Executing Order 66 and Taking the High Ground

Obi Wan Kenobi takes the high ground against Darth Vadar in Revenge of the Sith

"Execute Order 66."

With these three words, Supreme Chancellor Palpatine gives the order identifying the Jedi as traitors against the Grand Republic and directing the clone soldiers of the Grand Republic to execute all Jedi. This was the secret and insidious means for the Sith to bring an end to the Jedi Order.

If you know, you know. If you don't know, this refers to the Star Wars movie saga, specifically Revenge of the Sith. Depending on how you prefer to view the multi-episodic film series, this either is the third movie (if you watch by chronological order) or sixth (if you watch by release date).

Hang in here, even if you are not a Star Wars fan. After a recent viewing marathon of the first three movies (in chronological order, naturally), there are strong images of spiritual life and death in episode six. At one point, it was as if the scenes in the Garden of Eden, the desert of Jesus's temptation, and the Garden of Gethsemane were in view.

But back to the movie - for now.

When Order 66 is executed, the clone army - which has been fighting with the Jedi - immediately turn and begin fighting against them to their destruction. At the same time, Supreme Chancellor Palpatine revealed his identity as a Sith Lord, Darth Sidious - to young Jedi Padawan Anakin Skywalker.

Anakin Skywalker is a strong Jedi, with a good command of the Force. Anakin also has a great deal of fear and anger. Anakin's Jedi master, Obi Wan Kenobi, has worked with Anakin from his childhood, encouraging him to let go of his fear and anger and to learn to listen to the Force. The problem is that Anakin lost his mother to kidnapping marauders, which he saw in a dream. He cannot get past this. He falls in love with Senator Padme, they eventually marry and conceive twins, but Anakin dreams he will lose Padme to death during childbirth.

Anakin's fear of losing his beloved Padme is the opening through which Lord Sidious enters to lure Anakin to the Dark Side of the Force. Sidious successfully convinces Anakin that the Jedi are the deceitful, dangerous Force, and together they must defeat the Jedi, place the Sith in charge, and bring peace back to the system.

Throughout this storyline, there are overtones of how the enemy of truth and light will twist truth and cast shadows against those who reflect the light. And as much as Anakin is the tool of the Sith, the enemy - Satan - will attempt to use unwitting and unaware people as his tools in his (useless) fight against Jesus and His Kingdom.

When Darth Sidious speaks with Anakin about how the Jedi Council is keeping Anakin in the dark and not trusting him fully, there is the sound of the enemy in Eden talking with Eve.

Genesis 3:1-7, NLT

"The serpent was the shrewdest of all the wild animals the LORD God had made. One day he asked the woman, "Did God really say you must not eat the fruit from any of the trees in the garden?" "Of course we may eat fruit from the trees in the garden," the woman replied. "It's only the fruit from the tree in the middle of the garden that we are not allowed to eat. God said, 'You must not eat it or even touch it; if you do, you will die.'"

"You won't die!" the serpent replied to the woman. "God knows that your eyes will be opened as soon as you eat it, and you will be like God, knowing both good and evil."

"The woman was convinced. She saw that the tree was beautiful and its fruit looked delicious, and she wanted the wisdom it would give her. So she took some of the fruit and ate it. Then she gave some to her husband, who was with her, and he ate it, too. At that moment their eyes were opened, and they suddenly felt shame at their nakedness. So they sewed fig leaves together to cover themselves."

When Darth Sidious promises to help Anakin save Padme's life in exchange for his support, there is the sound of the enemy in the desert talking with Jesus.

Matthew 4:1-11, NLT

"Then Jesus was led by the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted there by the devil. For forty days and forty nights he fasted and became very hungry."

"During that time the devil came and said to him, "If you are the Son of God, tell these stones to become loaves of bread." But Jesus told him, "No! The Scriptures say, 'People do not live by bread alone, but by every word that comes from the mouth of God.'"

"Then the devil took him to the holy city, Jerusalem, to the highest point of the Temple, and said, "If you are the Son of God, jump off! For the Scriptures say, 'He will order his angels to protect you. And they will hold you up with their hands so you won't even hurt your foot on a stone.' " Jesus responded, "The Scriptures also say, 'You must not test the LORD your God.'"

"Next the devil took him to the peak of a very high mountain and showed him all the kingdoms of the world and their glory. "I will give it all to you," he said, "if you will kneel down and worship me." "Get out of here, Satan," Jesus told him. "For the Scriptures say, 'You must worship the LORD your God and serve only him.'"

"Then the devil went away, and angels came and took care of Jesus."

When Anakin kneels and pledges to follow the teachings of Darth Sidious and the Sith, it isn't difficult to imagine the weight of the burden of love that Jesus carried for us as He faced the cross. This is, admittedly poorly, illustrated in the length Anakin will go to in order to save Padme's life. Imagine Jesus struggling the Garden as He prayed, knowing that the time of His crucifixion had come.

Luke 22:39-46, NLT

"Then, accompanied by the disciples, Jesus left the upstairs room and went as usual to the Mount of Olives. There he told them, "Pray that you will not give in to temptation."

"He walked away, about a stone's throw, and knelt down and prayed, "Father, if you are willing, please take this cup of suffering away from me. Yet I want your will to be done, not mine." Then an angel from heaven appeared and strengthened him. He prayed more fervently, and he was in such agony of spirit that his sweat fell to the ground like great drops of blood."

"At last he stood up again and returned to the disciples, only to find them asleep, exhausted from grief. "Why are you sleeping?" he asked them. "Get up and pray, so that you will not give in to temptation."

The enemy is not mentioned in the gospel account of Jesus praying in the garden before going to the cross. But it is not difficult to imagine a spiritual struggle as Jesus grappled with all that crucifixion meant. But his love for His father and for us, and His desire to be obedient to his mission to rescue us from sin and death, led Jesus to pray that He wanted God's will to be done and none other.

Anakin's eventual sell-out to the dark side leads him to slaughter Jedi friends, even the "younglings" or the children who are training to be Jedi. In a not-so-surprising turn of events, when Padme comes looking for Anakin with Obi Wan Kenobi, Anakin becomes so enraged that he nearly kills Padme.

This is where the spiritual overtones jumped off the screen.

Anakin exemplifies what scripture says happens when we give in to the enemy and live life according to his principles.

John 8:44, NLT

"For you are the children of your father the devil, and you love to do the evil things he does. He was a murderer from the beginning. He has always hated the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he lies, it is consistent with his character; for he is a liar and the father of lies."

Galatians 5:19-21, NLT

"When you follow the desires of your sinful nature, the results are very clear: sexual immorality, impurity, lustful pleasures, idolatry, sorcery, hostility, quarreling, jealousy, outbursts of anger, selfish ambition, dissension, division, envy, drunkenness, wild parties, and other sins like these. Let me tell you again, as I have before, that anyone living that sort of life will not inherit the Kingdom of God."

There is a scene in the movie where Anakin and Obi Wan are locked in battle. Anakin, in his rage, wants to destroy Obi Wan. For his part, Obi Wan loves Anakin like a brother, but knows that his path will only lead to destruction for him and for any who follow him.

The two are battling against a backdrop of burning rock, their lightsabers glowing blue in battle. At one point, Obi Wan jumps to a higher ground, turns to Anakin saying that Anakin should be careful because "I have the high ground." Tactically, Obi Wan has an advantage because he is on solid ground situated higher than Anakin.

But there is also spiritual truth in this. When one walks with Jesus, in His truth and light, that person has the spiritual higher ground. For those who walk with Jesus, in His ways, have His presence and power.

Ephesians 1:19-23, NLT

"I also pray that you will understand the incredible greatness of God's power for us who believe him. This is the same mighty power that raised Christ from the dead and seated him in the place of honor at God's right hand in the heavenly realms. Now he is far above any ruler or authority or power or leader or anything else-not only in this world but also in the world to come. God has put all things under the authority of Christ and has made him head over all things for the benefit of the church. And the church is his body; it is made full and complete by Christ, who fills all things everywhere with himself."

2 Timothy 1:7-10, NLT

"For God has not given us a spirit of fear and timidity, but of power, love, and self-discipline. So never be ashamed to tell others about our Lord. And don't be ashamed of me, either, even though I'm in prison for him. With the strength God gives you, be ready to suffer with me for the sake of the Good News. For God saved us and called us to live a holy life. He did this, not because we deserved it, but because that was his plan from before the beginning of time-to show us his grace through Christ Jesus. And now he has made all of this plain to us by the appearing of Christ Jesus, our Savior. He broke the power of death and illuminated the way to life and immortality through the Good News."

And as viewers of Revenge of the Sith watch as Anakin transforms into Darth Vadar and bears fruit in keeping with the spirit of darkness within him, scripture show us the fruit that we as followers of Jesus bear in keeping in His spirit within us.

Galatians 5:16-18, 22-26, NLT

"So I say, let the Holy Spirit guide your lives. Then you won't be doing what your sinful nature craves. The sinful nature wants to do evil, which is just the opposite of what the Spirit wants. And the Spirit gives us desires that are the opposite of what the sinful nature desires. These two forces are constantly fighting each other, so you are not free to carry out your good intentions. But when you are directed by the Spirit, you are not under obligation to the law of Moses ... "

"But the Holy Spirit produces this kind of fruit in our lives: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. There is no law against these things! Those who belong to Christ Jesus have nailed the passions and desires of their sinful nature to his cross and crucified them there. Since we are living by the Spirit, let us follow the Spirit's leading in every part of our lives. Let us not become conceited, or provoke one another, or be jealous of one another."

And the Lord has given us weapons - better than any lightsaber (although those are cool) - with which to fight our spiritual battles. This is the way we battle when the enemy attempts his own Order 66 against us.

Ephesians 6:10-18, NLT

"A final word: Be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power. Put on all of God's armor so that you will be able to stand firm against all strategies of the devil. For we are not fighting against flesh-and-blood enemies, but against evil rulers and authorities of the unseen world, against mighty powers in this dark world, and against evil spirits in the heavenly places."

"Therefore, put on every piece of God's armor so you will be able to resist the enemy in the time of evil. Then after the battle you will still be standing firm. Stand your ground, putting on the belt of truth and the body armor of God's righteousness. For shoes, put on the peace that comes from the Good News so that you will be fully prepared. In addition to all of these, hold up the shield of faith to stop the fiery arrows of the devil. Put on salvation as your helmet, and take the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God.

"Pray in the Spirit at all times and on every occasion. Stay alert and be persistent in your prayers for all believers everywhere."

At the end of their battle, Obi Wan takes victory. Anakin is left for dead, burning in agony. In the moment, his pledge to the enemy of the Jedi led him to nothing. No Padme. No love. No peace. The loss of all he had spent his life working for.

This, too, was a reminder of a spiritual truth. The enemy makes us all kinds of promises, but the only thing he can deliver is death and separation from Jesus, our Lord.

Matthew 25:41-46, NLT

"Then the King will turn to those on the left and say, 'Away with you, you cursed ones, into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his demons. For I was hungry, and you didn't feed me. I was thirsty, and you didn't give me a drink. I was a stranger, and you didn't invite me into your home. I was naked, and you didn't give me clothing. I was sick and in prison, and you didn't visit me.' "Then they will reply, 'Lord, when did we ever see you hungry or thirsty or a stranger or naked or sick or in prison, and not help you?' "And he will answer, 'I tell you the truth, when you refused to help the least of these my brothers and sisters, you were refusing to help me.' "And they will go away into eternal punishment, but the righteous will go into eternal life."

When we choose sides, may we choose rightly and wisely - and may we stand firm with Jesus.