Saviors - Masculinity is an essence. In boys, that essence is craved for. And it can only be passed between men. Masculinity brings adventure and a sense of journey with it. Men have a deep desire to deliver and save. We have a beauty to rescue and a dragon to fight. Happily ever after only comes after spilt blood. Jesus Christ is our ultimate example of a savior. His deliverance was promised in the near beginning of mankind. Adam fails to grasp and use his masculinity and the serpent deceives Eve. God proclaims a fight for the ages:
And I will put enmity between thee and the woman, and between thy seed and her seed; it shall bruise thy head, and thou shalt bruise his heel" (Gen. 3:14-15).But there is a lot more to just this one scene. There is a lot of background to just this one story. Genesis is where we enter the story. A whole lot more has already happen. The world is already at war. The lines have been drawn. Evil is waiting to make its next move. Somewhere back before Eden, in the mystery of eternity past, there was a coup, a rebellion, an assisatination attempt. The captain of the guard rebelled against the Trinity. With a third of the angels, he tries to storm the actual Throne of God. God's answer? He draws his sword and thrusts it into the Enemy:
Awake, awake, put on strength, O arm of the Lord; awake, as in days of old, the generations of long ago. Was it not you who cut Rahab in pieces, that pierced the dragon? (Isaiah 51:9)The whole lot of them are cast out of heaven and have landed with a gigantic splash right here on this ball of spinning dirt. And they are pissed off. Raging hell, literally, everywhere. Offering and carrying death in both hands to whoever wants it (Rev 12:12). They were not destroyed, and the battle is not over. This fight has continued and will continue until God, in his infinite wisdom, power, might, mercy, and grace, ends it. When his Son descends from heaven with fire in his eyes and a sword in his mouth, this war is over...not until then. Jesus Christ is a dragon slayer. God set it up that way and promised it. So to must men.
Men who follow Jesus Christ, the dragon slayer, must themselves become lesser dragon-slayers. And this is why it is absolutely essential for boys to play with wooden swords and plastic guns. Acting out the wars and living the adventure. Boys have a deep need to have something to defend, something to represent in battle. And to beat the spears into pruning hooks prematurely, before the war is over, will leave you fighting the dragon with a pruning hook.
But there is more just giving junior a plastic gun and telling him go play cops and robbers. Great stories of adventure, war, and extraordinary feats work as well in conjunction. Valor, courage, might, and brains. Stories of swashbucklers on the open seas and fair maidens in distress. If your imagination escapes you, take history lessons and great inventions. Examples of extraordinary acts by ordinary people. The Wright brothers, when read about and told from an adventure standpoint has it all. We'll ge into this element a little more next time.
The Christian faith is no way pacifistic. The peace that will be ushered in by our great Prince will be a peace purchased with blood. As our Lord sacrificed Himself in this war, so must His followers learn to do.
Boys must learn that they are growing up to fight in a great war, and they must consequently learn, as boys, to be strong, sacrificial, courageous, and good.
Next up: Sages
3 comments:
I agree with what Corey said, I'm enjoying these posts. I like thinking outside the box a little bit, so a lot of my thoughts when reading these posts are, "Whatever...whatever...whatever..." But they're good posts, even thought I don't agree with them.
And someone is going to read my latest blog post and call me a hypocrite. I do think courage and sacrifice and strength are good, I just don't think that means a bloody sword in hand.
Not sure where a bloody sword plays into this.
I can understand the stretch you made to get there though.
The thought process here is the fact that too many times we hear that junior shouldn't play with plastic guns and it he turns a stick into a sword, there's trouble down the line.
And when you start taking the plastic guns and stick swords, what is next? Too young to cut the grass? Too young to swing a hammer? There's no winners and losers at little league? No climbing trees?
Taking that natural element away from a little boy is going to turn them effiminate.
What else do you disagree with so much?
Sometimes I leap. :)
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