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I see Dead People

by James Sparrow  
2/07/2014 / Salvation

'For you died, and your life is now hidden with Christ in God.' (Colossians 3:3).


In August of 1999, Spyglass entertainment released a movie staring Bruce Willis and Haley Joel Osment called, 'The Sixth Sense'. This world wide blockbuster, told the story of Cole Steer, a young boy played by Osment, who has the somewhat unlikely ability to see dead people. He sees them everywhere, in all manner of bloody and grotesque conditions. The dead seem to be aware of his power and are drawn to him, desperate to find some peace from their deathly torment. Cole's unique and somewhat unenviable ability, has caused him, quite understandably, to become isolated and disturbed. Bruce Willis' character, Dr Malcolm Crowe, is the Psychologist who seeks to help the boy, which culminates in the Dr coming to see that Cole's abilities are actually real! Crowe is then able to get Cole to see that he can use his gift to help the dead settle their unfinished business here in this world, ultimately releasing them to find peace in the next. It is a very moving and quite beautiful film, as the relationship that Crowe and Cole strike up, also allows the Dr to mend the issues that are dramatically affecting his own marriage. The film went on to be nominated for 6 academy awards, including best picture. However and before I say anymore:

BEWARE SPOILER ALERT!!!!

The film ends on a mind bending twist! As in the final sequence of the film, Bruce Willis' character realises that he is actually dead. He's been dead for the whole film. It's one of those world stopping moments that happens in films from time to time. Quite literally, it's like everything you thought you knew about life, the universe and everything just shatters and you're left feeling gutted like a fish. It's a film that you can only really ever watch once, although interestingly, when you watch it again, you notice little things all the way through that, once you're aware of what's going on, jump right out of the screen and scream, 'Look, he's dead'! It's truly amazing what you can see once you have the full revelation.

The point is that the Dr is dead, but he goes on about his business as though he's still alive. Trying to live by the world's rules, trying to achieve his own ends, but the truth, that he is so blissfully unaware of, is that he has no hope apart from the boy. It is the boy who has the ability to heal him of the pain and the unresolved issues that are beyond his control. It's only the boy who can give him the peace that he's supposed to have.

For the disciple of Christ, it's imperative that before anything else, they must understand that at the most foundational level, the gospel is not a message for the living it's a message for the dead. The gospel is not about about improving someones moral code through behavioural modification, it's about resurrection! The hope of the gospel is that the dead might find new life; not by being reanimated, but by being recreated. We don't just need a divine cure for the terminal disease called sin that we're all born with, we need God to save us from our dead state, by giving us new life. That's God's plan of salvation and that's exactly what He achieved through the life, death and resurrection of His Son, Jesus. As Paul writes in Colossians 2: 13, 'When you were dead in your sins and in the uncircumcision of your flesh, God made you alive with Christ'.

Praise God that, in Christ, we find life. Let us look continually to the one who sets us from the bondage of death and recreates us in the image of His son, our Saviour, Jesus, because it's only in Him, we find peace.

James Sparrow is an academic and Pastor. He is currently living with his wife, Jemima, in Essex (UK). He is currently work on a book on the subject of practical, biblically based discipleship

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