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Insights:
Mythic Reality
"Myths are first of all stories; stories
which confront us with something transcendent and
eternal....a means by which the eternal expresses itself in
time."1
The movie, The Last Samurai,
begins and ends with a myth. It begins with the myth
of how the islands of Japan were formed and concludes with
the myth of what happened to Nathan Algren.
The story that lies between
these two myths is about the salvation and deliverance of an
individual and a nation. The film must be viewed
mythically2
rather than historically,
for there are transcendental and eternal truths here that
express themselves in a time (1870's), a place (Japan), and
a person (Nathan Algren).
Bondage
The opening scenes of the movie
show both Nathan Algren and the nation of Japan in bondage
to a harsh taskmaster. An alcoholic filled with shame
over acts he committed in war, Nathan sells his soul for
$500 to his former Colonel. He is hired to go to Japan
to suppress yet another native rebellion; the only job he
really seems fit for. Japan, personified by its
Emperor, is in the grasp of the powerful Mr. Omura who, out
of personal greed, is selling his nation's soul3
to the "civilized"
powers of the West.
Crossing the
Sea
As Nathan crosses the sea, he is
confronted with a hard truth -- the mirror. He puts on
his uniform with his medal of honor, but all he sees is
dishonor and shame. The uniform is a picture of fallen
glory - a picture of a tarnished soul.
Wilderness
The Colonel and Mr. Omura order
Nathan and the untrained Japanese peasants to confront the
Samurai "rebels" prematurely. Captured by the Samurai
leader, Katsumoto, Nathan is taken to a hidden place in the
mountains of Japan. It is here in this "wilderness" that a
whole new identity is forged for Nathan Algren.
Several things must be said
about this time in the wilderness. First note that it
is a season - a season of winter4.
It is an ancient and holy place - this mountain "of the
Lord". It is where transformation takes place;
Nathan's body, soul, and spirit are changed by what happens
to him here. His physical body is healed and delivered
from alcohol. It is trained and disciplined by the way
of the sword5.
His soul is redeemed by a kind of love, kindness, and
forgiveness that he has never known. His spirit finally
finds peace and is restored to God.
Testing
The wilderness experience
requires a testing to see if the transformation from self to
servant has been accomplished. Nathan is set free in Tokyo
by Katsumoto, and he has a choice to make. Will he go
back to listening to the accusing voice of the Colonel and
his old ways of drinking and prostituting himself or will he
chose to be a servant and sacrifice himself for others as he
has learned from the Samurai.
Destiny
Nathan's choice is really no
choice at all. What he does flows from who he has
become. The uniform of faded glory has been replaced
with a warrior's armor. He has received a sword
inscribed with his new identity, "The warrior in whom the
old ways have joined the new". He no longer fights for
money, but for righteousness. His destiny is revealed,
not dictated by corruption.
Victory
The transformation of the
individual, Nathan Algren, has great significance for the
nation of Japan. He is the one destined to present
Katsumoto's sword to the Emperor and to remind him of the
cause for which the Samurai sacrificed his life.
Strengthened by the warrior's sword, the Emperor overcomes
Omura, making Japan a nation independent of the dominion of
others.
God's Foundation
Story
The myth of The Last Samurai is based
on eternal truth....God's Foundational Story - God's Story
of Redemption. The Book of Exodus is an illustration
of God's saving work. The Savior God redeems His
chosen people from their bondage to the power of evil.
The Divine Warrior6
judges those powers and claims
His people as the sons of His
Firstborn. They are to become a holy nation of priests
(warrior priests)7
among whom He dwells by His Spirit. This was true in the
Book of Exodus8
and in the First and Second Comings of the Lord Jesus Christ9.
There are veiled similarities to
all three of these events in the movie. Japan in its
captivity to the Western Powers is similar to Israel under
Egyptian and Roman dominion. On Katsumoto's first trip to
Tokyo, he comes with a few disciples and as a
suffering servant. He is accused of rebellion and "tried"
before a corrupt council controlled by a leader in league
with the enemy (Luke
23:13-24). He is sentenced to death, but saved by the
sacrificial death of his son. When he returns the
second time, he comes as a judging warrior on a white horse
leading an army of righteous soldiers; at the end of the
battle every knee bows and worships before him (Revelation
19:11-16,
Philippians 2:10-11). Suffering Servant and Divine
Warrior - these are the veiled pictures of the First and
Second Comings of the Lord Jesus Christ.
Notes:
1.
Quote by Rolland Hein from
Waking the Dead by John Eldredge.
2. Mythically is used
here in this sense: "A broad inclusive term to mean those
stories which bring us a glimpse of the eternal or any story
that awakens your heart to the deep truths of life".
Waking the Dead by John Eldredge
3. Simon Graham says the ancient and the modern are in
a war for the soul of Japan.
4. Nathan has no knowledge of what day it is, only the
season. Notice how the
seasons are used in this film: late Summer/Fall - Nathan's
fallen state; Winter - Nathan hidden in the mountains/new
work of life in him; Spring - Nathan's and Japans' rebirth;
Summer - Nathan's return to the mountain garden.
5. The sword is a
metaphor for the soul in this film. Note how Algren
must be totally broken (the rain scene with Uijo) before he
can be transformed.
6. The Divine
Warrior image does not originate with the Samurai.
It is a Biblical concept that runs throughout the entire
Bible from the Book of Exodus where God as a great Warrior
delivers Israel from Egypt (Exodus
15:3) to the Book of Revelation where Christ returns in
His Second Coming (Revelation
19:11-16).
7. The concept of
warrior priests also originates in the Old Testament.
One of the chief duties of the Israelite priests was to
guard the Tabernacle or Temple of God through the threat of
arms. Any who transgressed the manifest holiness of
God's presence were to to be slain. Dictionary of
Biblical Imagery, pg 663
8. "Concerning identity, the
Exodus is that moment in
which God forged Israel as His people (Exodus
19:5); a kingdom of priests and a nation independent of
the dominion and rule of other nations." Dictionary of
Biblical Imagery, pg 254
9. There are many similarities between the Exodus
event and the First and Second Coming of the
Lord Jesus Christ.
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