Potter OD

I feel like I've been mainlining Harry Potter lately. I spent Sunday-Tuesday finishing Book 7 and we saw the movie for book 5 last night. Plus, one of the blogs I frequent has had a discussion about the merits of Harry Potter for Christians. I couldn't help but throw my hat into the ring there.

I can see the appeal to Harry Potter. The writing is good and the characters are engaging. I actually felt myself tearing up near the end of Book 7. Warning -- SPOLIER


Spoiler alert. Read on only if you have finished Book 7 or don't care about learning the outcome
This may sound crazy, but the engagement I had with the characters in Harry Potter has given me a keener understanding of what Christ suffered on the cross. Reading Harry's thoughts as he voluntarily submitted to death was very poignant. Obviously the analogy breaks down because Harry did not have to suffer the sins of the world. The redemption metaphor is incomplete.

I think that this was poignant because I know more about Harry's past than I do about Jesus'. I know that Jesus was born on Christmas and I know the circumstances around it. I know that He was pretty precocious based on his teaching at age 12. I know a lot about the 3 years of his ministry. However, I don't know much about Him as a person. What was his favorite food? His favorite color? Did He prefer the mountains or the beach? What games did He like to play as a child? Did he ever have any pets? How did He deal with being the oldest in the family? How did He deal with the resentment that must have come from not only being the oldest, but also from being perfect?

Obviously some of these things can be answered from what we know of Him through Scripture. My point is that Harry Potter is someone that we got to watch grow up for 7 years until he made the decision to freely sacrifice himself for the sake of the world. We got to know what makes him tick. Reading his story makes me think more about Christ's humanity and the awful weight that was on His shoulders. And, through it all, He freely gave Himself for me.

Hallelujah! What a Savior!