Talk: The Fifth Element

The Fifth Element

An example of the narrative approach to evangelism
by Graeme Codrington

This talk is based on the movie, The Fifth Element, which starred Bruce Willis and a couple of other hot actors. It is a sci-fiction, comedy adventure that doesn't take itself too seriously, and (aside from a couple of naughty words, and a few "oh my gods") is family-friendly. If possible, you should get it out on video and show at least the last 15 minutes of the movie, with a brief intro. It will not be believeable as a talk if you didn't see the movie yourself, or if you don't like this kind of movie. So use this one sparingly. It is not necessary for your young people to have seen the movie, although it will be more poignant if they have.

The Fifth Element was one of my all-time favourite movies of 1997. It even possibly makes it into my top ten of all-time. It's not everybody's cup of tea, but if you're into comedy, action, adventure, romance, science fiction or drama, you might like it. The only thing I didn't really like was the naff costumes by designer Jean-Paul Gaultier, but they were part of the laughs as well.

The movie is about the five elements on earth. You though there were only four? Well, there are four commonly known ones, which are....? (Earth, fire, wind and water). The fifth element is a highly guarded secret - it is a perfect being. Every 5000 years, a ball of pure evil comes to the world to destroy it. The five elemtns must all be present in a pyramid in Egypt, and then they produce pure good, which beats the evil away for 5000 years. Because human beings are dumb, and can't look after this perfect being, a tribe of aliens, called the Mondoshawan, look after it for us, and bring it back every 5000 years.

This time, they come back in 2259, and we've learnt space travel. So a couple of nasty humans go out and blow away the Mondoshawan space craft in order to get the elements. They don't manage this, and the perfect being lands on earth, lost and alone. It's a woman, who doesn't have much fashion sense and has orange hair. Her name is...? Leelu. She doesn't know our language, or anything about us, but she's a fast learner. They give her an encyclopedia on CD-ROM, and she learns A to K in about half and hour. She conitnues to learn the rest of it through the movie, in between being beaten up, chased and blown up.

Eventually (and I won't ruin the movie for those who haven't seen it), she has been beaten up, blown up enough, but she's on her way to the Egyptian pyramid to do her job, and she gets to W in the encyclopedia. Probably the most powerful scene in the movie is when this perfect being - a god, really - looks at WAR, and we see flashes of all of the horrible wars of this century. Pictures of concentration camps, atom bombs, death and carnage. And a single tear slides down her cheek.

She collapses into a faint, and has to be carried into the pyramid. After everything else is in place, she is put in the middle of the pyramid, and must do her job, but she seems limp and faint. Bruce Willis, who plays a guy called Corban Dallas, is trying to get her to do her job. He says to her, "Come on, you've got to save the world." And she replies, "Why should I save life, when I've seen what you do with it!".

Wow. What a comment. "Why should I save life, when I've seen what you do with it!".

At this point, the talk can go in a number of directions. It could on an anti-war slant. Or love your neighbour. Or "What are you doing with your life"? "What is worth saving in your life"? Below is how I went.

Corban Dallas looks at her and says, "There is something worth saving. It's love."

She replies: "I don't know love."

All seems lost, until he kisses her. Then she saves the world.

When I was watching that movie, I thought - this is what the world thinks a Saviour will vbe like. Someone who doesn't know our language, someone who has to be taught who we are and why we exist. And a god who doesn't know about love, and has to be convinced that we're even worth saving. Not to mention a god who gets beaten up by humans. I'm so glad that my God is different from the god of this world. But then, I thought - hang on, my god isn't so different.

You see, when Jesus was born, he couldn't speak. He had to learn how to speak our language (and then he learnt Greek and Aramaic). He learnt about a mother's love from Mary. He had to learn how to walk and talk and play. He also got beaten up. So bad, in fact, that he was beaten to death on a cross. BUT, my Jesus is not like Leelu Dallas Multi-pass (an in joke from the movie) at all. He knew about love. He died for a reason. He died BECAUSE he loved you so much.

Jesus knew you. When He died on the cross - He knew your name. He knew who you would be. He knew you, and He loved you.

We are looking for love in this world. I'm sure that all of you, no matter how young you are have experienced love, and have experienced the fact that love will let you down. You've been hurt. You've been let down. Love has let you down. Just like this perfect being, Leelu, you don't know real love. Anbd you know that real love isn't just a kiss from Bruce Willis (though for some girls, that might be close).

I'm glad that MY Saviour is Jesus, and some wierd looking chick with orange hair. I'm glad that my Saviour knows who I am, and loves me - no matter how I mess up.

Let's close in prayer: Dear Jesus, thank you for loving us so much that you were willing to die for us. Help us to love you, too. Teach us what real love is. Amen.