I am looking at this story through a Judeo-Christian lens, and I think that has a lot to do with what I got out of it. The story is about this angel-like old man who was found in a couple's yard, "lying face down in the mud." Despite all of the strangeness of this very old man, Pelayo and Elisenda, "found him very familiar." There is so much allusion to Scripture and Christ in this piece. Christ must have been strangely familiar to His disciples, or they wouldn't have left everything to follow Him. Over and over again, I discovered how much the very old man resembles Christ, Pelayo and Elisenda represent Christians who do just enough to get by, the Priest represents the Sanhedrin, and the crowds represent the skeptics of Christ's time.
The angel took, "no part in his own act." This reminds me of Jesus, like a lamb taken to be slaughtered, who never opened his mouth in protest (Is. 53:7).
The angelic old man performed strange miracles: "The blind man who didn't recover his sight but grew three new teeth." This reminded me of the story of the paralytic in Matthew 9. Jesus told the man that his sins were forgiven first. Maybe the very old man with enormous wings just knew that this is what these people needed deep down?
I think the easiest allusion to Scripture that I found reads, "The only time they succeeded in arousing him was when they burned his side with an iron." This is like when Jesus was pierced with a spear while on the cross.
Why does this story matter? I think it matters because it allows us to question what we would do in a similar situation. What do we do with people or things that are foreign to us? It is sad that Elisenda and Pelayo didn't ever really get that the very old man was not going to harm them. He even made their daughter's fever stop, and yet, they still just used him. It was hard for me to imagine this story and not picture the very old man being just a fairy tale figure with no connection to Jesus.
I can't help but wonder if we're reading this story around Easter for a reason. It has me thinking about how I treat Jesus. Do I think of Him as a commodity that I can get things from? Do I find Him unapproachable? Do I want to exploit Him? I think it's important that we as Believers take time to just stand in awe of Him rather than question everything about Him.
The angel took, "no part in his own act." This reminds me of Jesus, like a lamb taken to be slaughtered, who never opened his mouth in protest (Is. 53:7).
The angelic old man performed strange miracles: "The blind man who didn't recover his sight but grew three new teeth." This reminded me of the story of the paralytic in Matthew 9. Jesus told the man that his sins were forgiven first. Maybe the very old man with enormous wings just knew that this is what these people needed deep down?
I think the easiest allusion to Scripture that I found reads, "The only time they succeeded in arousing him was when they burned his side with an iron." This is like when Jesus was pierced with a spear while on the cross.
Why does this story matter? I think it matters because it allows us to question what we would do in a similar situation. What do we do with people or things that are foreign to us? It is sad that Elisenda and Pelayo didn't ever really get that the very old man was not going to harm them. He even made their daughter's fever stop, and yet, they still just used him. It was hard for me to imagine this story and not picture the very old man being just a fairy tale figure with no connection to Jesus.
I can't help but wonder if we're reading this story around Easter for a reason. It has me thinking about how I treat Jesus. Do I think of Him as a commodity that I can get things from? Do I find Him unapproachable? Do I want to exploit Him? I think it's important that we as Believers take time to just stand in awe of Him rather than question everything about Him.
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