Real Self-Sacrifice

Last night we watched Seven Pounds starring Wil Smith. The premise of the movie is that "Ben" Thomas, Smith's character, has dedicated his life to changing the lives of seven other people before committing suicide. If this is a movie you plan on watching, you may want to stop reading now and come back later. The climax and the "I can't believe it ends like this" moment comes when Thomas actually takes his life for the sole purpose of providing a heart transplant for a woman with a rare blood type. The twist is that Thomas has indavertently fallen in love with her.

During the scene that shows the surgeons removing the heart from Thomas' body and simultaneously prepping the woman's body, I could not help but think of the parallels to the mission of Jesus, the Son of God. He came to earth for the sole purpose of giving his life as the only sufficient atonement for our sins and possibility of eternal life. Watching the anguish on Thomas' face as he cheats himself of love with this young woman caused to think of Christ's anguish in a different way. Ultimately, he knew he would not be cheated of time spent with the people he loved, but how much pain did his love cause himself in those regards?

"Ben" Thomas' acts provide contrasts to Christ's actions as well. Christ was perfect. His action's were prompted by perfect love for others. His act of self-sacrifice provided for the atonement of the world. Thomas' mission was provoked by a desire to seek atonement for himself. Seven lives, including his wife's, were ended because of a fatal mistake he made on the highway. His acts were an attempt to find redemption for himself by punishing himself.

As we live out our faith journeys, what will motivate our actions? Will we embrace the grace that provides for our salvation or will we try to work off our guilt? Will we allow our lives to be molded by the love of Christ so that we live sacrificially for the sake of others? Just a thought.