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The Wired Word is not choosing a side here. The reviews are plentiful, and most Christian teens and adults are quite capable of reading what the Bible actually says about Noah (Genesis 6-9) and comparing it to what they see on the screen. In fact, we note with interest that Bible apps and online Bible sites are reporting a major increase in the number of users viewing the Genesis chapters about Noah. Bible Gateway, for example, reported a 223 percent increase in the reading of Genesis 6-9 after the film opened, when compared to the previous weekend.
The Wired Word has found two articles about the movie we recommend. One, from the evangelical Christian site Christianity Today (CT) (see first link below), gives a well-reasoned discussion about why you might want to see the movie. It also includes a helpful list of additional links about the movie in a "For Further Reading" section at the end of the article.
The other article TWW recommends is from the mainline Christian site Christian Century (CC) (link below), which is a Q&A with the movie's director Darren Aronofsky.
Both articles note that the movie provides opportunity to think about justice and mercy, both of which are strong biblical themes.
The CT piece says that the movie asks big questions, including "What is the place of justice and mercy in existence?" CT further comments that "Noah himself, plagued by an overdeveloped sense of justice that has not yet been tempered by mercy, slowly becomes more angry and violent as the movie progresses -- a reading that is not in the [biblical] text, but could be suggested by it."
In the CC interview, Aronofsky said, "We started to realize these big ideas about justice and mercy in the film. It started with Noah being called righteous in his generation, and we tried to figure out what that meant." He added, "What we've discovered is that people who are a lot smarter than us and who study theology talk about righteousness as having a balance of justice and mercy. As a parent, you understand that if you're too just, you can destroy your child with strictness, and if you're too merciful you can destroy them with leniency. Finding that balance makes you a great parent."
Aronofsky continued, "For us, since Noah is called righteous, we asked, 'OK, what is his balance of justice and mercy?' So at the beginning of the film, he clearly wants justice, very much like God. By the end, when the rainbow happens, he has learned mercy, forgiveness and grace."
More on this story can be found at these links:
Noah. Christianity Today
Q&A: 'Noah' Director Darren Aronofsky on Justice vs. Mercy. Christian Century
Five Negative Features About This Film. Christianity Today
Noah. The East Ohio Conference
Here's the Effect the Controversial 'Noah' Movie Is Having on Bible Sites. The Blaze
The Big Questions
1. What is the biblical meaning of justice? What is there in the story of Noah that demonstrates justice? Is it possible to believe, in the context of the story, that everyone outside of Noah and his family, deserved death? In orthodox Christianity, Noah and his family also deserved death -- as do we all -- and they eventually did suffer death. So, in Genesis, what is the difference between Noah (and his family) and all other people?
2. What is the biblical meaning of mercy? Where do you find mercy in the story of Noah? Is this mercy as you have experienced it? Is this mercy as others who have known you have experienced it from your hands?
3. What is the place of justice and mercy in human existence?
4. Do you agree that righteousness requires a balance of justice and mercy? Explain your answer. What is the problem of justice without mercy? What is the problem of mercy without justice? Who has the right to justly offer mercy? Where have you sought the balance point between justice and mercy? Why, in that case, did you have the right to enforce justice or offer mercy?
5. Do Christians "own the copyright" on the Noah story? If not, who does? If not, by what authority, if any, can we "pronounce" about the merits of this Hollywood rendition of the story? (Thanks for this question idea to Christians Don't Own the Copyright on Noah. Think Christian.) Given that some measure of adaptation is necessary in bringing any story, sacred or secular, to the big screen, what is the level of license that you think is appropriate in biblical movies?
Confronting the News With Scripture and Hope
Here are some Bible verses to guide your discussion:
Deuteronomy 24:17
You shall not deprive a resident alien or an orphan of justice; you shall not take a widow's garment in pledge. (For context, read 24:10-22.)
Leviticus 19:15
You shall not render an unjust judgment; you shall not be partial to the poor or defer to the great: with justice you shall judge your neighbor. (For context, read 19:1-18.)
Genesis 6:5
The LORDsaw that the wickedness of humankind was great in the earth, and that every inclination of the thoughts of their hearts was only evil continually. (For context, read 6:1-8.)
The Deuteronomy verse above is one of many Bible passages calling for justice in dealings with others. Some say one meaning of justice in the biblical sense is about right relationships, relationships that work. Conversely, injustice is about relationships that don't work. On the human-to-human level, the Bible shows this by its frequent demands for caring treatment of widows, orphans, immigrants and the poor. When these and other vulnerable people are left out of our care, that's the opposite of justice. Biblical justice occurs when they are included.
Note, though, that Leviticus 19:15 calls for impartially to all levels of society: "You shall not be partial to the poor or defer to the great."
The Bible also uses justice to speak of a right relationship with God. In the Noah story, there is injustice in that sense described in the Genesis verse above. While the word "justice" is not used in that verse, the "wickedness of humankind" is a fracturing of the right relationship with God, making it a relationship that doesn't work. We might say that this was the injustice that the flood was intended to wash away.
Questions: Where do you see yourself in a just relationship with others? In what ways do you see yourself in a just relationship with God? The Deuteronomy text singles out two constituencies that, in many ancient societies, had few or no rights: aliens and children. Which constituencies are most vulnerable in our society? Are their rights protected? Is too much favoritism shown to them in some cases? What are you and your church doing to ensure justice and fairness concerning such constituencies?
Luke 6:36
Be merciful, just as your Father is merciful. (For context, read 6:32-36.)
Genesis 9:9-11
[God said,] "As for me, I am establishing my covenant with you and your descendants after you, and with every living creature that is with you, the birds, the domestic animals, and every animal of the earth with you, as many as came out of the ark. I establish my covenant with you, that never again shall all flesh be cut off by the waters of a flood, and never again shall there be a flood to destroy the earth." (For context, read 9:8-17.)
The Bible often uses the word "mercy" similarly to how it's used in our culture today: compassion or forgiveness extended to someone whom it is within one's power to punish or harm. In the Luke verse above, Jesus says mercy is both a characteristic of God and something that his followers should practice, even to the degree that God does.
Questions: Was God's decision to spare Noah and his family an act of mercy? Explain your answer. Do you consider Genesis 9:9-11, quoted above, an example of God's mercy? Why or why not?
Micah 6:8 (NIV)
He has shown you, O mortal, what is good. And what does the LORD require of you? To act justly and to love mercy and to walk humbly with your God. (For context, read 6:6-8.)
Matthew 23:23-24
Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you tithe mint, dill, and cummin, and have neglected the weightier matters of the law: justice and mercy and faith. It is these you ought to have practiced without neglecting the others. You blind guides! You strain out a gnat but swallow a camel! (For context, read 23:11-28.)
Here, from the prophet Micah, is the statement that God requires of us both justice and mercy, as well as walking humbly with God. In the Matthew verses, Jesus describes both justice and mercy, along with faith, as "the weightier matters of the law."
Jesus' words were aimed at religious leaders who behaved hypocritically. His words are so harsh that we may assume that these leaders deliberately said one thing while doing another -- that they were intentionally deceptive. Perhaps they began fully intending to honor God with their lives, but lost their way in over-attention to easily measured acts of piety, thus neglecting "the weightier matters of the law."
Questions: Besides justice, mercy and faith, are there any other things you would include as weightier matters of God's law? How can we live a holy life while avoiding straining out a gnat but swallowing a camel? Where do you need to do a better job of practicing the justice of right relationships? Where do you need to be more merciful?
For Further Discussion
1. Comment on the following: The CT article describes Noah as "a solid adaptation" and compares it to the Jewish tradition of "midrash," which the article's author explains as "filling in a story with details from your imagination -- staying true to the source where is says something, while imagining what's between the lines."
One TWW team member comments, "When a movie is adapted from a novel, biography or history, we know that some adaptation is necessary because of the medium, but I'm not sure how much slack we give people when it comes to adapting the Bible. It has to conform to our own personal interpretation or we're outraged. But that's exactly what we do from the pulpit every week!"
2. Comment on this, from the CC Aronofsky Q&A: "[In making the movie, we] were trying to dramatize the decision God must have made when he decided to destroy all of humanity. At the beginning of the Noah story, everything is wicked and God wants to start over. The pain of that, the struggle of that, must have been immense. To basically go from creating this beautiful thing to watching it fall apart, and then doing this horrible thing where you have to try and start again."
3. Respond to this criticism from reviewer Bob Rice: "But the biggest problem for me was the lack of God's mercy. God was vengeful, not loving. One could argue this was part of the biblical story: didn't he wipe out almost all of humanity? Well, 'almost' is the key word here. In a world that had completely rebelled against God (say that again with a deep, movie trailer voice), he was willing to not give up on humanity in spite of their sin. He caused the flood and saved Noah and his family to establish a covenant of peace (symbolized by the rainbow). That's the key element of the story, and that was completely missing here."
4. Respond to this, from Aronofsky: "As a parent, you understand that if you're too just, you can destroy your child with strictness, and if you're too merciful you can destroy them with leniency. Finding that balance makes you a great parent."
5. Are you one that finds hope in the actual story of Noah? How have you responded to this story as a child, a teen, an adult?
Responding to the News
This is a good time to consider doing a Bible study or sermon on the story of Noah and the flood.
Closing Prayer
Help us, O Lord, to be both just and merciful, in the right balance, in our dealings with others. In Jesus' name. Amen.
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