Above: Scene from Amistad, 1997
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The 1997 movie Amistad presents the most powerful portrayal of the Christian message I have ever seen in a movie. The movie is based on an event that happened in Connecticut in the mid-1800’s. The Amistad was a ship that transported captured Africans to be sold as slaves in the American South. The human ‘cargo’ on the Amistad managed to overthrow the crew and take over the ship. They left two of the Spanish crew-members alive in order to turn the ship around and take them back to Africa. But the two Spaniards tricked the Africans and brought them to America. Unfortunately for the crew, they landed in a northern city where slavery was not allowed, and, where a large part of the population was very much against slavery.
The result was a complicated court battle to determine what to do with the Africans. To whom did they ‘belong,’ or, should they be taken back to Africa? The trial eventually involved the President of the United States (Martin Van Buren), a former President (John Quincy Adams) who helped argued the case on the Africans’ behalf, the Supreme Court of the United States, and the Queen of Spain. The part of the film I want to describe is a scene that takes place inside a prison where the Africans are being held while the trial takes place.
One day a sympathetic person from the crowd gave one of the Africans a Bible as they were on the way out of court. Later on in prison the man was paging through the Bible with keen interest, obviously deep in thought. One of the other Africans said to him, “You are not fooling anyone; we all know that you can not read that.”
The African with the Bible responded, “I know I can’t read, but there are pictures, and I think I am beginning to understand it.” He then brought the Bible to the other man, sat down with him, and began to show him the pictures. He tells his friend the story and explains what he thinks it means. The movie brilliantly portrays this illiterate man coming to some understanding of the Gospel, and how the story he sees in the Bible pictures speaks to them in their own predicament. Along with that, his narrative becomes a wonderful summary of the old, old story as heard and understood by someone for the first time.
“Look,” he says, pointing to a picture of the garden of Eden, “the story starts out very nice, in a beautiful place where everyone is happy.” The men remember their own beautiful home from which they had been taken, the place where their story had begun.
Then he turns the page to another picture, a picture of fighting and killing, perhaps an illustration of some Old Testament war. “Then something goes wrong,” he says, “and they all start fighting. There is much suffering and everyone is sad.” By now the second African is paying close attention. Something has gone very wrong for them, too.
“But then something happens. A baby is born,” the first man explains, pointing to a drawing of the scene in the stable the night of Jesus birth.
“Who is that?” asks the intrigued listener.
“I don’t know, but he must be important, because the sun follows him wherever he goes,” says the first man, pointing to the halo of light that is always around Jesus’ head in old books and paintings.
“This man can do anything,” he says, continuing his explanation and turning to show his friend more pages and more pictures. “He heals people, he takes care of little children, he stops the wind, he can even walk on water. But wherever he goes, he is helping people, and there are always big crowds around him, and they all seem to love him.”
But then they come to another disturbing picture. The first man says, “But then some bad people come and put this man in chains and make him bleed and are very mean to him.” He points to a picture of Jesus being pushed and mocked by the soldiers.
The second man responds gruffly, “But he must have done something bad!”
The first man then gently reminds him of their own chains and suffering and asks, “What have we done wrong?”
They then look at a picture of Jesus nailed to the cross, and they wonder if that is what the white people are planning to do to them.
“But it doesn’t matter,” says the first man with excitement, turning some more pages and adding, “because even though this man dies, he comes to life again. Then he takes his friends to a wonderful place where there is no more trouble. So that must be where we will go from here when they kill us. It’s not so bad.” They continue to look at more pictures of the risen Jesus appearing to his disciples, and then all of them together in heaven. Both men stare at that last picture of heaven, deep in thought. (continued…)
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Acts 11:4 — Starting from the beginning, Peter told them the whole story.
Psalm 107:1-3 — Give thanks to the Lord, for he is good; his love endures forever. Let the redeemed of the Lord tell their story— those he redeemed from the hand of the foe, those he gathered from the lands, from east and west, from north and south.
Revelation 21:3-5a — I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, “Look! God’s dwelling place is now among the people, and he will dwell with them. They will be his people, and God himself will be with them and be their God. He will wipe every tear from their eyes. There will be no more death or mourning or crying or pain, for the old order of things has passed away.” He who was seated on the throne said, “I am making everything new!”
Philippians 1:21 — For to me, to live is Christ and to die is gain.
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O Lord, the hard-won miles
Have worn my stumbling feet:
Oh, soothe me with thy smiles,
And make my life complete.
The thorns were thick and keen
Where’er I trembling trod;
The way was long between
My wounded feet and God.
Where healing waters flow
Do thou my footsteps lead.
My heart is aching so;
Thy gracious balm I need.
–Paul Dunbar (1872-1906), Son of ex-slaves, first African-American to gain widespread fame as a poet
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