Both
Jesus and John Snow are peacemakers. Wait, what? I’m sure you’re thinking John
has been fighting the entire series, but let’s look just below the surface by
studying scripture and looking for John Snows motivations.
In
Mark 9:38-40 Jesus’ disciples come and tell of something they’ve witnessed...
38 John said to Him, “Teacher, we saw someone driving
out demons in Your name, and we tried to stop him because he wasn’t following
us.”
39 “Don’t stop him,” said Jesus, “because there is no
one who will perform a miracle in My name who can soon afterward speak evil of
Me.
40 For whoever is not against us is for us.
Jesus
makes it very clear to his disciples that the goal is not to be the gatekeepers
of power. The purpose in the power of Jesus name is to bring glory to God. In
the simple act of speaking Christ’s name, the unnamed person was living out the
will of God.
Earlier
in the sermon on the mount Christ told us that he didn’t come to create an “us”
vs “them” Kingdom. John R.W. Stott, says...
“The Sermon on the Mount is probably the best-known
part of the teaching of Jesus, though arguably it is the least understood, and
certainly it is the least obeyed” (The Message of the Sermon on the Mount,
1973, p. 15).
Christ
says in Matthew 5:19 “Blessed are the peacemakers for they will be called
children of God”. Later in the same chapter Christ continues…
43 “You have heard that it was said, Love your
neighbor and hate your enemy.
44 But I tell you, love your enemies and pray for
those who persecute you,
45 so that you may be sons of your Father in heaven. For He causes His sun to
rise on the evil and the good, and sends rain on the righteous and the
unrighteous.
Jon
Snow is a man of many titles; the Bastard of Winterfell, the Defender of the
Wall and Bane to the Dead. The White Wolf; The Reborn. Protector of the Realm;
Lord of the Eight Kingdoms; the Great Uniter and Savior of Westeros; Chosen
King of the Andals, Rhoynar, First Men, and Free Folk, Aegon, of Houses
Targaryen and Stark, Sixth of His Name, The Promised Prince, Son of Fire, and
Warrior of Light.”
-
credit to john_doe11 from Reddit for compiling the list. -
The
title that interests me most though is “The Great Uniter”.
Jesus spoke brilliantly when he said simply, “Love your enemies”. With those
three words he calls us to do something incredible profound. To call someone
your enemy is a very serious accusation. Several things happen immediately. You
assume their decisions are made with a hatred in their heart (btw this is
called false moral equivalence). Enemies become monstrous non-persons, and when
you’re fighting monsters, you can destroy them with no moral hesitation.
The
other side of the coin is this, in calling someone your enemy you acknowledge
and accept the title of enemy for yourself. In nearly every conflict, both
sides see themselves as the righteous party. I’m not trying to get political,
but I want to really drive this point home. Americans view Iran as enemies. I’m
not defending or condoning anything Iran has done to women, religious
minorities or the poor. But did you know the U.S. oversaw a coup d’etat in 1951
against a democratically elected Prime Minister in Iran to strengthen the
oppressive Monarchy that is currently in power? How do you think Iranians view
America? Do you see how in treating Iran as an enemy of the U.S., we have to
owned the title of “enemy” for ourselves?
Back to the show… In “Game of Thrones” each person fighting for the throne
believes they are the rightful heir or best candidate for the throne. We’ve
seen over the course of seven seasons that each contender has a “right” to the
throne.
The
difference between the other contenders and John Snow, is that Snow doesn’t
have any living enemies. It’s not that he doesn’t fight when it’s necessary.
It’s not that he doesn’t have people who would call Snow their enemy, it’s that
Snow wouldn’t call them “his” enemy. I
think that Snow would have as readily called for a truce at the “Battle of the
Bastards” as to have fought it. Snow would much rather have joined forces, even
with the terrible Ramsay Bolton against the true enemy in the north. John
recognizes that the battle isn’t against the other houses, but against the dark
rulers intent on destroying humanity.
The
Bible says in Ephesians 6:12 “For our struggle is not against flesh and blood,
but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this
dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms.”
When
you accept the humanity of your “enemies” you can move towards peace and focus
on the battles that matter.
I
believe, in the end, that John Snow will unite the houses and defeat the Night
King. John Snow will unite the living to fight the dead not because of his
divine right to the throne, but because he refuses to call the living his
enemy. I think that’s what's happening in Romans when the writer says “every
knee will bow and tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord”. It won’t be a
conquering King we’ll be bowing before, it’ll be savior and uniter of mankind.
Christ has called us friends and brothers even though he carried our sins to
the cross.
I
think we can live with the same victory in our own lives. When we refuse to
call others “enemy” and choose to forgive those who’ve wronged or hurt us,
something truly beautiful happens. We begin to experience deep peace. A peace
that surpasses understanding and helps us rise above the pettiness of this
world. I wouldn’t make such a bold claim if I hadn’t already experienced this
peace for myself. For the past 2 years I have struggled with genuine hate for a
person who hurt someone very close to me. I’ve had flashes of fury when I’ve
heard his name and lost sleep thinking about him. It wasn’t until a realized my
anger was only hurting me that I could let go. I stopped viewing him as an
enemy and instead started to see him as a flawed human. Now when he comes to
mind I simply feel sorry for him and genuinely pray for his salvation. I won’t
ever condone or accept that what he did was right or even understandable, but
in forgiving this person I have finally found peace.
Christ
has called us to be peacemakers. We won’t ever unite a kingdom against ice
zombies but through Christ we can have peace in our lives. What change would
happen to us, and the world around us, if we learned to “love our enemies” as
Christ has commanded?
Grace, peace, and may the force be with you,
