I had been waiting for quite a long time to see the Academy Award-nominated film There Will be Blood and was quite happy to see that it had come to our art theater in Little Rock. As many of the critics had indicated, the film has wonderful (thought quite broad) acting and an interesting storyline. I would say basically that it is a character study of two men: Daniel, the oilman who will compete with anyone and everyone to achieve his goal of riches; and Eli, the church charlatan who competes for the honor of getting Daniel "saved." At the conclusion of the film, the two men move from a competition of wits to a physical fight. The last words are simply, stated, "I am finished." These words cannot fail to remind us of Christ's final words on the cross, "It is finished." Gramatically, both sentences have three words and they both use present tense verbs, yet the difference between them in meaning is profound. Christ's words are the ultimate example of selflessness while Daniel's words represents the culmination of his selfishness.
As Christians we look to the Bible not only as a source of comfort during difficult times but as an instruction book on how to live our lives today. Many verses relate to the joy of giving one's self for the sake of others vs. living our lives only for ourselves. An example is in II Corinthians 5: 15, "and He died for all, that those who live should live no longer for themselves, but for Him who died for them and rose again." Living for Him means to emulate Him--to minister to those who are needy, putting their needs over ours.
When Christ's words were uttered, the sins of the world were upon His shoulders. When Daniel's words were spoken, he had won over his competitor but at what personal cost to himself? Too bad that his supposed conversion in the church baptismal scene was insincere. It just might have redeemed his life.
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