The Good, the Bad and the Ugly
This last week lots of us have been having a fabulous time at the Wild, Wild West Holiday Club. It probably didn’t look much like the wild, wild west but we did have some excellent teepees and lots of cactuses (or should that be cacti?) One of the most famous westerns, and some would say the best western ever, is The Good, the Bad and the Ugly. By some accounts Sergio Leone, the Italian director, was aiming for more than just a film; he intended his film to symbolise the battle between good and evil for the soul of humanity. Tuco (The Ugly) represents humanity – greedy, selfish and made “ugly” by sin. Blondie (The Good) frequently rescues Tuco from bounty hunters and from death, in spite of the fact that Tuco makes several attempts to kill Blondie. Both meanwhile are in the sights of Angel Eyes, a murderous thug. Towards the end of the film there is a shootout between Blondie and Angel Eyes while Tuco looks on. Blondie wins, rescuing Tuco again, and the two find and divide the treasure they’ve all been looking for.
We have been looking at the true story behind this all week. People really are made Ugly by sin, and we cannot be friends with God; instead we deserve the penalty of death. But John 3:16 tells us that “God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son that whoever believes in him shall not die but have eternal life.” This means that God loved people so much that he sent his Son, Jesus, who is the only person ever to be truly Good. He lived perfectly on earth, always loving God his Father and other people. When he died on the cross he defeated the Devil (Bad!) and death itself, thereby rescuing us from sin and death so that we can really live with God, enjoying all the good things he has made. This offer of life is free for all of us!