“To die to our neighbors means to stop judging them, to stop evaluating them, and thus to become free to be compassionate. Compassion can never coexist with judgment because judgment creates the distance, the distinction, which prevents us from really being with the other.” – Henri J.M. Nouwen

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The Good Place is a television series that revolves around the concept of the afterlife. According to the show, humans are sent to either the Good Place or the Bad Place after they die. During their lifetime, every human is assigned a numerical score that is based on their actions. Only those with the highest scores are deemed worthy of entering the Good Place, where they are rewarded with eternal happiness.

“The Good Place” is not your run-of-the-mill comedy show. It delves into impressive philosophical themes and offers a unique perspective on judgment. The show explores the concept of retributive justice, which suggests that the destiny of all rational beings is determined by their good and bad deeds.

Judgment

noun

1. the ability to make considered decisions or come to a conclusion.
2. A misfortune or calamity. Viewed as punishment.

During a conversation with Ken, a few weeks ago, he shared an interesting perspective. He explained that “as Christians, we commonly assume that judgment only comes at the end. We believe that we receive grace first and are then judged at the end”. However, Ken emphasized that this is not the case. “In reality, judgment comes first, and then we are always being judged; that is how we are able to receive grace.” That is, grace is always “despite” and not “because of” our human condition (Karl Barth).

The parable of the Prodigal Son illustrates the dynamics of judgment, grace, and human relationships. While it is often portrayed as a story about God’s love, its central theme revolves around our interactions with each other.

Perspective Taking: The Prodigal Son

What I’m about to say is subjective and my own opinion, but I think we often live and judge ourselves, others, and events either in the past, present, or future in our headspace as rational creatures.

1. Past – guilt, shame, regret, dwelling on what happened, replaying events or conversations, over analyzing.
2. Present – clarity, acceptance, joy of being, understanding, inner peace, gratitude.
3. Future – fear of the unknown, worrying about what could happen, feeling anxious for what is to come, ‘what if’ scenarios.

I am not saying that being in any particular headspace is either good or bad, but I believe that the following list is useful in understanding what shapes and evaluates our lives in the world today. For instance, if we view the narrative of the Prodigal Son through the lens of past, present, and future, we can gain deeper insight into the characters and their motivations within the story.

¹⁷ “When he came to his senses, he said, ‘How many of my father’s hired servants have food to spare, and here I am starving to death! ¹⁸ I will set out and go back to my father and say to him: Father, I have sinned against heaven and against you. ¹⁹ I am no longer worthy to be called your son; make me like one of your hired servants.’ ²⁰ So he got up and went to his father.
“But while he was still a long way off, his father saw him and was filled with compassion for him; he ran to his son, threw his arms around him and kissed him.
²¹ “The son said to him, ‘Father, I have sinned against heaven and against you. I am no longer worthy to be called your son.’
²² “But the father said to his servants, ‘Quick! Bring the best robe and put it on him. Put a ring on his finger and sandals on his feet. ²³ Bring the fattened calf and kill it. Let’s have a feast and celebrate. ²⁴ For this son of mine was dead and is alive again; he was lost and is found.’ So they began to celebrate.
²⁵ “Meanwhile, the older son was in the field. When he came near the house, he heard music and dancing. ²⁶ So he called one of the servants and asked him what was going on. ²⁷ ‘Your brother has come,’ he replied, ‘and your father has killed the fattened calf because he has him back safe and sound.’
²⁸ “The older brother became angry and refused to go in. So his father went out and pleaded with him. ²⁹ But he answered his father, ‘Look! All these years I’ve been slaving for you and never disobeyed your orders. Yet you never gave me even a young goat so I could celebrate with my friends. ³⁰ But when this son of yours who has squandered your property with prostitutes comes home, you kill the fattened calf for him!’
³¹ “‘My son,’ the father said, ‘you are always with me, and everything I have is yours. ³² But we had to celebrate and be glad, because this brother of yours was dead and is alive again; he was lost and is found.’”

Luke 15:11-32 (NIV)

We see that the younger son is experiencing something close to depression and anxiety when he reunites with his father. Believing and acknowledging the judgment he placed on himself and believing in the possibility of his father’s wrath was justified. However, the father is a glimpse of a character who is mindful of the deep hurt, damaged trust, and wound that his son did to him, but he also sees someone taking ownership, and anything but forgiveness doesn’t make sense.

To emphasize the humanity of the Prodigal Son parable, we can turn to the season 1 finale of Ted Lasso to observe Rebecca and Ted in action.

‘You…What? Why?’

At the beginning of season 1, Rebecca hires Ted Lasso to coach the Richmond team, intending to take them down to get back at her ex-husband for hurting her. As the audience, we walk with Rebecca as she begins to sabotage Ted at every possibility and as her humanity begins to come out.

Ted, also going through a divorce, can understand and share Rebecca’s pain and forgive her. Despite the damage caused by the hurt and loss of trust, he recognizes that she is taking responsibility for her actions. This empathy is the outcome that we observe.

“The Birth of Christ is the eucatastrophe of Man’s history.” – J.R.R. Tolkien

Concerning J.R.R. Tolkien

If you were to open The Lord of the Rings and step into Middle-earth, you would be transported to a realm beyond your wildest imagination. Although beautiful and fantastical, the characters and themes in the text are distinctly human.

J.R.R. Tolkien’s literary works have profoundly impacted the fantasy genre as we know it today. His story spans over a thousand pages and is widely considered one of the greatest of our time. Critics and readers alike have pointed out the numerous Christian allegories embedded in his work. He once wrote to the English Roman Catholic theologian, Father Robert Murray, calling The Lord of the Rings “a fundamentally religious and Catholic work; unconsciously so at first, but consciously in the revision.” However, Tolkien himself disliked the idea of allegory. He believed his work’s applicability to readers was more important than any intended allegory. He understood that the meaning and interpretation of his work were ultimately up to the reader.

In Tolkien’s essay “On Fairy-Stories,” he explores his views on the role of imagination and deep consideration for escapism in fictional stories. He argues that “escapism” is healthy and necessary as long as readers are not abandoning their responsibilities. In other words, the type often misunderstood as the only type of escapism is when the reader uses the story to ignore his duties in life and disappear into a fantasy world. However, for Tolkien, well-written fantasy and escapism literature can only enhance the readers’ view of their everyday world. Stories are meant to immerse us in a reality that points to an ultimate truth. Walter Wangerin Jr. once wrote, “To comprehend the experience one is living in, he must, by imagination and intellect, be lifted out of it.”

A Good Catastrophe

On August 6, 1945, during World War II, an American B-29 bomber dropped the world’s first deployed atomic bomb over the Japanese city of Hiroshima. The explosion immediately killed an estimated 80,000 people and tens of thousands more later due to radiation exposure.

On January 12, 2010, a 7.0 magnitude earthquake struck Haiti, leaving its capital Port-au-Prince devastated. About 220,000 people were reportedly killed.

On December 26, 2004, a 9.1-9.3 magnitude earthquake off the west coast of Sumatra, Indonesia, ruptured, and approximately 230,000 people died in the 2004 Indian Ocean earthquake and tsunami.

Catastrophe comes from the Greek word “overturn” or “any sudden disaster.” It names a momentous tragic event ranging from extreme misfortune to utter destruction. It is a circumstance that disrupts our lives—an interruption to human life’s existing activity and progress.

Tolkien believed that an event that is a catastrophe can be a surprise and fortune-reversing but with a happy ending. To describe this, he used the Greek word eu-the Greek prefix simply meaning good. Thus, Tolkien coined a word that would help describe and explain the understanding and power of stories derived from the real world – eucatastrophe. Eucatastrophe describes the fortunate turn of events—an unexpected and sudden good during dire situations.

The showdown in Star Wars: Episode IV – A New Hope is an excellent example of eucatastrophe. The Rebel Alliance faces destruction as the Galactic Empire has found its military operations on the moon base of Yavin 4. The Death Star’s superlaser can destroy a planet, and the Rebel Alliance has only one chance to stop it. They send their fighter pilots to shoot proton torpedoes into the Death Star’s reactor core, causing a chain reaction that can destroy the giant battle station. Darth Vader and a couple of tie fighters are shooting down the Rebel Alliance’s pilots, and Luke has a one-in-a-million shot. The unexpected destruction of the Death Star through Luke’s shot is a moment of eucatastrophe that saves the Rebel Alliance from destruction and brings hope to the galaxy.

However, Tolkien believed that eucatastrophe could only be brought about through grace, not heroic efforts or human achievements. ***SPOILER ALERT***. A great example is the end of The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King. Burdened by the ring and carrying it from the Shire to Mordor, Frodo has finally succumbed to the ring’s will at the heart of Mt. Doom. Unable to resist, he tries to take the ring for himself. 

Frodo was on the brink of destroying the ring, but its accidental destruction during his fight with Gollum granted an unexpected grace.

Eucatastrophe does not deny the existence of sorrow, wrath, fear, greed, oppression, failure, or death; instead, it offers a glimpse of hope and joy through grace, denying universal final defeat through unexpected means. 

The Incarnation was a momentous event, even though it was prophesied in the Old Testament. It was a sudden and unexpected event that changed the very nature of reality and our understanding of human history. The Incarnation was the first significant change in reality since the world’s creation. It brought together God and creation, marking the beginning of the redemption and reconciliation of the earth to God through Jesus.

While Tolkien’s The Lord of the Rings is a fantastic work of fiction, it can sometimes be challenging to relate to the story’s fantastical elements – we’re not wizards, Balrogs, or Hobbits. This is where shows like Ted Lasso come in. Ted Lasso is a show that understands human relationships and how they can bring about unexpected moments of grace, hope, and joy. 

Richmond Till We Die

Let’s address the larger-than-life elephant in the room – yes, I am a huge fan of Ted Lasso. I have rewatched the show countless times and listened to numerous podcasts where people analyze and discuss each episode. I even have Ted Lasso stickers on my belongings and a Coach Beard costume that I will probably wear every Halloween, and I bought Fifa 23 so that I could play as Ted Lasso and the entire AFC Richmond team.

Ted Lasso is a show about an American football coach hired to coach a struggling English soccer team. Despite the cultural differences and initial hatred towards him, Ted Lasso’s kindness, empathy, and belief in others transformed the team, leading to unexpected growth and success. The show is a testament to the power of human connections and the way they can bring about moments of joy and hope in the face of adversity. Moreover, it shows that eucatastrophe is not just limited to the world of fantasy or the Bible but can also be found in our everyday lives through our relationships with others.

During the Advent season, we’ll reflect on the themes of grace, hope, and joy and how they can reveal themselves unexpectedly in our relationships. Perhaps our friend Ted can offer some valuable insights.