I Am One with the Force, the Force Is with Me
WARNING: MAJOR SPOILERS AHEAD!
I’ve been a big fan of Star Wars for as long as I can remember. My older brother Philip was a true 80’s kid, so Star Wars, Super Nintendo, and Saved by the Bell were some of the deep impartations I received as a kid. And when he took me to see Revenge of the Sith in theaters for my birthday one year, I was instantly hooked. Since then, the Star Wars series has been close to my heart, but it wasn’t until I got older that I began to notice some powerful truths at work in some of the franchise’s most beloved installments. The newest addition to the Star Wars cinema family, Rogue One, is no exception.
Rogue One is a standout amongst the other Star Wars films for many reasons, but what I love most about this movie is that faith takes a principal role in telling the story. A band of strangers turned allies giving their own lives for the hope of triumph against great evil is a story that just simply wouldn’t be possible without divine intervention. In fact, when the group known as “Rogue One” is continually faced with great odds they continue fighting, relying on the “hope” or faith that their actions won’t be in vain. But one unlikely character by the name of Chirrut Imwe takes his faith in “the Force” beyond wishful thinking and into a tangible reality that propels his friends and fellow soldiers to an improbable victory.
Chirrut Imwe and “the Force”
Legendary jedi Obi-Wan Kenobi describes the Force as “an energy field created by all living things. It surrounds us and penetrates us; it binds the galaxy together.” Throughout the Star Wars movies, the Force is seen as a guide out of difficult circumstances and a source of power that can be used in battle. It can also be found imbued within ancient rock formations called Kyber crystals. Eventually, guardians rose up to protect the power found within those crystals.
Chirrut Imwe is one of those guardians, but he’s not exactly what you might expect from a guardian protecting an ancient power; he is completely blind. We first meet him when the two principle characters of the film, Jyn Erso and Cassian Andor, journey to the Holy City of Jedha in search of a mercenary named Saw Gerrera. At first, he seems like a blind and lowly beggar, talking nonsense about the Force and kyber crystals found in stars. But soon after he joins the rebel cause, Chirrut’s unwavering faith in the Force proves to be a guiding light for him and the entire rebellion, uniting them in hope and ultimately saving the galaxy.
Faith Sees the Unseen
Chirrut uses a staff to feel for his surroundings, but it soon becomes evident that he can see more clearly than anyone in the film. In fact, Chirrut is often seen taking on large groups of enemies singlehandedly, and winning. In one of his earliest scenes, Chirrut steps out in faith to protect his friends from imperial forces. With his staff outstretched before him, he walks into a lion’s den of Stormtroopers with rifles trained for the kill. The Stormtroopers engage, failing to recognize that this unlikely warrior walks with a higher power.
But it isn’t just his acute awareness in battle that sets Chirrut apart from his naturally sighted counterparts. In a quest to gain an audience with the mercenary Saw Gerrera, Chirrut and his friends are captured and imprisoned. While the rest of the group analyzes how to achieve their escape, Chirrut is shown sitting and repeating his familiar mantra, “I’m one with the Force, the Force is with me.” Unsatisfied with the simple prayers of a blind man, rebel intelligence captain Cassian Andor takes a lock pick from his boot and waits anxiously for the perfect moment to make their escape. Now leaning against the prison cell wall, Chirrut responds, “There is more than one type of prison, Captain. I sense you carry yours wherever you go.” With the group rendered speechless by his insight, Chirrut also senses that the man in the cell next to them is important to their mission. As it turns out, that man is an imperial pilot who defected from the ranks of the evil Empire to deliver an important message and aid the rebellion in their quest to restore peace and order to the galaxy.
Living a life of faith is essential for every believer, but for many Christians, having a “faith-walk” with the Lord has come to mean a myriad of different things. Erroneous teachings have diluted the glorious truths of faith to simply a list of demands that God will grant us as long as we believe hard enough. But Hebrews 11:1 gives us a look at what faith truly is.
“Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen.”
As human beings, we naturally try to put God into a box. I’ve often heard it said that if you can achieve your calling on our own, then chances are that it’s not God’s calling for your life. The same concept rings true within the context of faith. Faith gives substance to things we could never see on our own. I’m sure Moses never saw himself parting the Red Sea, but God did, and Moses’ faith gave substance to what he couldn’t see himself, making it a reality. In the same way, Chirrut’s faith saw beyond his physical situation and into the realm of the unseen. A victory over the Empire and insight into the lives of the people around him were all things that Chirrut couldn’t have seen without the Force.
This isn’t to say that we can’t hope and pray for things that we naturally desire. But I think if we’re honest, those things rarely come to pass in the way we expect them to. In other words, our prayers are often answered in a way that we never saw coming. Otherwise, there would be no need to have faith in what we hope for, because we can already see it coming to pass. Romans 8:24 says it this way,
“For we were saved in this hope, but hope that is seen is not hope; for why does one still hope for what he sees?”
I think it gives God great joy to utterly shatter our expectations and come through for us in ways we never expected. I’m sure the rebellion never expected to save the galaxy with the help of a blind beggar, but the Force had other plans. The world never expected the Messiah to be born in a manger in the little town of Bethlehem, or to shed his blood for our sins in victory on a cross. But the Father had other, greater plans.
Faith Believes the Impossible
Back in the prison cell of the notorious mercenary, Chirrut’s longtime friend Baze Malbus notices his friend praying to the Force. Incredulous, Baze remarks, “You pray? Really? [to Cassian] He’s praying for the door to open.” To which Chirrut responds, “It bothers him because he knows it’s possible.” With a dismissive chuckle, Baze and the rest of the group get back to figuring out how to escape, not knowing that the city is about to be destroyed by the imperial super weapon called the Death Star.
Chirrut and his friends narrowly escape with their lives as they flee the city, but not before they discover that the important message for the rebellion was actually sent by Galen Erso, an imperial scientist and father to the film’s main protagonist Jyn Erso. The only problem is that Jyn was the only person to see the message, and the message itself was destroyed along with the city. With only the words of a known imperial collaborator and his criminal daughter to rely on, the entire rebellion is reluctant to believe them. But Chirrut is the very first person to believe that the message was real, and among the first to volunteer to fight alongside Jyn in the final battle. In fact, being no stranger to improbable odds, Chirrut suggests taking on the imperial base with only four people! What was his confidence? “The Force is strong!”
It’s hard to believe that a small group of rebels can achieve any kind of victory against a galactic Empire with the capability to destroy entire planets. In fact, it’s hard to believe a lot of the things that happen while the story of Rogue One is reaching its climactic conclusion. Open up the Bible and you may get the same feeling while reading some of its most audacious tales. But a common theme in almost all of those stories is that it only takes the great faith of one person for a miracle to take place. For Rogue One, that person of faith was Chirrut. And in your own life, that person will often times need to be you.
The Bible is so rich with powerful and challenging statements regarding faith that those of us who have been in the church a while can sometimes glance over them with an almost sleepy familiarity. One of the most overlooked of those passages is Mark 11:22-24, which reads:
“So Jesus answered and said to them, “Have faith in God. For assuredly, I say to you, whoever says to this mountain, ‘Be removed and be cast into the sea,’ and does not doubt in his heart, but believes that those things he says will be done, he will have whatever he says. Therefore I say to you, whatever things you ask when you pray, believe that you receive them, and you will have them.”
Now, it’s easy to look at these verses and feel a pressure to somehow muster up enough faith within ourselves to move the mountainous obstacles in our own lives, or propel us out of a dry season of wandering. But have you ever commanded a mountain to jump into the ocean? It isn’t just difficult, it’s impossible. Have you ever wandered in a barren wasteland with your only provision coming literally from the hand of God? Chances are you haven’t, but the first verse of this well-known passage gives us the key to seeing breakthrough when facing our own mountains or walking through deserts.
Have faith in God. It’s a natural human tendency to want to be in control of our own lives. But the very premise of faith demands that you recognize that the situation you’re in is beyond your control. As I wrote previously in a blog post titled Forget Everything You Think You Know, “true faith only exists in the face of uncertainty … You cannot believe for something greater when you categorically deny that the lesser exists.” Chirrut knew that he needed divine intervention if he was going to escape from that prison cell. He knew that believing the words of a known criminal required faith and trust. And he knew that taking on an entire imperial base with only four people would be impossible. But he put his trust in the Force, not in his own ability, and those mountains moved.
Faith Stands in Trials
Chirrut and his fellow soldiers, now known by the call sign “Rogue One”, have decided to attack an imperial base on the planet Scarif, despite being overwhelmingly outnumbered. They believe the structural blueprints for the Death Star are archived somewhere in that base, and they’re risking everything to find them. After many unlikely victories in battle, Jyn and Cassian finally find the Death Star plans, but they need to connect to the communications tower in order to send them to the rebellion. In order to do that, someone needs to activate the “master switch” located somewhere at the base of the tower.
The Force takes a front and center role during this part of the film, as almost every obstacle Rogue One faces requires divine intervention. But as their numbers continue to fade, Chirrut and the last remaining soldiers of Rogue One eventually find themselves literally backed against a wall, dodging incoming fire from enemy Stormtroopers. With the master switch only a few yards away, one of the rebels jumps from cover and tries to make a break for it, only to be shot down immediately by enemy fire. The rest of the group is stunned, and all hope seems to be lost. That is, until Chirrut slowly steps out of cover and begins walking to the switch. While miraculously dodging enemy fire, he repeats his familiar mantra with every step, “I am one with the Force. The Force is with me.” Finally, Chirrut reaches the switch and flips it. After failing to hit him with even one blast, the enemy Stormtroopers then resort to shooting the master switch itself, causing it to explode and taking Chirrut’s life in the process.
I love that Chirrut walked to the master switch. It’s so counterintuitive to what the situation naturally calls for, but it’s exactly what propels faith to center stage as the film progresses. If we’re being honest, I think most of us would’ve been the guy who got shot down trying to make a break for it on his own. But that is exactly what walking in faith does. It acknowledges our own inability while highlighting the immeasurable capability of God. And while Chirrut’s sacrifice was definitely bold, the Bible calls believers to an even greater measure of faith.
The Bible has a lot to say when it comes to how we posture ourselves while living life with the Lord. Kneeling and bowing are used to express humble worship or reverence, while walking is used to express our perseverance while being conformed to the image of Christ. You may think that the words used to describe our posture when believing for the miraculous would be words of action like running or working. But most verses actually use words denoting rest while exercising faith. In fact, just before parting the Red Sea, Moses has this to say to the Israelites who are being hotly pursued by the Egyptians:
“But Moses said to the people, ‘Do not fear! Stand by and see the salvation of the Lord which He will accomplish for you today; for the Egyptians whom you have seen today, you will never see them again forever. The Lord will fight for you while you keep silent.’” (Exodus 14:14)
Really? The Israelites are being chased by a fierce and unrelenting enemy and God essentially says, “Stand still and don’t say anything. I’ve got this.” Again, this is so counterintuitive to how we would naturally respond to this situation. But standing still while God goes to work not only reveals our security in his vast love for us, but also leaves no room for human boasting. And if standing still wasn’t outrageous enough for you, check out what David says in Psalm 23:5.
“You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies. You anoint my head with oil; my cup overflows.”
Imagine being surrounded by a sea of enemies, when Christ turns to you and says, “You hungry? Sit here at the table and let’s eat.” We serve a God who is far superior to an ambiguous force found in rocks. The expressions of faith shown by Chirrut and his friends pale in comparison to the reality that we Christians walk in every day. God receives all the glory when we lay ourselves down and let Him do what only He can do. If you’re facing a trial today, don’t run from it in fear or doubt. Stand firm while your Heavenly Father goes to work protecting and upholding His children.
Final Thoughts
Chirrut’s sacrifice secured an unlikely victory for the rebellion, but it also renewed the faith of his closest friend Baze. A spiritual skeptic for the majority of the film, Baze comes to faith while holding his dying friend and saying, “The Force is with me, and I am one with the Force.”
The light of the gospel that we Christians carry has the power to perform the greatest miracle of all: transform the hearts of men and women. Rogue One challenged me to truly believe in the life-altering power of faith, not only for myself but for everyone around me. Give it a watch today and dare to see with God’s eyes, believe for the impossible, and trust that He is at work in your life.
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