Last night my wife and I watched the Disney animated movie Tarzan. In typical fashion, I fell asleep on the couch about halfway through it. But the last scene I was awake for hit me in a new way last night. Yet again God spoke through something that has been made, and it points back to Him.
In the movie, Tarzan's parents are killed by a leopard at the beginning of the movie and he is rescued by Kala, a female gorilla that takes him as her own son and raises him. He grows up among the apes and doesn't know that he is a human and there are others like him. Then one day there is a new sound in the jungle, a gun shot. Tarzan goes to investigate and for the first time sees someone like him.
One of the people is Jane, who ends up being chased through the jungle by baboons, and rescued by Tarzan. Once she is safe, he helps her find her camp, which has been trashed by other curious gorillas that have never seen anything like this and are fascinated by the new sounds. Tarzan leaves with them, and immediately Jane's father, and Clayton their guide and gun wielding protector, return.
Jane describes Tarzan to her father, and as she is defending the reality of the situation to Clayton, Tarzan drops into the camp again. Jane's father, a professor who journeyed to Africa to study gorillas, is ecstatic with excitement. He then says, "Look at him Jane. Moves like an ape, but looks like a man. He could be the missing link." And Clayton, who is there to capture and sell gorillas, says, "Or our link to the gorillas." As the scene played it hit me, Tarzan is like Jesus.
In Tarzan, a human raised as a gorilla, a wealth of knowledge is opened to the professor and Jane. Not only are they able to learn things from Tarzan, but eventually he leads them to the gorillas to study them in their natural habitat. They have entrance to the thing that they most desire. They have access to knowledge that is otherwise beyond their grasp.
Plus, gorillas are a bit scary. Earlier in the movie we see Kerchak, the silverback alpha male, fight a leopard. They are powerful and intimidating. But in Tarzan there is a human who is approachable and welcoming. One who is powerful but gentle. One who humans to understand and relate to.
In Jesus, God became man. He opened the way to God, but also shows what God is like. In Jesus we learn about God, we see how God would live life as a human. In Christ we see that a human can live a life pleasing to God. In Jesus there is a hands on model of the invisible God. The spiritual has become physical.
In Jesus we have a God who is fully approachable. It's not that God isn't, but God is intimidating. He is an all knowing, all powerful, all present being that we can't see because He is invisible spirit. He is the one who spoke the universe into creation, who gives life and takes it away. He holds the universe in His hand and calls the stars by name. But in Jesus we have God as a man. Though powerful, we now see His gentleness and compassion first hand.
In Jesus we begin to understand God in ways we couldn't before. And in Jesus we have access to the presence of God. Through His blood sins are forgiven and we have direct access to the throne of God, and Christ is our mediator. It is an incredible gift and a mind blowing opportunity.
God loved the world so much, that He sent His Son not only to save it, but show the world what He is like. In Jesus we see God. In Jesus we see humanity as it was created to be. In Jesus we have access to and justification before God. God became man to lead back to God.
To God alone be the Glory!
Peace be with you
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