In the movie version of The Lord of the Rings there is a debate about what to do with the Ring of Power at the Council of Elrond. After Aragorn makes a statement, Boromir wants to know what a ranger would know about such things. Legolas then speaks up, “This is no mere ranger. He is Aragorn, son of Arathorn, you owe him your allegiance.”
Legalos is appealing to something outside of Aragorn as an individual man. He deserves Boromir’s allegiance because of an established lineage—an old, old lineage that Boromir is expected to know and honor.
The movie version is what was in my mind, so I had to go look up how that scene played out in the book. In the book version of this story, Aragorn is revealed to be who he is, not on the basis of what someone says or because of a genealogy, but because he carries a clear sign of his authority—a sword that has been passed down from father to son to son for generations.
Tolkien (the author of the book) and Jackson (the director of the movie) had different reasons for doing what they did in that scene. But the fact that they did different things provoked a question in me: Which one would be more convincing if I were Boromir? Which one would be more convincing for you? A genealogy or a family heirloom? Is one more authentic than another?
And then that led to another thought: in day to day life, what do I tend to believe? In an age where skepticism of all kinds of things is running pretty high, why do I believe what I read—or disbelieve what I read?
Toward the end of our passage today, Peter tells the people, “Therefore, let all the house of Israel know for certain that God has made him both lord and Christ, this Jesus whom you crucified.”
What is it that Peter has said that should wield this kind of certainty? Jesus has no heirloom. And, at least here, there is no mention of genealogy—though the gospel writers will rely on that as well in their testimony about who Jesus is.
You and I were not in that crowd. We didn’t see the miraculous fire and wind and tongues that accompanied this sermon. We weren’t in Jerusalem seven weeks earlier when they crucified Jesus. And yet, you and I are still called to believe. What moved you to belief? Do you remember? And what about maintaining that belief? Have you grown skeptical? Are you now longing for some signs and wonders—flames of fire and rushing wind and strange languages?
Or is Peter’s argument ultimately resting on something else, something more permanent? To answer that question, we’re going to back up and start reading in verse 32 and from there make our way down to verse 41; though we are going to save some of this for next week, specifically verse 38.
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