The Image

Aronofsky’s movie Noah attracted a lot of attention and comment when it first came out. It seems like he initially did a great job getting Christians on side only to disappoint them when the movie came out. There was one thing that he got right, in the biblical picture of the time of Noah, the world was filled with nasty people.

In Gen 9:6 we read God’s commandment not to shed human blood. The reason given is that people are made in God’s image. There is something of value in people because they are made in God’s image. This passage is after the flood and it says that God’s image is still in all people – even after the world was filled violent nasty people. In other words, even in nasty violent people is the image of God. It carries on in people despite sin.

I sometimes go out to cafes or restaurants with friends to watch some sport. The last time I was out watching sports, there was some people who got passionate and hot tempered and acted in horribly offensive ways.

As I was leaving and thinking about those people and thinking about the movie Noah, I realised that I struggled to see something of God’s image in those people. I struggled to understand the value God puts on them. But I know he does, and I know that I need to respond to them with God’s love and compassion.

It also made me wonder at what other times if I fail to treat people as they deserved to be treated, not because of their actions, but because of the image of God in them. I wondered, what does it actually mean to me that other people have the image of God in them?

From http://ontoxenos.wordpress.com/2014/04/30/the-image/

Used with permission
 
Because we are in the image of God, it gives human life the value.. Otherwise there is no value for human life.. That is where evolution theory fails.. If we all evolved from simple molecules and atoms, at what point life gained value?

The life has value because of God and because we are in His image.. Back in India, we used to have Annual Day celebrations.. The top rankers of each class would receive prizes.. The prize would be very simple.. Like an certificate or some book.. We would have some special guest every year.. What makes that prize important is the giver.. Not the prize itself.. In isolation, it is just a book.. But it is special because of the person who gave it..

Same goes for our life.. It has value because of the Giver.. Because He breathed life into us, the life itself gets value..
 
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