Ben McManus: Job, The Slave, and Winter Light

Ben McManus

Job, The Slave, and Winter Light

I like stories like The Slave because they deal with one of the most fascinating subjects: That of suffering. I suppose, in a way, The Story of Job laid the groundwork for such tales, and for that I am grateful. That being said, I feel The Story of Job lacks the most essential element of suffering. The story deals with pains of betrayal, heartbreak, and more than anything else, physical pain. But something is missing.

I believe Ingmar Bergman, a film director known for his philosophies on religion, deals with this notion very effectively in his 1962 film Winter Light.

The film deals with a Priest who struggles to believe in God. He cannot understand why he’s been made to suffer. Toward the end of the film, a painfully crippled man, who works in the Church, asks to speak with The Priest. At first, The Priest tries to avoid the cripple, assuming he’s come to ask for his paycheck. The cripple takes no care in what the priest thinks; he just wants to share his thoughts. Finally, giving in to the cripple’s wishes, The Priest is astounded by what this meek man has to say. It boarders on an epiphany for him.

The cripple talks of The Passion of The Christ, and Christ’s suffering. He believes that “the focus of the suffering is all wrong.” Here is the cripple’s monolog that follows:

“This emphasis on physical pain. It couldn’t have been all that bad. It may sound presumptuous of me, but in my humble way, I’ve suffered as much physical pain as Jesus. And his torments were rather brief. Lasting some four hours, I gather? I feel he was tormented far worse on another level. Maybe I’ve got it all wrong. But just think of Gethsemane, pastor. Christ’s disciples fell asleep. They hadn’t understood the meaning of the last supper or anything. And when the servants of the law appeared, they ran away. And Peter denied him. Christ had known his disciples for three years. They’d lived together day in and day out, but they never grasped what he meant. They abandon him, down to the last man. He was left all alone.... That must have been painful.... To realize that no one understands. To be abandoned when you need someone to rely on. That must have been excruciatingly painful. But the worst was yet to come. When Jesus was nailed to the cross, and hung there in torment, he cried out, “God, my God. Why hast thou forsaken me?” He cried out as loud as he could. He thought his heavenly father had abandoned him. He believed everything he’d ever preached was a lie. In the moments before he died, Christ was seized by doubt. Surely that must have been his greatest hardship...? God’s Silence.