Good Friday and Logan
Spoiler alert: Jesus and Logan both hung from a tree.
Good Friday. You’ve heard of it, but what is it? Yesterday, I wrote about Maundy Thursday as a festival day in Holy Week to remember “a new commandment.” So why do they call the day Jesus died “good”? Quite the misnomer, eh? It’s to emphasize that in this violent and tragic death, there indeed is good. That’s exactly what Jesus alluded to several times before he died:
22 As the disciples were gathering in Galilee, Jesus said to them, “The Son of Man is going to be betrayed into human hands, 23 and they will kill him, and on the third day he will be raised.” And they were greatly distressed. - Matthew 17:22-23
Every church brings something a little different to the cross for Good Friday. As I thought about it this year, there are three elements that are often staples of this festival day, and I’m reminded of all three in Logan (2017), a movie about Wolverine (Hugh Jackman) of the Marvel Comics X-Men series.
Before we get going, three things: at least one of these clips is a big spoiler, some of these clips contain some nudity and definitely graphic violence, and this is also R-Rated Movie Club and R-rated movies sometimes have that sort of thing, so…
Good Friday: An Exploration of Consequences
While on Good Friday we tend to read what’s called the Passion narrative of Jesus arrested, put on trial, and crucified to death, there is much in the gospels that foreshadows this. Jesus isn’t shy about what will happen to him if he keeps teaching and preaching and healing and caring and loving the way he is. Actions have consequences, and Jesus takes these actions full-well knowing the consequences ahead of him. His disciple Simon Peter didn’t want this:
21 From that time on, Jesus began to show his disciples that he must go to Jerusalem and undergo great suffering… and be killed and on the third day be raised. 22 And Peter took him aside and began to rebuke him, saying, “God forbid it, Lord! This must never happen to you.” 23 But he turned and said to Peter, “Get behind me, Satan! You are a hindrance to me, for you are setting your mind not on divine things but on human things.” - Matthew 16:21-23
Logan’s body is slowing down. That tends to happen when you’re nearly 200 years old. He’s made it this long because of a healing factor, his mutant ability that automatically repairs his torn flesh and broken bones. But it’s slowing down. It’s not working like it used to, and part of that is also because of the adamantium metal long ago fused to his bones that made him even more near-invincible.
Logan is being killed by the very adamantium metal in his body that made him a killing machine. The metal is slowly poisoning his system, lowering his healing factor until one day it will heal him no more. Hundreds of years of hard living and constant war have their consequences. Jesus’s Way has consequences that lead to the cross. Logan resists it; Jesus embraces it. Are we open to the consequences of our actions?
Good Friday: An Exploration of Solidarity
I think we all have a primary image of Jesus, be it healer, preacher, leader, etc. Mine has always been “Teacher,” and that includes what Jesus teaches on the cross. On that fateful day, Jesus Teacher suffers in solidarity with humankind in a full display of wondrous love. It is a lesson at high cost, and even in the midst of pain and suffering and tragedy, Jesus in his solidarity offers the gifts of compassion, forgiveness, and mercy.
32 Two others also, who were criminals, were led away to be put to death with him. 33 When they came to the place that is called The Skull, they crucified Jesus there with the criminals, one on his right and one on his left. 34 Then Jesus said, “Father, forgive them, for they do not know what they are doing.”
41 [One criminal said] We indeed have been condemned justly, for we are getting what we deserve for our deeds, but this man has done nothing wrong.” 42 Then he said, “Jesus, remember me when you come in your kingdom.” 43 He replied, “Truly I tell you, today you will be with me in paradise.” - Luke 23:32-34, 41-43
Logan has stewarded his mentor, Charles Xavier, a.k.a. Professor X (Patrick Stewart) in a tragic future where mutants like them are all but extinct and the few remaining are hunted and despised. They now find themselves as accidental custodians to a young girl named Laura (Dafne Keen) who has mutant abilities similar to Logan. He has survived this long by keeping his head down and he doesn’t want to change that now.
Charles sees a change for Logan to do good for regular people. When Logan says “someone will come along,” Charles tells him, “Someone has come along.” Logan must forgive himself for a past filled with failures to feel compassion for this girl and be in solidarity as she is hunted. Jesus must forgive humankind for their failures in his compassion for them as he commits to the greatest act of solidarity.
I wrote about this scene extensively on December 31, 2023, take a look:
Good Friday: An Exploration of Responsibility
Note: Spoilers for both the endings of the Gospel of John and Logan below…
When Jesus finally dies on the cross, we grieve with those who knew and loved him. It is simple for us nearly 2,000 years removed to simply rush to Easter, but this does a disservice to the moment. Jesus has demonstrated he embraces his responsibility to love the entire world of all the people — and all means all — in this sacrificial solidarity. We grieve as his loved ones grieve, whether they stood at the food of the tree where he was hung or whether they ran away.
28 After this, when Jesus knew that all was now finished, he said (in order to fulfill the scripture), “I am thirsty.” 29 A jar full of sour wine was standing there. So they put a sponge full of the wine on a branch of hyssop and held it to his mouth. 30 When Jesus had received the wine, he said, “It is finished.” Then he bowed his head and gave up his spirit. - John 19:28-30
Logan’s defining characteristic is his imperviousness to death. Finally, death has caught up with him. But not before he brings new life. He has made so many mistakes. His status as a superhero and as a person has diminished, as has his body’s capacity to heal and maintain life. In his sacrifice, he ensures Laura and her generation have new life. We could shrug and say yeah, but he comes back in 2024’s Deadpool & Wolverine, but that does a disservice to the moment. Logan has demonstrated he embraces his responsibility and dies redeemed.
None of us lead a perfect life. All of us have had moments where we could have, should have, done better. Logan’s storyline through 10+ X-Men films is solidly about his lifelong journey toward redemption. Jesus tells us our lifelong journey is about our capacity to love and love better than the day before. We are more than our worst mistakes, and we are too great to be abandoned. As we linger in the tree’s shadow — both the cross for Jesus and the fallen tree for Logan — may we remember this.
I’m always at least a bit weary of comparing a movie character directly to Jesus, but this time around so much of Logan’s story echoed the major themes of Good Friday that I couldn’t resist. If you haven’t seen Logan yet, I do recommend watching at least the original X-Men Trilogy first to add gravitas to this finale for the character. Not every X-Men movie is amazing, but there are some true gems in there, at least X2.
If you go to a church tonight for a Good Friday worship service, you’ll find elements you don’t often find on a Sunday. These services tend to offer a stark tone, often solemn, pondering, or a mix of the two. Perhaps you’ll hear the Passion narrative in its entirety, or listen to mournful music heavy with grief, or experience the Sanctuary space that’s typically well-lit now filled with shadows and flickering candlelight. I’ve found that going to the emotional depths of the cross — if even for one day of the year — can make Easter all the more joyful. I hope you consider finding a Good Friday worship service in your area.
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