Dear Friends,
A few days ago, Bonnie and I viewed the Lionsgate film The Shack. If you have seen the film, we’d love to hear what you thought of it. If you haven’t, be warned:
This movie is not for everyone; it deals with a horrific tragedy, and forces the viewer to grapple with the question, “How do you forgive the unforgiveable?”
In an interview, the author, Paul Young, explained, “The Shack is a metaphor for the house we build out of our own pain.” The positive message we took away from The Shack is that we don’t have to be trapped in a house of pain. God is in the business of rebuilding.
Anyone who has read the 2007 novel The Shack will appreciate how faithfully the film follows the original story line. Mack Phillips’ youngest daughter, Missy, has been abducted, and evidence found in an abandoned shack indicated she had been brutally murdered by a serial killer. Four years later, his life covered by a Great Sadness, Mack discovers in his mailbox a suspicious invitation to return to the shack. What follows is a miraculous, but painful, spiritual journey, during which Mack struggles to understand just where God is in a world filled with such unspeakable pain.
The Shack is not a theological treatise, it is a story. But it is a story that explores the struggle people who suffer great injustice must face. Will they turn their back on God and slip into an ever-deepening despair, or will they seek God and find the grace to forgive and live again?
Mack’s story gives us a fresh view of God, Jesus, and the Holy Spirit. By using very untraditional characters to represent the Trinity, the book and the film allow us to cast aside our stereotypes to find the God of love—who cares about each and every one of his children—to find the God who is “especially fond” of each one of us.
“There are not ‘many’ ways to heaven—only one, and that’s found in the finished work of Jesus Christ on the cross. But when all the world can see, looking through the knothole of their pain, is a disfigured caricature of God, how (the authors wondered) might we … catch a glimpse of the God who really is?”
If you decide to read the book or see the film, you may appreciate the biblical thread that runs through the story. These are a few verses of Scripture that came to mind as we discussed the film:
Mack’s wife affectionately refers to God as Papa. Abba is the equivalent of daddy or papa. “And because we are his children, God has sent the Spirit of his Son into our hearts, prompting us to call out, “Abba, Father.” Galatians 4:6 (NLT)
Even though Mack voices his anger with God, God repeatedly shows him how much he loves him. “No power in the sky above or in the earth below—indeed, nothing in all creation will ever be able to separate us from the love of God that is revealed in Christ Jesus our Lord.” Romans 8:39 (NLT)
Sarayu, the character that represents the Holy Spirit collects Mack’s tears in a bottle. “You have seen me tossing and turning through the night. You have collected all my tears and preserved them in your bottle! You have recorded every one in your book.” Psalm 56:8 (TLB)
Mack actually questions God when God tells Mack there is a journey he’ll have to take alone. “Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid or terrified because of them, for the Lord your God goes with you; he will never leave you nor forsake you.” Deuteronomy 31:6 (NIV)
Judgement is a recurring theme throughout the film. “Do not judge others, and you will not be judged.” Matthew 7:1-2 (NLT)
Mack’s encounter with Jesus at the lake is delightful. “About three o’clock in the morning Jesus came toward them, walking on the water.” Matthew 14:25 NLT
As in Proverbs, Wisdom is presented as a woman. “Out in the open wisdom calls aloud, she raises her voice in the public square;” Proverbs 1:20 (NIV)
Only someone who has known deep pain can offer the comfort that Mack is eventually able to offer to his family. “Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of compassion and the God of all comfort, who comforts us in all our troubles, so that we can comfort those in any trouble with the comfort we ourselves receive from God.” 2 Corinthians 1:3-4 (NIV)
God’s love for Missy shows God’s heart for children. “These children are the kingdom’s pride and joy.” Luke 18:17a MSG
The limitlessness of God’s love is seen in the way the character representing God hates the crime, but grieves over the soul of the killer. “The Lord is not slow in keeping his promise, as some understand slowness. Instead he is patient with you, not wanting anyone to perish, but everyone to come to repentance.” 2 Peter 3:9 (NIV)
Mack is truly comforted in the end. “God blesses those who mourn, for they will be comforted.” Matthew 5:4 (NLT)
This is the hardest verse to accept when you are blinded by your pain: “And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose.” Romans 8:28 (NIV)
Verse for the Week: “‘He will wipe every tear from their eyes. There will be no more death or mourning, or crying, or pain, for the old order of things has passed away.”
Revelation 21:4
Blessings,
Your Friends in Christ
Because He Loves Us Press 