In the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus tells us to love our enemies. We've seen T'Challa do this countless times, from his compassion towards Nemo, to his mercy on M'Baku. It’s also clear that no one quite deserves the title of enemy with T’Challa quite as much as Killmonger. After all, Killmonger did leave T’Challa for dead in a hostile takeover of Wakanda. T’Challa does manage to beat Killmonger in their last battle by landing a deadly blow. As Killmonger lays there, he talks about always dreaming to be in Wakanda and to see the beauty of the land his father always spoke of. The tension from the fight starts to fade from T’Challa’s eyes, he picks Killmonger up, and he takes him up an elevator to the top of the Vibranium Mound where they watch the sunset together. After Killmonger basks in the beauty of it all, T’Challa leans in and says, Maybe we can still heal you. Even after everything Killmonger has done to him, T’Challa still finds room in his heart for compassion from Killmonger. T’Challa is able to look at the harm Killmonger faced thanks to T’Chaka, T’Challa’s father, and desire to help. There’s no hate for T’Challa, even though he has reason to, but only love. Unfortunately, Killmonger does not take T’Challa up on his offer, much to T’Challa’s sadness. Forgiveness is often not an easy thing to do, especially to those who have harmed us. Would that we could all have the same ability to forgive as T’Challa, a forgiveness born from trying to understand the other in a way that leads to compassion.
0 Comments
Please note that Black Panther is rated PG-13 A little mercy goes a long way. It can change our relationships with others as individuals and it can go a long way to repair the rifts between nations. In Scripture, we have great examples of mercy from the Good Samaritan in Jesus' Parable and Jesus' mercy on Paul at the road to Damascus. In Black Panther, we see a great of story of mercy with T'Challa towards M'Baku, and it leads to a great friendship and a relieving of tension between the tribes of Wakanda. Long ago, there were 5 tribes who fought over the resource of Vibranium, the metal that makes up Captain America's shield and which powers all of Wakanda's technology. Eventually these tribes came together to form Wakanda, except for one, the Jabari Tribe. While the Jabari are still considered part of Wakanda, they kept to themselves, and the rest of the tribes of Wakanda left them alone. Fast forward to the present day when T'Challa is getting ready to be crowned as king. The tradition in Wakanda is that when a new king ascends the throne, they hold Challenge Day, which is an opportunity for any of the tribes to challenge the new king for power. Everyone declines until M'Baku, leader of the Jabari, and the rest of his tribe show up. M'Baku puts up a good fight against T'Challa, but T'Challa overpowers him in the end. Now the rule of the challenge is that it only ends when one party is dead or yields. T'Challa tells M'Baku to yield and "your people need you." M'Baku gives in, and T'Challa goes through the ceremony to ingest the heart-shaped herb. Previously, we saw the outcome of T'Challa's first fight with Killmonger. M'Baku is the one who saves T'Challa and allows his family and friends to help bring him back to life. T'Challa, after regaining his health thanks M'Baku. M'Baku responds by saying, "I owed you a great debt, a life for a life. Consider it paid." T'Challa then asks M'Baku for help. He asks that his mother be permitted to stay with M'Baku, to which M'Baku agrees. T'Challa also asks for help against Killmonger, to which M'Baku replies with a curt "no." T'Challa tries to point out that his cause against Killmonger is really their cause, both the Jabari and the rest of Wakanda. M'Baku argues that T'Challa is the "first king to come here in centuries". T'Challa says he can't speak for past kings, but warns, in the face of M'Baku's continued "no" that Killmonger will come for the Jabari next. And yet, even after saying "no", M'Baku does come to T'Challa's aid, right at the time when T'Challa really needs it. T'Challa's first act of mercy has sprung into a renewed relationship of the Jabari and the rest of Wakanda, healing some of the old wounds of the past. T'Challa's act of mercy also works to create a bond between himself and M'Baku. When Wakanda becomes the frontline for a major conflict in Avengers: Infinity War, T'Challa turns to M'Baku once again for help. This time, when T'Challa thanks him, M'Baku's response is "Of course, brother." Mercy can go a long way to mend relationships. We see that in Scripture, and we see it with T'Challa. Mercy is often a difficult path to take, but one well worth it for where it leads. That is our Gospel message for today. Next time, see T'Challa's acts of forgiveness continue in his final confrontation with Killmonger.
Please note, Black Panther is rated PG-13 One of the results of T'Challa's conflict with Killmonger is T'Challa's resolve to no longer turn his back on the rest of the world. Up until his Killmonger's entrance, Wakanda had been an isolationist nation rarely interacting with the outside world, aside from a few foreign aid missions. T'Challa realizes they can no longer do that. In the mid-credits scene, T'Challa goes to make a statement to the United Nations. There he says the following: 1) Wakanda should be an example of how we "should treat each other." This is essentially the second of the Two Great Commandments: "love your neighbor as yourself" found in Mark, Matthew, Luke, and Leviticus. 2) T'Challa says that "now more than ever, the illusions of division threaten our very existence." Jesus has similar words, "if a house is divided against itself, that house will not be able to stand" 3) T'Challa also says, "In times of crisis, the wise build bridges while the foolish build barriers." I've often heard the Cross compared to a bridge across a chasm connecting us back to God. Building bridges back to God is what we as Christians are all about because that is what Jesus came here to do. 4) Finally, T'Challa says "We must find a way to a way to look after one another as if we were one, single tribe." Again, we are told to "love your neighbor as yourself." To do that, we must see the other as no different from ourselves. It is easy to allow ourselves to be divided. That is not what Jesus calls us to do. We are called to be one with one another, and we are called to share the love that Jesus has for us with one another as well. Our hope as Christians is that we will one day be as one with all people. We cannot hope to accomplish that goal if we don't first show that love to others. We are never called to be isolationists as Christians, for we are a faith of evangelism at our heart. To quote the beloved children's song, "hide it under a bushel, no! I'm gonna let it shine." Allow yourself to be connected with others in this world and let the shinning of your love be your guiding principle in faith. Next time, see T'Challa's and M'Baku's growing friendship. Please note, Black Panther is rated PG-13 Previously, we discussed T'Challa learning Killmonger's secrets, to the point that Killmonger challenges T'Challa for the throne and defeats him. This is a hard scene for me, as I know it is for others. T'Challa is the hero. Killmonger is clearly bad news. How could T'Challa, the hero, actually lose? As I've watched the film again and thought about it more, I believe T'Challa loses because he is unsure. He is still struggling with the past actions of his father (and fore-fathers) that led to Killmonger's creation, if you will, as discussed before. T'Challa is struggling to do the right thing in a tough situation. That is a very noble thing, and not something we always see with superheroes. It is a reminder to us to keep growing. It is also important for us to see failure. Failure is not something we often talk about or look at favorably. Yet we have some great examples of failure leading to good things in Scripture. In Genesis, Joseph is thrown in a well, sold into slavery in Egypt, and then gets imprisoned for a crime he didn't commit. However, through his growth, Joseph rises through the ranks in Egypt and is even able to use his position to save his family from famine. Paul in Acts also grows from his failure, which was thinking God wanted him to persecute the followers of Jesus. Though Paul is blinded on the Road to Damascus, his experience allows him to learn and grow, become closer to God, and become a leader in the early church. We even have the example of Jesus. Yes, Jesus was victorious over death, and of course the cruxifixction, as we see in Scripture, was always a part of the plan. But there were many in Jesus' day who expected the Messiah to be victorious leader against the Romans, not one who would die at their hands, as we see in Peter's own confrontation of Jesus. Even though Jesus' death didn't live up to everyone's expectations, it gave the gift of life to us all. T'Challa's failure led to his own growth. He gained insight to the way forward not only for himself, but for all of Wakanda. The lesson for us is to take our failures, grow from them, and use them to lead to good. We also shouldn't forget that T'Challa makes it through his defeat thanks to the help of his family and friends. The same is true for us. We never make it through anything on our own. We have the help of those we love around us, and that includes God as well. Tune in next time to see the result of T'Challa's growth. Please note that Black Panther is rated PG-13. Previously, we looked at how T'Challa slips back into his old patterns of vengeance when Klaue, an old enemy of Wakanda, resurfaced. We too sometimes fall back into our old patterns of sin after being baptized, and we need the help of God and often, as we saw with T'Challa, our friends to help us get back on the right path. This is one of the major ways we grow in Faith, by continually setting aside our old pre-baptismal ways. Growing in Faith isn't just about moving beyond our own personal patterns that lead away from God. At times, we also need to move beyond the ways of the culture and society around us that may actually be leading us away from God and the new person we have become through Baptism. In Black Panther, shortly after T'Challa receives the heart-shaped herb, he has a conversation with Nakia, his love interest, as they walk around in the city. Nakia has been serving Wakanda as a spy in the outside world, and her work has given her a new perspective. Nakia suggests Wakanda start giving aid to foreign countries in need. She states that other countries do it, and that Wakanda could do it better. T'Challa, while not saying no, remains hesitant. He says that doing so could mean Wakanda loses her way of life. This is still with-in the isolationist perspective of T'Challa's predecessors, including his father. Times passes, and T'Challa goes with Okoye and Nakia to chase down Klaue. As we saw previously, T'Challa succeeds in capturing Klaue, but unfortunately Klaue has a plan of escape, thanks to his partner-in-crime, Erik "Killmonger" Stevens. As they escape, T'Challa notices Killmonger has a ring around his neck, the same ring that T'Challa received from his father as king. T'Challa decides to go see Zuri, who served under T'Challa's father, T'Chaka. After T'Challa presses him, Zuri tells him how T'Challa's uncle, N'Jobu died. N'Jobu served as a spy in America, and on seeing the plight of African Americans around him, he decided that Wakanda should no longer be an isolationist nation but instead take up arms and start a revolution. Zuri was there as a spy on N'Jobu to prevent him from doing anything that would expose Wakanda to the world. In rage on finding this out, N'Jobu tried to kill Zuri, but T'Chaka protected Zuri and, in the process, killed N'Jobu, his brother. N'Jobu, it turns out, had a son while he was in America. In order to, as Zuri says, "maintain the lie" and protect Wakanda from the outside world, T'Chaka left his nephew behind. That nephew was none other than Killmonger. Killmonger has big plans. He betrays Klaue and kills him so he has an offering to bring when he comes to Wakanda. Once there, he chastises the Wakandan royals for standing aside as "two billion people all over the world that looks like us", as Killmonger puts it, live lives that "are a lot harder". Basically, he advocates for the same plan his father had: Wakandan take-over of the world. He then reveals he is N'Jobu's son and issues a challenge for the throne. T'Challa accepts, loses (which will be a further topic of discussion), and is left for dead as his family flees into exile. Fortunately, T'Challa is saved by a once-enemy-turned-friend (more on that later), and Nakia is able to save some of the heart-shaped herb before Killmonger can destroy it all. T'Challa's family then help T'Challa, who is nearly dead, ingest the heart-shaped herb and be buried once again (perviously we discussed how this is similar to reaffirmation or similar rites). T'Challa sees his father welcome him back to the Ancestral Plane before asking him, "why didn't you bring the boy home?" T'Chaka tells him that he chose his people, that he chose Wakanda. T'Challa cries out: You were wrong! All of you were wrong to turn your backs on the rest of the world. After seeing the dire consequences of Wakanda's past culture as an isolationist nation, T'Challa finally sees that a new path is needed, not just for himself but for the nation. This is a part of his growth. We too are called, at times, to move past our cultural way of looking at things and instead embrace God more fully. Scripture has a great deal to say on this subject. One passage to look at is Jeremiah 31:31-34. Jeremiah speaks to the Israelites after their entire world has changed and they are sent into exile. Yet God promises to make a new covenant with them, but not like the covenants of old. This passage can be summed up in what the Lord says in verse 33: I will put my law within them, and I will write it on their hearts. In the New Testament, Paul also speaks of moving beyond the old to embrace something new. In Philippians 3:4b-14, Paul discusses following the law and cultural practices as a particularly strict Pharisee. Paul is given a new path in Christ Jesus, and so in verse 7, he states, Yet whatever gains I had, these I have come to regard as loss because of Christ. The takeaway is that God often calls us to embrace a new and better way that is different from what we were taught or what we knew before, just like T'Challa, and just like T'Challa, we are called to keep our ears open to these new and better ways so that when God calls out to us, we will listen and follow the Lord. Please note that Black Panther is rated PG-13. Previously on The Gospel according to Superheroes, we saw T'Challa move beyond his thirst for vengeance against his father's killer and we saw T'Challa go through the ceremony to gain his powers from the heart-shaped herb, which is similar to Baptism. T'Challa's journey reminds us of our own. We too let go of our old ways, the ways that lead us to sin and death, and, through Baptism, are reborn into new life in Jesus Christ our Lord. But even though we have this new life in Jesus through Baptism, we still live on this side of the Resurrection. That means we still, unfortunately, have to deal with sin. Paul speaks of this divide within us in Romans 7:14-25. He ends that passage by saying, with my mind I am a slave to the law of God, but with my flesh I am a slave to the law of sin. We still have growth to go through, even after Baptism. Those old ways of sin find ways to creep back into our lives. This is also true for T'Challa. Back in Captain America: Civil War, T'Challa was all about vengeance. As we know, T'Challa learned to move past that, but those feelings boil out of him again in his pursuit of Ulysses Klaue. Klaue is an old enemy of Wakanda and the only person to invade the country, steal their special metal called Vibranium (Captain America's shield is made out of the stuff), and escape with his life. It was a mark against T'Challa's father's pride that Klaue did this, and it's a matter of honor that T'Challa chases after Klaue now. After traveling to Busan, South Korea to find Klaue, the obligatory car chase ensues. The result of that chase is that T'Challa catches up to Klaue, who begs for mercy. T'Challa's response is "Every breath you take is mercy from me." T'Challa is caught up in his old ways of vengeance again. Fortunately T'Challa is not alone. He has two loyal Wakandans and helpers with him, Nakia and Okoye. As they catch up and see the crowd with their cellphones whipped out, Nakia reminds T'Challa: "The world watches." This is what T'Challa needs to hear to snap him out of his old ways and remind him to follow a better path. We all need that help sometimes. In fact, our Baptismal vows require us to help one another when we struggle to walk the path that God has laid out for us. We need our friends to help us, and we in turn need to be that same help for our friends. God is always there to help bring us back to the Lord, and often times God uses those around us to do that. Let God use you too so that God's Will might be done in this world and that we all might be the better for it. Next time, we will continue to look at how we grow in faith through T'Challa's relationship with Killmonger.
Disclaimer: this post discusses a comic rated T+ Previously, we saw T’Challa’s bout with temptation by Mephisto, Marvel’s version of Satan, at the start of Christopher Priest’s run on Black Panther (vol. 3). This time, we’ll look more at T’Challa’s confrontation with Mephisto and how he succeeds in beating him in Black Panther (vol. 3) #5. It turns out that Mephisto’s whole plan was to try and make a deal for T’Challa’s soul because T’Challa has a noble soul. Mephisto continues to try different tactics and make different deals with T’Challa for this valuable prize.
The first is that T’Challa is a good man. This sacrifice is very similar to what Paul states in Romans 9:3: For I could wish that I myself were accursed and cut off from Christ for the sake of my own people, my kindred according to the flesh. Paul says this out of love for his people. He is saying that if he could sacrifice himself for the sake of others knowing Christ Jesus the way he does, he would do it. T'Challa gets the opportunity to do that here. Would that we all could be so bold. The second reason is that T’Challa knows he is not alone. Thanks to the heart-shaped herb, T’Challa is connected to the panther god Bast, as well as all the other Black Panthers that have come before him, as discussed in the post on Baptism. We too are not alone. We are bound to the Holy Spirit through Baptism, binding ourselves to Christ Jesus and uniting us to each other. Even though we might not always feel this way, in our battles with evil, we always have the support and presence of God with us.
When I first saw Black Panther, I was taken away by the scene when T’Challa ingests the heart-shaped herb after becoming king of Wakanda. The heart-shaped herb is the source of T’Challa’s powers as Black Panther, but that wasn’t what grabbed my interest. What caught my attention was how similar this ceremony is to Baptism, so much so that I’ve used it as an example in my Christian Formation classes. Please note that Black Panther is rated PG-13. Dying and Rising to New Life in BaptismPaul in Romans 6:3-11 speaks about how through Baptism we are buried with Jesus in His death. Full-immersion Baptism speaks to this powerfully with the image of the person being brought all the way underwater, as if drowning. A key part of the heart-shaped herb ritual is burial. T’Challa, after ingesting the herb is buried. In a very true sense, T’Challa actually experiences death here, being transported to the Ancestral Plane where the dead, including T’Challa’s father T’Chaka, are still alive (T’Challa spoke of this place to Natasha Romanoff in Captain America: Civil War). Paul also says in Romans 6:3-11 that just as we are baptized in Jesus’ death, so too are we baptized into Christ’s Resurrection. This is the hope of new and everlasting life that we have in Jesus Christ, which is central to the Christian faith. Just as we are dipped below the water in Baptism, so too are we then raised from the water, symbolizing the new life we now have in Christ Jesus. We see T’Challa do the same thing. First, he rises, as if from the grave, in the Ancestral Plane. This is similar to how we will rise in the Resurrected Life after death. It is in this place that T’Challa greets those who have gone before him in the line of Black Panther, which I will speak more about below. T’Challa also rises once again in the land of the living back in Wakanda. This is similar to how we rise from the waters in Baptism. The Communion of SaintsBaptism is the way in which we are initiated as Christians. It is how we become members of the church, also known as the Body of Christ, also known as the Communion of Saints. This is the group of people beyond time and space who have followed Jesus Christ and dwell with the Lord in life everlasting. For T’Challa, ingesting the heart-shaped herb is how he is initiated as King of Wakanda in the full role of the Black Panther. When he is buried, T’Challa enters the Ancestral Plane, where he sees a group of panthers in a nearby tree. One jumps down, revealing himself as T’Challa’s late father T’Chaka, who greets T’Challa (more on their conversation here). This is the Wakandan equivalent of the Communion of Saints. T’Challa joins them through his initiation by ingesting the heart-shaped herb. They dwell in the Ancestral Plane, that place where life continues after this life is over. They even take on the appearance of Bast, the one through whom their power comes. Notable Differences Between the Heart-Shaped Herb Ceremony and BaptismT’Challa ingesting the heart-shaped herb is very helpful in explaining what goes on in Baptism. However, it is not a perfect analogy. For one, in Wakanda only Black Panthers go through this ritual. Not so with Christians. For us, Baptism is open to all, no matter what, although I would recommend knowing what it is you’re getting yourself into first.
T’Challa goes through this ceremony multiple times in the film. Baptism is a one-time event. However, while we are made a new creation in Jesus Christ through Baptism, we all still struggle with our old lives and tendencies from before. I would argue that T’Challa’s need to re-ingest the heart-shaped herb is similar to our own need to continue to grow in Christ Jesus throughout our lives, and I will speak more on this topic later. Also, while Baptism is a one-time event, there are services in the church for re-affirming our baptismal vows. These take various forms in different denominations. Most importantly, the difficulty with using T’Challa’s experience in relation to our own is that Wakandans follow the deity Bast, not Jesus Christ. Their god is very different from our God. However, we should remember that this is a fictional story and universe. There are still a lot of similarities in what we find in Black Panther and in Baptism. Remember the differences, but use the similarities to help you better understand what Baptism is, what it means, and what it means for you. |
Please note, there maybe Spoilers in the Posts below!
The Rev. Trey KennedyHere is my take on how Superheroes and other characters can help us know God better. Categories
All
Archives
May 2024
|