Silence
Now this is not quite in keeping with my
usual posts, but after watching this film with my beloved last week it got us
thinking a lot about the secret and persecuted church.
I knew nothing about this film on the day I
watched it as it was a surprise date. Yes, I get taken to see films about
persecution as a surprise date, what can I say, this is obviously true romance!
When I found out what we were going to see, I wasn’t sold, but we went anyway.
I did not enjoy this film the way I would
enjoy The Holiday, Bruce Almighty or a Harry Potter film. I enjoyed it because
it got me thinking. I wished I had my note book with me to note down all the
amazing and challenging things God was raising in us as we watched.
Silence is Directed by Martin Scorsese who as the Church Times
notes, ‘just can’t leave God alone’ after directing other films based around
Christianity such as The Last Temptation
of Christ. Before Scorsese became a director, he began training as a
Catholic Priest, so this explains the importance of Christianity to him. His
most recent endeavour, is an adaptation of the book by the Japanese write
Shusaku Endo set in the 17th Century. The film tells the story of
two young, and perhaps naive priests, Rodrigues and Garrupe who go to Japan to
find Fr Ferreira. Though this is no straight forward task, and they soon find
themselves administering as missionaries, all while hiding from the Japanese
authorities while spreading to word of God. This is not a true story, but
rather a historical fiction focusing on the work of missionaries in 17th
Century; an extremely dangerous time where priests were hunted throughout Japan.
As well as this Rodrigues character is also based on an Italian missionary
Giuseppe Chiara, who did missionary work in Japan.
As Harry and I walked out the cinema we did
not know what to say, all I could think is ‘thank God I won’t be sent to do my
curacy in 17th century Japan’. Though, once we got in the car we began
discussing some of the film’s imagery and how appropriate it is to what is
happening in the world now. (Syria, Eritrea, China, North Korea to name a few,
Open Doors even have a persecution watchlist (http://www.opendoorsuk.org/). The film depicts the mental,
physical and spiritual torture these priests went through because they would
not deny God. They were effectively bullied into denying the existence of God
by stepping or spitting on icons of Jesus. If they did not do this, they were
killed or tortured until they did. Yet there was one character, Kichijiro, who always falling away from God,
much like Peters denying of Jesus. We could not help but think he is like us as
followers of Jesus, as he kept going back to the priests, begging for
forgiveness from God. The film also depicts another character, The Inquisitor,
which could be a symbol for the devil. Throughout the film, he repeatedly
preaches to Rodrigues that Japan is a swamp and nothing will grow there. This
made me think of the Parable of the Sower, Mark 4:10-20. Verse 15 says ‘ Some
people are like a seed along the path, where the word is sown. As soon as they
hear it, Satan comes and takes
away the word that was sown in them.’
It seems Japan, at this time, was like this path.
So how did it make us feel as Christians? In
Harry’s words ‘ As a film, I found this
deeply challenging to my work in mission and as a follower of Jesus. The
suffering and lengths to which these Christians are pushed is shocking, not in
its depiction, but in the motivation for it. These men and women suffer because
they believe in Jesus. It put into perspective what Jesus tells us when he says
“deny yourself, take up your cross and follow me” in Mark. Being a Christian,
is about being prepared to be outcast, spat at, beat up and ultimately murdered
for your faith in Christ. It’s rough, it’s hard and to be honest I hate to even
put myself in the shoes of those Christians depicted in the film.
What the film highlights so well, is that in
our lives we will have times of silence, where we feel distant from God,
where we feel like he isn’t even there anymore. In this film, it’s so bleak; it
looks like God’s kingdom break through is impossible. It looks like evil has
overcome, but it hasn’t! Because Jesus already suffered this road of
persecution and death when he poured out his grace on the cross; for those
characters, for me, for you. He is so close to us, holding us and lavishing his
grace upon us; his amazing, unending and scandalous grace! It’s ok to feel like
everything is stacked against you and it’s ok to feel like you can’t hold on in
persecution, Jesus went through it too, he understands. God shows in this film,
that he turns up, he won’t forsake us. But he does it his way; because he knows
best. We might feel like no good can come out of a situation, but ‘impossible’
is not in God’s dictionary’.
I think it is fair to say that as Christian’s
who so outwardly express their faiths, this film hit hard and is one we keep
discussing after seeing it due to current affairs. I recommend it to anyone who has a heart for the
persecuted church or who wants a reminder of some are things people go through
for Christ. But, whatever you do, do not take noisy food. The film lives up to
its name.
Be Blessed
Steph and Harry.
Here are some other links about the film if
you wish to take a look.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IqrgxZLd_gE
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