much we can spend on the next TV? Is TV worth our time? Or is it a waste of time? Do you not see the need? Do I not see the need for vigilance, for service, for sacrifice? Why? To accomplish the mission. To see the gospel spread, then lived throughout the entire earth. In wartime, people give to the cause, worry and pray for those on the front line, feel like they are a part of something bigger than themselves. What could be bigger or grander or more worth sacrifice than the cause of Christ, the Son of God, who sacrificed comfort of an unimaginable kind to fight for us? That is why war movies attract us – the sense of serving something greater and more important than ourselves.

Rambo was an individual warrior coming to terms with why he fought. At first, it seems mindless. His actions in the first movie are insane, yet he fights those who can’t see the importance of warfare, who mock and abuse him. Later, he comes to understand the true reason for fighting – the kingdom of God. In Avatar, Jake has no reason for living. He can’t even walk. Yet in warfare, he comes alive and must overcome obstacles of a life-threatening nature. It is exhilarating. It gives his life meaning.

What fight do you have? Is it for the kingdom? Will you endure? Will you win? If you abide in Christ, then His life will abide in you, and you cannot help but overcome, even if it means death.