Resources > Devotions Black Pearl Blogs ; There is a Catch ! (vol.3) Posted by Rev. Jeff Dixon, Senior Equipping Minister, CCC Ministries on Jun 5, 2007, 08:45

There is a catch!

In Pirates of the Caribbean, At World’s End…it is very clear. Jack Sparrow fears death because he fears hell. He has caught a glimpse of it and does not want anything to do with it. Not a bad reason to stay out of hell….So far, so good.

Matthew 10:28 reminds us, "Do not fear those who kill the body but are unable to kill the soul; but rather fear Him who is able to destroy both soul and body in hell.”

Jack’s fears are well founded.

But Jack’s quick fix and temporary alternatives are running out.  The clock is always ticking for Jack in the third film and by the time we arrive at the end, all comes crashing around him at world’s end.

The East India Trading Company’s armada of ships bearing down, he has made every deal, tried to bargain, played all the angles, and still Davy Jones is hungry for revenge, Jack starts looking at supernatural options; even the possibility of replacing Davy Jones as the eternal captain of the Flying Dutchman.

Jack tells Will Turner, “Death has a curious way of reshuffling one’s priorities.”

Will explains that replacing Jones comes with a catch. Jack won’t get what he wants: eternal life and complete freedom.

Instead the job comes with the stuff that Jack cannot handle: conditions, rules, and requirements.

The film shows us that Jack admires one character who has “seen it all, done it all” and survived. In some ways that is what Jack really wants to do – live out his life’s desires, forever, on earth, with no consequences. He is trying to do so, but of course we already know that is impossible.

We all understand this…think about it like this…If life is perfect, if we have all we could possibly desire, and if everything goes our way…as we want, when we want, at the whim of our wants…who needs a heaven or an eternity. In other words, if this world is lacking in nothing, why would you ever long for eternity?

Ah, but….There is just that pesky issue of death standing in the way.

Many people today are like Jack.

They want to make a one-sided deal with the Landlord of Heaven: let us in but leave us alone.

Captain Jack is attractive to us because, in many ways, Jack is us: longing for eternity, but either not sure of how to obtain it, or reticent to lose his life that he may gain it.

Jack represents the struggle over the question of eternal life, not the answer to it.

And for viewers eager to explore the implications of that question, that’s not such a bad thing. So don’t be afraid to talk about Captain Jack…what he wants, what he is trying to do, and why it connects with people so easily.

We will continue to explore in the next edition of the Black Pearl Blog.