Movies That Shaped…The Godfather
It is the holiday period and seeing movies is one of the lazing things that excites the soul. Find a way to see “The Godfather”. The first scene in the movie is what I watched over and over. It is a great teaching moment. See the picture below. What I will write about will transverse the plains of social life, faith and any other thing that has meaning to you.
As a continuation of my revisiting things that I learnt earlier in life, I decided to watch the movie “The Godfather”. 10 years ago, I could only see the ruthlessness of the mafia but watching it now, I saw something different.
The first scene of Part 1 (lasting about 5 minutes) and the last 5 minutes were very instructive to me. In the first scene, a man comes to the Godfather (GF), seeking favour. Some guys assaulted daughter. He explains that he always believed in America, and it treated him well — until his daughter was assaulted and the system could not give him justice. So he came to the godfather, for the first time for a favour.
He wanted the boys to be killed but the godfather told him that he’s asking for the wrong thing. (Doesn’t this happen to us in prayers? We ask amiss and do not get anything at all). The godfather explained to him that since his daughter is alive, he cannot kill those boys. The GF then told the guy to ask for justice (revenge) and not murder.
Before that request, the Godfather (GF) asked the man why he is coming now and not immediately after the issue occurred. The man told GF that he’s gone everywhere; even the law but he did not get justice. So he came to the GF as the last resort. GF told him that was a wrong move as he should have been the first to be notified. (any similarity with what we do with Jehovah?).
The GF also told him that the very first day this guy comes to his house (which is today), he does not ask for friendship but for favour. He went on to tell the man that things don’t work that way. GF instructed the man that you ask for a relationship first before you can ask for any favours from any man. (Is this not what God asks from us?).
The man felt the GF was going round and round and then he asked the GF “How much can I pay you to get this done”. That stunned the GF. He withheld his fury and told the man that he just insulted him (The Godfather).
It was never about money. I am teaching you that before you must make a withdrawal, you have to deposit. I am teaching you “Life 101” + “Relationship Management 102”
The GF agreed to revenge. Orders the boys to be beaten up but not killed. The scene ends but it was obvious this man (Bonasera) did not get it…..you can’t pay for the services of the Godfather, you earn it via relationship. Same with God. Does this sound like what we do with God? We want Him to give, give, give. If it does not come as we expected we want to pay Him using many fancy names “first fruit offering, prophets’ tithe, anointed offering etc)
We bring an offering to appease him in order for Him to grant us a wish/prayers and we neglect relationship (fellowship).
The last 5 minutes was when the Godfather retired and anointed his son to take over. One of his associates came over to make a request. The Godfather referred the man to his son, who is now in charge. The old friend did not like that but the godfather told him that things have changed and “it is what it is….my son is in control”. The other friend wanted the Godfather to intervene in a decision his son has made. The Godfather told him that he cannot change anything since his son is in control and whatsoever decision he takes, even he [The Godfather] has to fall in line.
After a while, everyone fell in line and gave the son the honour of being their Godfather. Lesson here….Jesus and the Father are one. If you neglect Jesus, you neglect the Father. When you obey the words of Jesus, you obey the Father. QED.
There is a Part II and III of the movie but the moving part for me was in Part III when the Godfather met a genuine man of God ( a cardinal in the church). He came to the cardinal for some business help but he left there thinking about God…..that is what true disciples of Jesus do for you….at any point, you meet them; through their acts, conduct, service or business…they show you godliness. They remind you about God. True Christians make it easier for people to believe in God; that is their main mission because they reflect the persona of God.
The cardinal talked to him about God and the Godfather began to cry.
He wept deeply and confessed his sins. What I learnt there…..when a man meets God, he will know. It affirms what I believe when you meet a genuine believer, he will either make you want to improve your relationship with God (when you are on the right path) or make you try to reconnect with God (if you are on the wrong path).
Enjoy the Christmas.
Selah !
Check my other works, in which I extracted life’s lessons from movies eg “The Lion King ” — The Lion King — My Side Of The Story and 12 Unforgettable Leadership Lessons From The Lion King. I also wrote on Movies That Shape.
You can check other uplifting articles on matters of the faith that I have written. They are Rules of Engagement On Social Media For The Christian Soul,The Gentile’s Prayer, Faith Cometh…, Selah Moments, Rooting The Book of Ruth, Timely & Timeless, Me & My Entertainment, The Athlete & I — A Critical Look, My Fellow Prisoners , Holy Paradox, Let’s Hear Jesus Out On This…, Colourful! , Me, Jephthah & Retold Stories, More Than Money…, The Boundaryless Life, The Giving Giver, A Grateful Heart and The Law Of Stating The Obvious
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