When Elijah Entered the Matrix

Suggested Reading: John 1:19-23, Matthew 11:7-15

In the movie, The Matrix, there is an extraordinary scene where Neo, the prophesied "One" who will save humanity from the machines but who doesn't believe that he is the One, latches onto a rope from a falling helicopter, plants his feet firmly on the roof of a skyscraper, and holds on, saving Trinity, a woman caught in the helicopter that's about to go down. The copter crashes into the building and the glass ripples out from the impact. Morpheus, the man who recruited Neo and believes in him, appears, and when Neo expresses doubts about being the One, Morpheus tells him, "There is a difference between knowing the path and walking the path."

Just as Neo was conflicted about being the One, John the Baptist seemed to have some confusion about his own role. Jewish prophecy understood that Elijah would return before the messiah came. In John 1:21, John was asked by the religious leaders if he was Elijah and John flatly denied it. But Jesus, in Matthew 11:14, said this about John: And if you are willing to accept what I say, he is Elijah, the one the prophets said would come (NLT). John didn't seem to think he was Elijah, but Jesus confirmed that he was (and we would assume that Jesus was right). John may not have understood exactly the role he was supposed to play but that didn't seem to keep John from playing it. "There is a difference between knowing the path and walking the path."

Maybe today you are confused about what God has planned for you. Maybe you are uncertain where God wants you to go or what role God wants you to play. If so, just remember that you are not required to understand your role in order to fulfill your role. Trust God. Seek God's face on a daily basis. Obey God when you hear His voice. Do the best you can, when you can, living your life totally surrendered to God and yielded to the Spirit. And even if you don't know the path you are supposed to travel, you'll end up walking it.

Are You Being Harmed or Just Being Killed?

Suggested Reading: Luke 21:8-19

The first Matrix movie came to an unexpected but inevitable climax. The crucial scene was foreshadowed when Morpheus answered Neo's question about being able to dodge bullets by saying, "When the time comes, you won't have to." Still, when Neo opens the door and catches a bullet in the chest, it takes you by surprise. What is not surprising is when, a minute later, Neo rises from the dead and is then able to stop bullets in midair. Watching the movie, you knew it was coming, you just didn't know when. They managed to kill Neo but they couldn't really harm him. What I find intriguing is that we so easily expect something like this in movies but forget its real life parallels.

In Luke 21, Jesus is warning his disciples about the tough times ahead for all of his followers. He describes a time when some will experience intense persecution and be put on trial for their faith. Jesus says, "You will even be betrayed by parents, brothers, relatives, and friends. They will kill some of you. You will be hated by everyone because of My name, but not a hair of your head will be lost." (Luke 21:16-18, HCSB).  I read the passage three times before it hit me what Jesus was saying. "They will kill some of you...but not a hair of your head will be lost." Huh?

Jesus is reminding us that the power to end our physical existence is not a power that does us any harm. No matter what people may do to us for our faith, nothing they do will have any lasting effect on us. We are covered by the blood of Jesus. We are insulated by the Holy Spirit. And it doesn't matter what people say to us, how they mistreat us, what hardships they make us endure, or even if they kill us. They can't really harm us.  If they kill us, we have the promise that we will rise again. If they demean and degrade us, we have the confidence that God values us at the life of His Son. If they persecute us, we know that God rewards us for our patience and endurance.  And we know that, just like with Paul, God is capable of reaching anyone.

If you suffer for your faith, don't be discouraged or lose hope. They may kill you, but they can't harm you.