WHAT THE MOVIE PINOCCHIO TEACHES US ABOUT FREEWILL The animated film Pinocchio is perhaps the greatest parable on the subject of freewill ever written. Pinocchio is a lifeless wooden puppet created by Gepetto, the kind but lonely toymaker. Gepetto loves the puppet and prays that it would turn not a real boy. His prayer is answered, at least partially. Pinocchio comes to life, but he is still wooden. For him to become a real boy, a flesh and blood boy, he has to learn and develop virtue. Pinocchio, though innocent, is also a little too impulsive and careless and acts without the guidance of his conscience, symbolized in the story by Jiminy Cricket. While his conscience sleeps, Pinocchio allows himself to be misled by a deceptive fox named Foulfellow. By appealing to his ego to become a famous actor, Foulfellow lures Pinocchio to be captured and enslaved by the evil puppet master Stromboli, who basically uses him as a freak show exhibit. His freedom didnt last long at all once he started neglecting his conscience. Now, locked in Strombolis cage, Pinocchio whistles for his conscience, who quickly returns to him, but Jiminy is not strong enough to unlock the cage. An angelic presence then appears and questions Pinocchio about his neglectful behavior. Pinocchio, not wanting to admit he was wrong, then tells a series of lies, his nose growing higher and bigger with each one. The angel then frees Pinocchio, heals his nose, and warns him to always be led by his conscience if he wants to become a real boy. On the way home, Pinocchio again meets the fox Foulfellow, who misleads him again. Foulfellow lures Pinocchio to Pleasure Island, a place where boys can be naughty and self-willed to there hearts content. However, Foulfellow fails to tell Pinocchio the terrible cost. Once there, the boys gradually mutate into donkeys, the ultimate fate of all those driven by self-will. Pinocchio does manage to escape, but only with two donkey ears dangling from his head from where the mutation had already begun. He returns home, only to find Gepetto gone. Pinocchio discovers Gepetto, who had gone looking for him, was trapped in the belly of an evil whale named Monstro. Pinocchio rescues Gepetto by lighting a fire from within the whale, who then sneezes them out. Pinocchio then sacrifices his life to save Gepetto from drowning. With Gepetto devastated and holding Pinocchios corpse gently in his arms, the angel reappears and resurrects Pinocchio as a real boy, happily declaring that since Pinocchio had discovered the virtue of sacrificial love, he was now ready to be the true and living son of Gepetto. And Jimny Cricket gets rewarded with a gold badge for being a faithful conscience. Wow! Do you see all the parallels? We could substitute Adam for Pinocchio, and everything would be a perfect fit. God created Adam from the earth, not as a lifeless puppet with strings of control which only God sovereignly and capriciously pulls. That is not love. Love doesnt seek to create meticulously controlled puppets, but rather righteously liberated sons. Real boys, in other words. When I use the word Adam, I am not just referring to just the original man named Adam, but to all mankind since the beginning of time. We are all Adams. Adam was originally created free, but not yet mature and perfected. While he was not a mere puppet on a string, nor was he yet a fully developed son of God. He had some growing to do by using his conscience to discover, discern and develop the ultimate virtue of sacrificial love. This priceless quality of agape can never be instantaneously imparted, only taught, cultivated and gradually harvested. Adam needed this master virtue to take dominion of the earth in the power of love. But, Adam, by ignoring and neglecting his Spirit-quickened conscience, allowed himself to be misled by hissing Serpents, prideful impulses and sinful attitudes. When caught in his sin, Adam likewise covered up his guilt by blaming others. He now had far to go to learn the master virtue of agape. With each lie he told God, himself, and others, his nose grew. In fact, his nose grew the length of the Tower of Babel. His ears became the hardened ears of a jackass, too hardened and obstinate to hear truth in the innermost parts. Adam became so prideful that he become easily mesmerized by the empty promises of any ego-stroking manipulator like the fox Foulfellow. He ultimately became enslaved by the evil Stromboli-like puppeteer named Satan, who convinced Adam he was free and prosperous under his reign, but who in reality kept Adam caged and chained to do his bidding. Now, the Lord sent angels to free Adam from his various predicaments. He sent cautions and prophecies to exhort Adam to continue to covet and seek the virtue of sacrificial love. Adam would listen briefly, his nose temporarily returned to normal size by the Lords healing hand, but then Adam would soon start neglecting his conscience again. Adam always had one eye stuck on Pleasure Island, one ear open to Foulfellows seductive whispers, and one impulse ready to neglectfully jump into action without and ahead of his consciences guidance. But, within Adamic mankind, there was to come an eventual seed, a holy impulse, an anointed logos, a spark of the master virtue known as agape love, the love that sacrifices all for the sake of rescue. That seed was Jesus. That impulse was Jesus. That Logos was Jesus. This impulse, for the first time in the history of humanity, exploded with flawless, fearless, and ferocious love. The seed was being gradually cultivated in the Old Testament womb of Israel. But now, that seed was being harvested. This seed laid its life down for all other Adams, even going into the belly of Hell, into Monstros gut, to lead out all who were trapped there. And though it seemed that Jesus, that holy impulse of divine love which saved us all, had tragically died in that sacrifice; because of the love of the Father, the second Adam came back to life as a real boy, a glorified son, the resurrected son of God. And now, Jesus has poured out that same master virtue in our hearts by the power of the Holy Ghost. Jesus personifies the only thing we will ever need for all eternity ---- pure and powerful agape, all over us, all through us, and all for us! Pinocchio would never have discovered love if he remained nothing more than a stringed puppet-- never. Agape has no strings of control. But, on the other hand, the essence of love CANNOT just cannot be instantaneously imparted and fully received. Freedom is the only soil that can cultivate and gradually harvest that love unto fruition. Freedom and love are complementary dynamics. Just as the existence of water requires both the elements of hydrogen and oxygen, so too does being a real son of God require the elements of love and freedom. Pinocchio had enough freedom given to him to discover and grow into a real son of God. And so do we. Just remember, God doesnt control your strings, but He does quicken your conscience. In fact, really, Jesus has given you HIS OWN GOLD-BADGED CONSCIENCE TO LIVE YOU AS YOUR GUIDE. And not only this, Jesus also opens all your cages, destroys all your chains, heals your hardened donkey ears, restores the nose of your integrity, and resurrects you in the power of His love. So, dont ever think of God as a puppet master again. That dishonors His character and nature. He only and always creates real boys and real girls who are free to fully love and free to be fully loved.
Posted on: Sun, 17 Nov 2013 13:04:03 +0000
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