Christ in Harry Potter - 7.29.10 1720

"It was, he thought, the difference between being dragged into the arena to face a battle to the death and walking into the arena with your head held high." -Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince

There is a page and a half in this book that caused me to elevate the entire series as one of the best ever written. It has such remarkable implications on the sacrifice of Christ that I can almost picture the Garden of Gethsemane and Jesus' struggling prayer of anguish. There are, of course, massive differences between the two and I'm positive J.K. Rowling did not have Christ in mind with this scene, but if Jesus ever - at any time - felt like he was being pressured, forced, or manipulated into the cross, this is the scene that would have played out.

I could literally break this scene into three or four separate blogs, but I will keep it short by singling out some things.

Harry is struggling with the concept that it is because of the prophecy that he must try and kill Voldemort, almost that he is fated and being pushed into the arena. Dumbledore, agitated, stresses that Harry going to battle has nothing to do with the prophecy, that yes, Harry must fight, but not because of the prophecy. It's because Harry himself has it in his nature and attitude to not stop until Voldemort is destroyed. And one of the things that not only drives him to this ambition but also protects him from being overtaken is Love.

He cannot become a dark follower because his love keeps him from doing it. He must carry the battle to it's natural conclusion because love drives him to stop at nothing. Indeed, Harry's unstoppable desire to crush this evil stems from a power that Harry has and Voldemort doesn't...Love.

This is Christ.

The thing that caused Jesus to say, "Not my will, but yours be done," is love. Love for us, love for God, love to see evil vanquished.

The nature of Christ led him to battle, to see the victory won at any cost. And when he desired the "cup to pass" from him, it was his love that saw him through.

It was not because God foreordained it to be. It was because love would have it no other way.

Christ went to the cross willingly, head held high in victory, to give his life as a ransom for many.

Thank him everyday for it.