I love to watch old movies, and although certain stereotypes emerge in each
generation, some remain consistent. Good guys are always handsome, and attract
beautiful women. They are suave and sophisticated, and have a certain charisma
about them. Even the reformed bad guys like Simon Templar and Michael Lanyard,
aka the Saint and the Falcon respectively, show some class. And when it comes
to solving crime, they always outwit the police. In contrast the bad guys
always look like they haven't shaved, wear dark clothes with the hat pulled down
over their face-to deter the witnesses from recognizing them, never thinking
"it's the guy who needs a shave, in the dark suit with the hat pulled down low"
that describes them perfectly. Ah, Hollyweird, defining good and evil to a
movie goers world even then. And they should know the difference!
Good guys always drove coupes or convertibles, top down in winter even. It
seems good knows no temperature boundary, whereas the bad guys drove 4 to 6
huddled in a sedan, black, with windows down just enough to shoot their gat, or
their gun. And leaned far harder into corners than the good guys, to whom speed
always looked elegant. The rich always lived in huge mansions with servants,
and the good guys would enter through the front door, a butler announcing them.
and we never really knew how they made their riches, and many had names of
Colonel or General, but whose army may not be disclosed. Bad guys always had
secret back doors, above the gambling parlor they owned, and the thugs they
employed always came and left via it. And they didn't talk much, but grunted a
lot. No front door for these guys. It was always night time for them, and the
good guys always had daytime, and only in the creative mind, and susceptible
mind of the audience did it work. Somehow. Bad guys ate at roadhouses, good
guys ate at clubs. Low light versus bright lights. The last five minutes of the
film would introduce some previously unknown fact leading the good to victory,
and a long stretch in Sing Sing for the bad guys. Finally good guys had
sequels, bad guys got to watch them on movie night.
And in this clandestine world of secret doorways and passages, seductive
women of the night, and black sedans, their was always secret hiding places,
that only the good guy could find, even though the audience had figured them out
long ago. And a common theme was to hide money, guns, bonds, jewelry, or other
hot items or valuable in a hollowed out Bible. Good guys never hid things in
the Bible, and I don't get why it took them so long to find it. Ask yourself,
why did the crook have a Bible, other than to hide things? Oops, hope I haven't
given away the plot...yet.
I have heard stories of new cleaning women hiding the new clients Bible to
see if they missed it. Or how long it took to ask if they knew where it was. I
have been told that a worn out Bible is a sign of a life that isn't, and I must
agree with that. I even love to visit non-believers who have a large Bible on
the coffee table, sometimes still in plastic so it won't get old. For
decoration, nobody really reads them anyway. And at 20 pounds, it isn't truly
portable. But just look at the pictures inside, or at least on the cover-full
color. Inviting-but still unused. We're so religious.
Movie goers, do you like crime? The Bible is full of pillaging. Sex, from
Genesis to Revelation it's there. Really hard core, read the Song of Solomon,
blushingly. Marriage, divorce, war, crime, famine, illegitimate kids, and
family disputes-it's all there. So why don't you read it more? It has
something there to associate with for anyone and everyone? Nine foot tall
giants with twelve fingers, long before the Sci-fi craze in the fifties. So why
is it a place to hide things in instead of to be found in? What is your
excuse?
Among all the sin and crime, one person stands out in every chapter, Jesus
Christ. Prior to His birth in the New Testament, He is revealed via
Christophenies, or the appearance of Christ in other characters. From Joseph to
King David, He is everywhere. Everywhere except where He truly wants to be-in
your heart. And just like you have to open the book to read it, He must be
invited in, He won't barge into your life-sounds like a good guy to me. He will
always rescue you, and is always revealed in white. C'mon Hollyweird, what
other ideas did you scam from the Bible? Happy ending-read Revelation 22, we
win! Serials, read Job, it goes on and on. Inquiring minds should want to
know. Only here will they find the truth, truths no creativity could be
duplicated by a screen writer. Producer-who better than the creator of the
universe. Director-who better than God Himself to provide good direction.
Script-read His words and see if they don't make a difference. And so it
goes-it is all there-except for the reading.
So leave it to the bad guys, aka sinners to know where to hide a treasure,
but to God to reveal it to them. Maybe the treasure you seek is already in your
home, on your coffee table, just waiting to be unwrapped and read. Black cover,
good guys still read it. White cover, leaves more finger prints. If you're
caught, or if you're not, Jesus will always know. The original writer of why
crime doesn't pay, but also the original writer of forgiveness. Good or
evil-god promises redemption for all who seek Him. Made plain to everyone. In
the beginning...to the end.
Which leaves one last question, why are police cars black and white? And
you thought you had this life thing all figured out.
love with compassion,
Mike
matthew25biker.blogspot.com
