Last night I watched the movie Seven Pounds. The star of the film is Will Smith.
I was completely confused for quite a while in the movie. It starts with Will Smith calling in to 911 to report a suicide, his own. You know throughout that he at one point was married and that he is somehow connected to a car accident that took the lives of seven people. The description of the film lets you know that he's helping seven strangers! But it's hard to tell how he's helping them and even who the seven people are for most of the movie.
Will Smith gives his awesome beach house to a lady who has two kids so they can flee the beatings of her boyfriend. As the movie nears its ends you see that he gives a bone marrow donation for a boy who is dying. All along he's been helping a lady who has a failing heart and is waiting for a donor for a transplant. It also appears that he somehow plans on helping a blind man (Woody Harrelson).
At the very end, you realize that just as he gave bone marrow to help the little boy, he plans on giving his heart and eyes to help the lady and the blind man. No way! Back to the beginning of the movie, he calls in his suicide. Then it keeps playing from there and he crawls into a bathtub full of ice-water, you know, to preserve the organs he plans on donating. He then drops the deadliest creature on the planet into the tub with him, the box-jelly fish! He's stung. As he is dying it flashes to the accident. He was the driver of the accident that killed his wife (maybe just fiance) and six others (one of the seven being his unborn child). He dies! But the lady gets his heart and the blind man, named Ezra, gets to see! His childhood friend knew his plans and he was the one who was able to set-up the transplants.
It's pretty insane as it unfolds. For most of the movie, as it cuts forward and back the film doesn't let you know what he's doing and tricks you into thinking he's a bad guy, but then a good guy, and etc. you are left in the dark not certain of what is actually happening or what the goal is. You discover though that his brother needed a lung, he gave part of his liver to a woman who needed it, gave his home to the one lady, bone marrow to the kid, something to other guy (I think I missed what that was as I was watching it), his heart and his eyes. He killed seven people by mistake, but with his own life gave life to seven others!
For Palm Sunday
Palm Sunday marks the day that Jesus rode into Jerusalem and many of his people claimed him to be their king, although they didn't know that they were actually selecting their passover lamb (since today is the day Israel selected the lamb for slaughter for the passover - God and his timing and planning!). He then willfully hung out in the city until his crucifixion. He never once fought or defended himself, although he could have easily done so. Why did he so passively suffer one of, if not the worst possible death, Roman crucifixion? Because he knew that by offering his life, he could give life to many!
We are not like Jesus and can't die to give eternal life to someone else, and we certainly shouldn't be like the Will Smith character in Seven Pounds and commit suicide to save others, although what if you wanted to do so... wow! That would be a sign of love and dedication. In the movie, this was more of an act of guilt or retribution, not love, but what if you knew your wife was dying and could use your heart?
Regardless, what I walked away from the movie recognizing is that God the Father sent his Son to die for us! Jesus willingly gave his life. We all have been given the gift of life from God. The Father has blessed us to be a blessing to others. We can give of our lives, gifts, and talents to bless others. Just as Jesus in his last night with his disciples broke bread and gave it to them saying that it was his body broken for them, we too can give of ourselves to others and bless them. And in this giving we too will truly find life.
For this week of Holy Week (the name given to the week in the church from Palm Sunday to Easter), let's look to Jesus and do our best to follow in his willful and sacrificial steps.
I was completely confused for quite a while in the movie. It starts with Will Smith calling in to 911 to report a suicide, his own. You know throughout that he at one point was married and that he is somehow connected to a car accident that took the lives of seven people. The description of the film lets you know that he's helping seven strangers! But it's hard to tell how he's helping them and even who the seven people are for most of the movie.
Spoiler Alert starting now! Don't read onward if you don't want to know what happens in the film. I'd recommend watching the movie then coming back to finish reading the rest of this post.
Will Smith gives his awesome beach house to a lady who has two kids so they can flee the beatings of her boyfriend. As the movie nears its ends you see that he gives a bone marrow donation for a boy who is dying. All along he's been helping a lady who has a failing heart and is waiting for a donor for a transplant. It also appears that he somehow plans on helping a blind man (Woody Harrelson).
At the very end, you realize that just as he gave bone marrow to help the little boy, he plans on giving his heart and eyes to help the lady and the blind man. No way! Back to the beginning of the movie, he calls in his suicide. Then it keeps playing from there and he crawls into a bathtub full of ice-water, you know, to preserve the organs he plans on donating. He then drops the deadliest creature on the planet into the tub with him, the box-jelly fish! He's stung. As he is dying it flashes to the accident. He was the driver of the accident that killed his wife (maybe just fiance) and six others (one of the seven being his unborn child). He dies! But the lady gets his heart and the blind man, named Ezra, gets to see! His childhood friend knew his plans and he was the one who was able to set-up the transplants.
It's pretty insane as it unfolds. For most of the movie, as it cuts forward and back the film doesn't let you know what he's doing and tricks you into thinking he's a bad guy, but then a good guy, and etc. you are left in the dark not certain of what is actually happening or what the goal is. You discover though that his brother needed a lung, he gave part of his liver to a woman who needed it, gave his home to the one lady, bone marrow to the kid, something to other guy (I think I missed what that was as I was watching it), his heart and his eyes. He killed seven people by mistake, but with his own life gave life to seven others!
For Palm Sunday
Palm Sunday marks the day that Jesus rode into Jerusalem and many of his people claimed him to be their king, although they didn't know that they were actually selecting their passover lamb (since today is the day Israel selected the lamb for slaughter for the passover - God and his timing and planning!). He then willfully hung out in the city until his crucifixion. He never once fought or defended himself, although he could have easily done so. Why did he so passively suffer one of, if not the worst possible death, Roman crucifixion? Because he knew that by offering his life, he could give life to many!
We are not like Jesus and can't die to give eternal life to someone else, and we certainly shouldn't be like the Will Smith character in Seven Pounds and commit suicide to save others, although what if you wanted to do so... wow! That would be a sign of love and dedication. In the movie, this was more of an act of guilt or retribution, not love, but what if you knew your wife was dying and could use your heart?
Regardless, what I walked away from the movie recognizing is that God the Father sent his Son to die for us! Jesus willingly gave his life. We all have been given the gift of life from God. The Father has blessed us to be a blessing to others. We can give of our lives, gifts, and talents to bless others. Just as Jesus in his last night with his disciples broke bread and gave it to them saying that it was his body broken for them, we too can give of ourselves to others and bless them. And in this giving we too will truly find life.
For this week of Holy Week (the name given to the week in the church from Palm Sunday to Easter), let's look to Jesus and do our best to follow in his willful and sacrificial steps.
I liked the movie a lot. I found it pretty inspirational. The whole idea is so contrary to the way we typically live our lives. Samson got his eyes cut out and so did this guy in the movie. There must be some biblical connection there...or maybe not. :)
ReplyDeletethats so cool how you linked the two!
ReplyDeleteoh i read all of your essays that you esnt me, my favorite is the one that informs me that the Monty python movie is a broken hero cycle :)