The Lives Of Others
'The Lives Of Others' is an award winning Foreign language film that actually made me cry because the end of the movie is so evocative of how life works, for those of the Christian faith. I am glad my friend from Church, Luke, lent me his copy.
The movie is about a Captain of the East German secret police the Stasi who is true to his principles even at great personal peril. Some power-hungry officers in the Stasi decide that they need to bring destroy a famous Playwright in the communist East Germany. They wire his house and put Captain Weiler in charge of monitoring the wire taps. Captain Weiler is a principled man, totally devoted to the totalitarian principles of the Communistic state.
Captain Weiler is promised rich rewards if Weiler can find incriminating evidence against the playwright. But during the surveillance, Captain Weiler realizes that the Playwright is a true artist and that his art needs to be protected against the regime. The Captain decides to not report some of the Playwright's work that is aimed at exposing the Communist regime. Weiler knows that if he is caught, he'll be dealt with the most severe form of punishment. Weiler bends over backwards to save the Playwright. The Stasi realize that Weiler had hidden some critical data. They don't have proof, so they demote him to a very menial position which Weiler does faithfully for many years. Eventually, the wall comes down and East Germany gets unified.
The Stasi men are wealthy in the unified Germany too. They work the system. But Weiler 'falls through the cracks' and is a dejected man delivering mail from door to door. Throughout the movie, Weiler is an unhappy man. He is not successful. He never has his 'American Dream'. He stands for a principle and pays the cost for being the righteous man.
One day, the poor, inconsequential, despondent Weiler is walking the streets. He sees a huge poster of the Playwright with his new novel 'Sonata for a Good Man'. Curious, Weiler goes into the shop, opens the book. He realizes that the Playwright dedicated the book to Weiler. After unification of Germany, the Playwright gained access to the wire taps and realized how Weiler had saved his life. Weiler takes the book to the cash register. The clerk asks if if this book needed to be gift-wrapped. Weiler looks up, and for the first time in the movie has a beaming smile and says, "This is for me!".
One day, the poor, inconsequential, despondent Weiler is walking the streets. He sees a huge poster of the Playwright with his new novel 'Sonata for a Good Man'. Curious, Weiler goes into the shop, opens the book. He realizes that the Playwright dedicated the book to Weiler. After unification of Germany, the Playwright gained access to the wire taps and realized how Weiler had saved his life. Weiler takes the book to the cash register. The clerk asks if if this book needed to be gift-wrapped. Weiler looks up, and for the first time in the movie has a beaming smile and says, "This is for me!".
The Christian's life is akin to Weiler's. The Christian cannot conform to the ways of the world. Conforming to God's standard for righteousness, the Christian has to set himself apart. Others have a jolly good time 'working the system', whereas the Christian true to the principles of Truth gets the shorter end of the stick. From Elijah to David to Paul to Luther, people that follow God have struggled immensely with life. They are often disappointed and depressed. Yet unmindful of the present-day struggles, they run towards the ultimate reward of Heavenly life. The smile on poor Weiler's face when he says, "This is for me" is representative of the smile that would be the Christian's when he is rewarded in Heaven for all his hardships on earth.
Revelation 17
13 Then one of the elders asked me, “These in white robes—who are they, and where did they come from?”
14 And he said, “These are they who have come out of the great tribulation; they have washed their robes and made them white in the blood of the Lamb.
17 For the Lamb at the center of the throne
will be their shepherd; ‘he will lead them to springs of living water.’
‘And God will wipe away every tear from their eyes.’
Sometimes the hardship we undergo as principled Christians can be overwhelming. We find ourselves as misfits in the world. But we shouldn't give up. We need to remember that we have a beautiful inheritance awaiting us in the Other shore in the form of a great relationship with God. He'll satisfy us for all the hardship we undergo for the sake of His Name. In this life, we should not conform to the standards of the pleasure and power mongering world. We should stand apart. We need to do our best to Serve God even when it comes at great personal peril, disappointment and despondency. We who end up as losers for the sake of righteousness, are actually in the good company of the ones in White Robes, washed in the blood of the Lamb. Our mourning shall be brief! Blessed are those who mourn, for they shall be comforted (by the King)!