The Gospel of Beatrix Kiddo

As you read this you're probably asking yourself, has Pastor Nimmons lost it? What biblical principle or Christian perspective can we gain from a movie as violently gruesome as Kill Bill? Well let me set your mind at ease, I haven't loss my mind, I'm still functioning at full brain capacity. LOL! But, I am a true believer that there is something spiritually significant to gain from some of the most unsuspecting of places. And, God can use anything and anybody to get His message across for the benefit of His people. We need to take the handcuffs off of God, and let God be God not just in our lives but in the lives of the world. God is not limited to our finite minds and our limited perceptions of Him, but in Isaiah the 55th chapter God declares; "For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways, saith the Lord. For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways from your ways and my thoughts from your thoughts." So I hope as you read this post you will read with an open mind, as I'm writing it as I believe God has given it to me to share with you. Let me first apologize for the length of this post. This is just an illustration of how much this movie has inspired me to wirte.

Every time I see the movie(s) Kill Bill 1 & 2 on T.V I have to watch, and not just because of the Kong Fu style killing scenes, the tremendous amount of blood and violence that is contained in this cinema presentation, but what I am most intrigued and inspired by is the resiliency and determination of the main character Beatrix Kiddo a.k.a. "The Black Mamba." Apart of an elite assassin team called the "Deadly Vipers" along with four other people (O-Ren Ishi, Venita Green, Elle Driver, Budd, & the Infamous Bill; who the movie is centered around), Beatrix Kiddo secretly leaves this group unbeknowing to everyone including Bill, who is also her boyfriend. She leaves this group upon discovering that she's pregnant with Bill's child. Upon leaving, Beatrix finds an unsuspecting young man to marry her that is completely oblivious of her past and ready to start a future with her and her unborn child. The 2nd movie opens in a bridle chapel where Beatrix and her soon to be husband are preparing to the tie the knot, when she is surprised by Bill, who she hasn't seen for sometime now. They exchange pleasantries, and Bill appears accepting of her new life and seems ready to let her go. However, a few moments later the Deadly Vipers enter the chapel (at the behest of Bill) opening fire on all those inside, including the Bride Beatrix Kiddo. And, to add insult to injury not only did they seek to kill Beatrix, but it also appeared as if they wanted to kill her unborn child as well. As Beatrix closed her eyes the last face and voice she heard standing over her blood soaked corpse was her ex-boyfriend and mentor Bill.

This should have been the end of the movie, the credit should have rolled and this very well should have been the end. But, in fact, it was actually the beginning. Because, who they thought they killed actually was not dead at all. After a four year stay in the hospital, Beatrix re-emerges deadset on exacting revenge on those that sought to kill her. The movie sets out to qualify "The Black Mamba's constant resiliency through a series of flashbacks that point to moments of her intense training and experience that contributed to the determined assassin she currently is. And, it is through this series of flashbacks that we learn more about the character and understand more about how she was trained and why she seems absolutely UNSTOPPABLE! Needless to say, after her re-emergence, revenge was the first thing on her mind. She made a list of all the members of the Deadly Viper assassin team that she was going to kill in revenge of their attempt on her life and the life her unborn child. And, so each of the movies (Kill Bill 1 & 2)  chronicles the details of the revenge "The Black Mamba" exacted on each of the members of the assassin team culminating with her revengeful encounter with Bill, of which she evokes The Five Point Palm Exploding Technique. (You have to see the movie if you haven't seen it already!)

Alright, enough with the movie details and now to the heart of this post. It is the resiliency and the determination of "The Black Mamba" that was so impressive to me each time I watched this movie trilogy. You can see that determination and her will expressed in the picture I included in this blog post. With all of odds vehemently stacked against her, she surpassed and transcended these odds to get the revenge she so desperately sought after. What was even interesting to me was that the character was a woman, which is typically viewed as weak, and feeble. And, I believe Quenton Tarrantino chose a woman (Uma Thurman) for  this particular character so that the resiliency and her determination would completely overshadow this gender stereotype. Because, you typically see this kind of violent and courageous display coming from the male gender, but to see it coming from the female gender; the weaker vessel,  really emphasized the merits of the old adage "a woman scorned," and at what lengths she would be willing to go to get revenge. And, then coupling this with the character having to grapple with her own womanhood in the movie as well, being pregnant and having to deal with the reality of the changes her body would undergo as a result of this. So, there was a lot that Beatrix Kiddo had to experience in this movie in order for this message of revenge to really resonant with the audience. Having to go through all of this, love, betrayal, hormonal changes, near death experiences,  and to still remain focused on her ultimate goal of revenge was phenomenal; "Phenomenal Woman that's Beatrix Kiddo." While I know it was the director Quentin Tarantino's intent to illustrate the Power of Revenge in this movie, what I would like to emphasize is the Power of Resilency! One of my favorite scriptures illustrates this point in II Corinthians 4:7-9, "For we have this treasure in earthen vessels, that the exellency of the power may be of God and not of us. We are troubled on every side, yet not distressed, we are perplexed, but not in despair. Persecuted but not forsaken, cast down but not destroyed." I tweeted a few days ago,  (@PSTRNIMMONSTV) If every child of God had the resilency and determination Beatrix Kiddo had to Kill Bill, in our walk with God we would be UNSTOPPABLE!

The Biblical equivalent of a Beatrix Kiddo; in my humble opinion, is the "Woman with the Issue of Blood" in Matthew the 9th chapter. This woman had been grappling with this illness for 12 long years, and I'm sure the pain and agony of dealing with this sickness was thoroughly debilitating. Having gone to countless doctors and endured countless treatments for an ailment that just wouldn't go away. And, it would seem at some point during the 12 yr period that the illness would have garnered more strength than the woman with the illness. I'm sure it seemed, at least to her, that the illness had a greater resolve than she did. Inasmuch as nothing that anyone did could remedy her of this illness plaguing her body. But, I believe she was determined not to let it destroy her or her will. She was determined to hang on until she was able to find a cure; to find a remedy for what she was going through. What tremendous resolve; what tremendous intestinal fortitude that she demonstrated, in not letting this sickness get the best of her. And, we find in Matthew the 9th chapter that her resiliency was ultimately rewarded as she stepped out on the last bit of faith she had and pressed her way through a throng of people crowded around Jesus, so that she could but touch the hem of His garment and immediately be healed.

What is also important to note, which I believe adds even another level to her faith, is that according to Jewish custom, anyone that was sick or in this woman's case had a menstrual illness involving the flow blood was isolated and separated from the general population. They were not able to fellowship and commune with everybody, until they had been completely healed from their illness. And, she stepped out on faith, in spite of the Jewish custom, in spite of the ramifications of her illness, and in spite of the criticism that she would receive from the crowd. She pressed her way to Jesus, and because of her resiliency and her determination she got the healing that she needed.

So my question to you today, is are you willing to press your way through whatever circumstances might be in front of you, are you willing to go against what might seem to be insurmountable odds, are you willing to endure great trials and tribulations? Because it is only then that you will rewarded for your endurance, and that's the definition of a blessing. Being able to endure the trials and tribulations, which are an inevitability of this walk with God, and receiving the reward for your endurance is the essence of a blessing.  So, are you ready to be blessed, or maybe a greater question is, ARE YOU READY TO GO THROUGH? In the end it is only those that are willing to go through that will be BLESSED!

Your thoughts?


Pastor Nimmons
www.michaelnimmons.com