It was the butler all along. It was the babysitter. He had an evil twin brother. She faked her own death. It was all just a dream.
Standing among the most gripping elements of writing is the use of a sudden change in trajectory; a plot twist. Whether in cinema or hardcover print, nothing seems to grab the attention of a consumer more than the idea that everything you thought you knew turned out to be wrong, and it still makes sense.
One of my favorite plot twists of all time comes from the classic 1999 horror film, The Sixth Sense. In this eerie thriller, psychologist Malcolm Crowe interacts with a disturbed Cole Sear. The movie has many twists and turns, frights and jump scares, and scary-to-think-about scenes. Not to mention the iconic, “I see dead people” scene. But it seems that director M. Night Shyamalan hit the nail on the head within the last 5 minutes of the movie. The big reveal that Malcolm wasn’t who we thought he was is one that will remain iconic in movie history.
I can imagine the majority of people watching this movie in theatre on opening night were astounded as they walked out to their cars. They might have been speechless, continually contemplating the new changes of what they thought to be real all along. Some might have even been disappointed or frustrated because the story didn’t end up the way they wanted it to. Nevertheless, the movie ended, and the story stayed the same.
As an avid reader and movie lover, nothing satisfies my consumption of media like a well-written story. As a lover of God and His Gospel, nothing satisfies me more than understanding the words He has written in a deeper sense.
As with some of the great movies and books of our time, the Bible also had a great plot twist that few saw coming: Jesus came as a servant.
Though humbly and powerfully taught by our Savior, the truth that, “the Son of Man came not to be served but to serve, and to give His life as a ransom for many” did not seem to ring true for many Jewish people (Matt. 20:28). Ben Witherington writes for the North American Mission Board explaining the many reasons the Jews thought of Jesus as a Warrior. He writes, “[the Jews] wanted a conquering messiah, not a crucified one, for crucifixion was the most shameful way to die in antiquity, and it was difficult to believe God would allow His anointed one to endure a shameful death like that. Clearly, when Jesus spoke of a suffering Son of Man, indeed an executed Son of Man and Servant of God, He was imparting a new concept into the Jewish discussion.”
Try to put yourself in the shoes - or sandals, rather - of the Jews, thousands of years ago. These are people that were oppressed by many evil nations such as Babylon and Assyria, causing a large dispersion of them across the known world. It seems natural for a people like this to interpret the promise of the Messiah as the promise of a Warrior King that will destroy the evil of nations and bring restoration to the Jewish people. It is perfectly justifiable for the oppressed man or woman to long for physical triumph. But, as the prophecy in Isaiah reveals, God had much more in store for the salvation of the Jews and anyone who would believe than simply physical salvation.
Joyous and heart-wrenching, Isaiah 53 stands as the clearest description of the humility of Christ in biblical prophecy. “He was oppressed and afflicted, but He did not open His mouth” says the prophet. He continues, uttering that His death would be “like a lamb to the slaughter” (Isa. 53:7). What the Jews wanted, what they hoped for, was a God who would come and strike down evil in an instant. Instead, what they got was the fulfillment of every promise and prophecy the Scriptures made about the True Messiah.
The True Messiah, the plot-twist version that no one saw coming, is One that “humbled Himself to the point of death, death on a cross” (Phil. 2:8). He was hung on a tree, becoming the curse of sin (2 Cor. 5:21), for those who despised and rejected Him (Isa. 53:3).
Maybe there is yet a deeper plot twist to the Christian life that we can learn from the Bible and Jesus Christ. Maybe, all along, you and I have misunderstood the application of Jesus’ humility. Well, here comes the big reveal.
You and I are called to live a life reflectant of His own.
In a world of broken souls wading around in an ocean of sin and self-service, the call of the Gospel is to take our eyes off of ourselves, and lift them up to Christ. When we are brought into the Church of God, we are called to use our gifts and talents to serve not our own wills, but the well-being of others (1 Pet. 4:10). We know from the first epistle of John that one of the marks of true Christianity, of true conformity to Christ, is that we love. So, as he says, “Beloved, let us love one another” (1 Jn. 4:7).
All good movies must come to an end. All good books have a cover waiting when you turn the last page. The plot twists come together and make the story more riveting, but they also still make sense. The glory and Kingship of Christ are not sacrificed on the altar of His humility and humiliation at the cross. Jesus Christ came as the Lamb, but He is still the Lion. The Revelation of Jesus Christ to John proves helpful in balancing the humility and power of our Lord. The fifth chapter shows the humility and glory of the Lamb, saying, “the Lion of the Tribe of Judah, He has triumphed” (5:5). This Lion appears as the Lamb to John in the next verse (5:6). Fast forward to Revelation 19. This is the arrival of the King that the Jews have been waiting for; the One called Faithful and True. The One who wages war (19:11).
Our mandate as Christians is to “walk in the same way in which He walked” (1 Jn. 2:6). Whether this came as a plot twist to your life or not, I hope and pray that you are encouraged by these truths. Recognize the beauty of Christ’s servanthood, and imitate it. Find comfort in the fact that though He was humble, Jesus Christ is still the One that will defeat sin and death and separation forevermore. Until that day, believer, live like Jesus. Love like Jesus. Follow Him. Love others in a way that shows them the Gospel.
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