The other night I was able to venture to the theater to go see the new movie “12 Years a Slave,” directed by Steve McQueen. This is McQueen’s third film and follows his most controversial film “Shame” which is about a man who is a sex addict. McQueen’s films have often been described as photographs that are strung together. This meaning, that you could take one shot from his movie, put it in a picture frame, and people would comment on how beautiful the picture is.
In his new film “12 Years a Slave” he takes on the task of showing us the journey of Solomon Northup, a free black man in the mid 1800’s who is taken captive and thrown into slavery. McQueen co-wrote the screenplay with John Ridley who adapted it from Northup’s autobiography that was written in 1853. He uses his technique of picture taking to convey this powerful story through dynamic pictures that show the horror of slavery.
Throughout the film we see this crushing journey of a man who lives an honest life, working various jobs here and there to provide for his family. He is a great violinist who is asked to travel for a job to Washington D.C. which ends up being a trick, as he is drugged, and sold into the slave trade. The movie chronicles Northup’s life as he is taken from Washington D.C. by ferry down to Louisiana and sold to slave owner William Ford.
In one of the most soul crushing scenes in the movie we see a slave trader played by Paul Giamatti, present his slaves as merchandise for the slave owners. Giamatti shows off the muscles on the young men, and commands one young child to perform for the slave owners to show how great of a steal they could get by purchasing him.
As the movie progresses we see Solomon move from a confident free man to a man that is trapped, scared, and unsure if it is better to live or to die. He stands out from the other slaves as he tries to excel at his work but he soon finds out that standing out to the slave owners is not a good thing and only leads to more punishment and abuse for thinking he is better than them. Solomon has to face fierce wicked men who degrade him and tell him he is no man but a mere beast born to work for them.
Just as “12 Years a Slave” portrays a man who is tricked and delivered over to slavery we see a similar picture in the Bible.
In Genesis 37 we meet one of the sons of Israel by the name of Joseph. Joseph like Solomon Northup was a man that stood out from others. He excelled at what he did and found favor in the eyes of his father. He is elevated above his brothers as his father gives him an expensive coat of color, usually given to the first born not the baby of the family. Then Joseph begins to tell his brothers about dreams he is having that they will one day bow down to him. These stories eventually bring his brothers to fierce anger and they rise up and plot against him. Throwing him in an empty pit and stripping him of his coat his brothers decide to sell him into slavery for twenty shekels of silver.
From this point on Joseph starts a journey from being a prominent member of his father’s household to the lowest position in society as he is sold in the slave market. Joseph then is bought by Pharaoh’s chief of security, Potiphar. From the life of Joseph we see him excel and stand out from the other slaves but being brought into a prominent position only brings to a further down fall. His Master’s wife tries to make a move on him and as he avoids her, she puts the blame on him and he is cast into prison.
In prison Joseph is left alone and faces the darkness, hurt, and humility of being a slave in prison.
At this point in Joseph’s life he is about 28 years old and has been a slave for around 11 years.
As I watched “12 Years a Slave” I was brought to tears to see a man who was drugged, sold, and imprisoned as a slave all because of his skin color. As the movie portrays the real darkness of man’s sin, Solomon is faced with the decision of showing how educated he is or to hide it so he isn’t punished for being smart. Throughout the movie we see Solomon have to make hard decisions each day on how and when he can stand up for the injustice around him, which ends up only hurting him further.
We see similarities in the life of Joseph, a man who is tricked, sold, and imprisoned as a slave. One who has to face decisions each day on if he should stand out from the other slaves or if he should just get lost in the fold. God eventually brings him to Pharaoh’s attention and we see the rise of Joseph from a slave prisoner to Pharaoh’s right hand man.
Solomon Northup faced years of abuse and wrongful imprisonment. I won’t spoil his story for you but at times it is easy to think we are over our problems from the past. It is easy to think that since slavery is abolished and black men and women are free that these problems no longer exist in our society. But from the life of Joseph to Solomon Northup to our current time we see that the sin of jealousy, anger, and hate will never leave this present world. This world will be filled with people who feel anger and hatred towards others, maybe because they think a certain person acts as if they are better than them, maybe because they think a certain person should not be allowed their same freedom because of their skin color. Maybe because they think a certain person is a terrorist just because of the way they look. Maybe because they think that a certain person is on their turf, or part of another gang. It will happen for different reasons but we can’t live in a naïve state where we think sin doesn’t thrive. People feel evil, wicked, hatred that causes them to act in sinful, unjustly ways.
When I watch a movie like “12 Years a Slave” or when I read Joseph’s story I weep. I weep because I yearn and hope for a time when this hatred, this sick sin, will no longer thrive. I cry out for the return of Christ.
Hebrews 1:8-9 describes how Christ will reign saying, “But of the Son he says, ‘Your throne, O God, is forever and ever, the scepter of uprightness is the scepter of your kingdom. You have loved righteousness and hated wickedness.’” (ESV)
When Christ returns the world will see his scepter of uprightness as wickedness will perish and righteousness will reign.
I can’t wait for the return of King Jesus when his reign will fill this world. I can’t wait for evil to be punished and righteousness to reign. I see the evil in our world and I do the one thing I know I can do, I worship Jesus, I seek His Face, and cry out to Him asking for his name to be praised and for his love to be spread across my neighborhood, my city, my country, across His world.
