Growing up, some of my favourite sci-fi movies consisted of the original Star Wars trilogy. Wow! Such action, such drama! One of my favourite scenes is at the end of “The Empire Strikes Back,” when Darth Vader proclaims to Luke Skywalker: “I am your father!”
This movie franchise has it all including a well-developed religious plotline. As many know, Star Wars preaches a mysterious dark side versus its counterpart light side. It seems to borrow heavily from Christianity and ancient Judaism while mixing in some political Nazism.
A Chosen One
The part that resonates with me is the prophecy of the Chosen One:
“A Chosen One shall come, born of no father, and through him will ultimate balance in the Force be restored.”
―A Jedi prophecy
Most religions rely on a central figure who is either arbitrarily chosen or prophetically chosen. In any event, they are unique amongst their peers. Regarding the Chosen One of Star Wars, note the following from Fandom.com:
Though there was some debate that Anakin Skywalker’s son, Luke Skywalker, was actually the Chosen One since he caused his father to destroy Darth Sidious, the debate was settled when George Lucas himself confirmed in an interview that Anakin, even after becoming Darth Vader, was still officially the Chosen One and not Luke.
So, there you have it. According to the film’s creator, Darth Vader is the Chosen One. I am sure that is a relief to many. But beyond fictional characters, have there ever been real individuals who could bear the title “Chosen One”? You betcha!
THE CHOSEN ONE
In the Christian Bible, the main person of interest is, of course, Jesus Christ. The “Christ” or the “Messiah” as it is in Hebrew, refers to the “anointed One”. Jesus, the Son of God, additionally became the son of man at His incarnation. He was the One prophesied about throughout the Old Testament. In the New Testament, He is the One prophesied about to come again to rule this earth.
A chosen importance
That being duly noted, there are other chosen ones in the Bible. Some were ordained to lead the nation of Israel, some to be prophets, some to be disciples, apostles, and pastors, etc. However, there is one man other than Christ who is chosen by God to be of great importance to all mankind. His name originally was Abram and like most Chosen Ones, his name was later changed to Abraham.
Gen. 12:1 Now the LORD had said unto Abram, Get thee out of thy country, and from thy kindred, and from thy father’s house, unto a land that I will shew thee:
Gen. 12:2 And I will make of thee a great nation, and I will bless thee, and make thy name great; and thou shalt be a blessing:
Gen. 12:3 And I will bless them that bless thee, and curse him that curseth thee: and in thee shall all families of the earth be blessed.
A chosen name
God changes Abram’s name to Abraham
Gen. 17:1 And when Abram was ninety years old and nine, the LORD appeared to Abram, and said unto him, I am the Almighty God; walk before me, and be thou perfect.
Gen. 17:2 And I will make my covenant between me and thee, and will multiply thee exceedingly.
Gen. 17:3 And Abram fell on his face: and God talked with him, saying,
Gen. 17:4 As for me, behold, my covenant is with thee, and thou shalt be a father of many nations.
Gen. 17:5 Neither shall thy name any more be called Abram, but thy name shall be Abraham; for a father of many nations have I made thee.
Abraham was the first of the Hebrew patriarchs and a figure revered by the three great monotheistic religions—Judaism, Christianity, and Islam. But his importance as the Chosen One goes far beyond those three religions.
A chosen nation
Review Genesis 12:1-3 again to discover that Abraham is chosen to be the founder of a nation NOT a group of prominent religions. This fact is vital as it was through the nation of Israel (not the Jewish religion) that we received the Messiah (Jesus Christ).
Genesis 17:5 reemphasizes this at the changing of Abram’s name: “but thy name shall be Abraham; for a father of many nations have I made thee.”
A religion was not nailed to a cross for the full payment of man’s sin, a Person was! And this Person’s nationality was Jewish (both biological mother and legal stepfather). This Person of course is Jesus.
All nations are blessed through Abraham because Jesus (who came through the Jews) died for all nations and offers His salvation freely to any individual of any nationality who will receive Him.
Without Abraham, we would not have the Jews, and without the Jews, we would not have Jesus to die as the perfect man and substitute for our sins. Additionally, without the Jews, we would not have Moses and the prophets to tell us about God’s gift of His Son. Finally, without the Jews, we would not have the original disciples and apostles to jump start the church which is the foundation for evangelism around the globe.
So what?
You see, Abraham, the Chosen One, is vital! He is not vital to an ancient religion or Nazi-type regime like our fictitious Darth Vader; He is vital to eternal life for millions of real-life people of every nationality.
After God separated mankind into nations by confounding the languages, He chose one man to form a new nation, a peculiar nation that would bless the other nations created at Babel. Man’s CONFUSION in Genesis 11 is remedied by God’s CHOSEN man in Genesis 12.
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Regards,
Mike MacDonald
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About Mike MacDonald:
As an ordained theologian, Mike has served in many gospel ventures.
He has been a church pastor, chaplain, seminary vice-president,
Christian school principal, and creation evangelist. These roles have
built up an expertise in Mike’s ability to help people discover the true
essence of the Bible and how to make it apply in everyday life.