Resources > Devotions Black Pearl Blogs : Lessons on the High Seas (vol.4 of 4) Posted by Rev. Jeff Dixon, Senior Equipping Minister, CCC Ministries on Jun 8, 2007, 08:14

Lessons on the High Seas

It doesn’t matter if you want to see it or not, the trilogy of Pirate films are deeply spiritual and theological.

The Curse of the Black Pearl showed the way sin…evil, lust, greed, etc can consume you and rot you from the inside out. The way to undo this was the need for blood sacrifice and restitution to make atonement.

Dead Man’s Chest focused on the immense value of the soul, why we must care for ours, and how easily they are imperiled.

At World’s End exposes the end that awaits those who are scalawags– and though some of Jack’s time in hell is played for laughs, much of it rings true. Hell is a place of loneliness and isolation, where torment and punishment reign and people relive their sins for eternity. (If you remember in the film, he says as much) Surely the message that plays throughout the third film is one about what eternity holds and how to avoid Davy Jones Locker….

But both Dead Man’s Chest and At World’s End also reveal that a longing for eternity has been placed within our hearts. Followers understand that comes from God...those who are missing in faith will want to discuss this if you take the time to talk with them. 

We see hints that peace after death is possible, and it is strongly suggested that there is a connection between personal sacrifice, some measure of repentance, and redemption. If you have seen the film an interesting encounter between Elizabeth Swann and her father points this out. These glimpses are by no means a complete, in some ways I wish the film-makers could have explored this more, but think about how LONG that film would have ended up being!.

The overall work…the three films as we point out in our series of podcasts called, Pirates: At World’s End…tell a tale that is epic and educational. High adventure blends with a soul flex that if you are willing to look closely will teach you lessons about life and love. It is easy to see the connections between the films, to discover what is at stake, when we take the spiritual lessons in these adventures seriously.

And once the dazzle of the special effects wears off, maybe you should wander back into the theatre again…find yourself a place to sit away from other people…and in the darkness of the theatre allow the movie to take you on a spiritual journey of epic proportions. The lessons are there for the learning….

Arrr…time to be castin’ off now!

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