Jesus and the Dark Knight

Though completely and appropriately dark, The Dark Knight is one of the best examples of the message of Christianity. For those who have not seen it be warned that there are some spoilers in here.

The story picks up one year after Batman Begins concludes. The cops are still unable to do much but with Batman's assistance the criminals are generally too scared to do much of anything. The mobs have, out of desperation, taken a new criminal named the Joker up on his offer to kill Batman, played by Christian Bail. The Joker, played brilliantly by Heath Ledger, is not just a criminal but evil without limit. The limitless boundaries are displayed throughout the movie and are exaggerated one by the restraint and limitations that Batman holds to. While interrogating the Joker, Batman states that he only has one rule which the Joker tells him will have to be broken in order to find the truth. Apart from Batman, the Joker has been able to turn everyone that he talks with - including the new DA Harvey Dent.

Harvey Dent, played by Aaron Eckhart, has taken a public stand for what Batman has done in the shadows. Though this makes the two of them allies they never seem to become friends. This lacking friendship is seen when Dent's fiancee, Rachel, is killed by the Joker and used as a means to bring Dent over to the side of chaos. Dents lust for revenge, which he calls justice and chance, turns him into a killer and criminal same as the Joker. As Dent tries to kill Gordon's son Batman and him fall to an apparent death for Dent (I say apparent because you should not kill off Two-Face after only forty minutes of screen time - look for him to come back in a future movie).

To see where the message of Jesus fits in this story we have to see how the movie concludes. Gordon explains that what Dent has done cannot be ignored and that his reputation with the public is lost and any good he may have done will be undone. Batman tells Gordon that he will take the blame for the bad so that Dent will be remembered for the good that he accomplished and will not have a damaged reputation. Then the police start to chase Batman because he has taken the blame and not deserves the punishment. As the city's guardian to be what it needs, he has become the Dark Knight.

This is where the explanation of Christianity comes in. Mankind, through the prompting of Satan, started to seek equality only to find that he took his life out of God's hands. In doing so he became the same as Satan, equal in punishment and guilt. Jesus came to the earth not to judge the world but that we might be saved through it (John 3:17). Though we deserve to be seen guilty before God, Jesus took our wrong when He was innocent and died on the cross for our sins. Now, for those who believe in Christ as their savior, God will look at us through the lens of Jesus to only see the good rather than our faults. The funeral at the end of the movie showed Dent for all his good and never mentions the things which Batman took upon himself.

Invite your friends over and watch this movie. Afterwards,if they do not know Christ, then ask them what they think about someone who would be willing to take the punishment for someone else's mistakes. As crazy and Hollywood as that sounds, that is exactly what Jesus did for you and for me. Through that act of selflessness we can stand before God, but only if we believe and accept Jesus as our Lord and Savior.

So then, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; what is old has passed away – look, what is new has come! And all these things are from God who reconciled us to himself through Christ, and who has given us the ministry of reconciliation. (2 Corinthians 5:17-18, NET Bible)