Now I don't want to get off on a rant here...

How do you measure a life?

A woman stands accused of a crime before her jury, her judge and her executioners. By law her crime demands payment in full for her offense and that sentence is death. Only blood will atone for her wrong doing; her sin. And here stands her executioners ready to carry out the sentence, rocks in hand.

Others face the same apparent fate of this woman. They walk down the streets, carrying the burdens of their past, their wrong doings on their heart. They have stood accused and have felt the stinging pain of society’s judgment. The musical Rent, touches on this very real and very painful aspect of life. People face the consequences of their actions every day in many different ways, but the question is how do they respond?

The message of Rent is a bleak one. They sing about living and measuring life by these individual moments of feeling anything at all. They cry out desiring to feel something – almost anything. And they face death on a regular basis. The message of their bohemian lifestyle is, “let he who is without sin, cast the first stone and since none of you are without sin no one should be casting any stones, especially not at us”.

Rejoining our accused, tried and convicted woman facing her death she is brought before a higher court. The singular judge of this supreme court has weighed the evidence against her and indeed he knows the depths of her sin beyond anyone else’s understanding.

And he first speaks to her executioners, “If any one of you is without sin, let him be the first to throw a stone at her”.

After hearing no answer he turns to the woman and asks, “where are they? Has no one condemned you?”

She replies very meekly, “No one, sir”

“Then neither do I condemn you, Go now and leave your life of sin.”

Here he offers her a plea, a plea of grace. She doesn’t realize it yet, but he just offered to take her sentence of death upon himself. He offered to pay the price by the shedding of his own blood. Because of this amazing gift of grace he gives her a command, to turn away from the adulterous life she was living and follow him. This is where the message of Rent falls flat on its face; the failure to recognize the gift of grace and the responsibility that comes along with having that gift bestowed upon you.

“Our response to this film,” says Willie R. Mangum Jr, “and to the Rent players in our real lives, must be according to the same compassion, mercy and grace demonstrated at Calvary and granted to us.” We are not to stand in oppositional judgment, but together in mercy and love. That is how we point others to Christ by showing them His tender mercies, His unfailing love and His righteous life. That is the answer this film cry’s out for, but never delivers.

Related Resources:

John 8

3The teachers of the law and the Pharisees brought in a woman caught in adultery. They made her stand before the group 4and said to Jesus, "Teacher, this woman was caught in the act of adultery. 5In the Law Moses commanded us to stone such women. Now what do you say?"

7When they kept on questioning him, he straightened up and said to them, "If any one of you is without sin, let him be the first to throw a stone at her."

9At this, those who heard began to go away one at a time, the older ones first, until only Jesus was left, with the woman still standing there. 10Jesus straightened up and asked her, "Woman, where are they? Has no one condemned you?"
11"No one, sir," she said.
"Then neither do I condemn you," Jesus declared. "Go now and leave your life of sin."

12When Jesus spoke again to the people, he said, "I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will never walk in darkness, but will have the light of life."

Movie Review: Rent (2005)
Willie R. Mangum Jr.

This film has no redeeming moral value and I cannot, in good conscience, recommend that anyone go and see it. I can, on the other hand, point out that our response to this film and to the Rent players in our real lives, must be according to the same compassion, mercy and grace demonstrated at Calvary and granted to us.

There are no answers in this film. The only real and lasting answers to the questions raised in this film are found in Christ. Our lives must be lived according to the kind of love and compassion He demonstrated to the woman at the well.

Posted by price at March 13, 2006 09:33 AM | TrackBack