Sunday Matinee #124 The Green Mile
Stephen King said he named him "J.C." for a reason...
John 14:23-29 | EnterTheBible.org
Sixth Sunday of Easter | 05..25.2025
Context: Jesus continues his Farewell Discourse with the disciples. He fills this teaching with theological statements about his identity, his love, and his connection with all that is holy. Here, Jesus gives them reassurance in the face of his upcoming arrest and murder.
25 “I have said these things to you while I am still with you. 26 But the Advocate, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, will teach you everything and remind you of all that I have said to you. 27 Peace I leave with you; my peace I give to you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled, and do not let them be afraid.
The Green Mile | 1999
IMDb | Letterboxd | RRMC
Context: John Coffey (Michael Clarke Duncan) is on death row, and it’s becoming more and more clear that he is innocent. While there, John has made life better for everyone in the ward, from his fellow prisoners to the corrections officers. On the eve of his execution, lead guard Paul Edgecomb (Tom Hanks) has serious doubts whether he can go through with his duty.
Paul Edgecomb: On the day of my judgment, when I stand before God, and He asks me why did I kill one of his true miracles, what am I gonna say? That it was my job? My job?!
John Coffey: You tell God the Father it was a kindness you done. I know you hurtin' and worryin', I can feel it on you, but you oughta quit on it now. Because I want it over and done. I do. I'm tired, boss. Tired of bein' on the road, lonely as a sparrow in the rain. Tired of not ever having me a buddy to be with, or tell me where we's coming from or going to, or why. Mostly I'm tired of people being ugly to each other. I'm tired of all the pain I feel and hear in the world everyday. There's too much of it. It's like pieces of glass in my head all the time. Can you understand?
Paul Edgecomb: …Yes, John. I think I can.
Commentary:
It took me a long time to appreciate the Farewell Discourse. It is repetitive. It meanders a bit. It has enough cryptic word play to make a reader tongue-tied. Taken one piece at a time, I’ve learned to dwell with it more. Today, we see Jesus dwell with disciples as he prepares to depart from them.
This isn’t the first time Jesus tells them he won’t be with them forever. On other occasions, they interrupt him or beg for it not to be true or just remain in quiet confusion. Here, Jesus speaks with them nearly uninterrupted for close to 5 chapters of the Gospel of John. There’s less interjecting or disagreement this time about his foretelling his death, and perhaps its moments like the text above that brings this about. While he speaks this truth, he also does it in a reassuring way.
God is sending you the Advocate. Otherwise known as the Holy Spirit. When I depart from you, the Holy Spirit will activate.
I have known people who refuse to speak with their loved ones about their some-day-to-come death. And I have known people who openly speak with their loved ones about it: Hey, I’m going to die someday, here’s the plan, and I love you. That conversation is only as hard as you make it. Instead, it can be liberating for all involved. Even I’ve spoken with my young children about my death some day (I’ve apologized to them in advance for how inconvenient my death will be, as a good Midwesterner). These may be the liberating words the disciples need to hear. How openly do you discuss death with your loved ones?
The Green Mile is 3 hours of reflecting on life, death, and the thin line between the two. We meet men guilty of crimes and men who are innocent. We meet free men who get sadistic and cruel and imprisoned men who share love and kindness freely. We meet men who live in ways that treat death very differently, and we’re challenged to wonder how we treat death in our own lives.
By the time the story arrives at execution day for John Coffey, we don’t quite know what will happen. He reassures people that it’s going to be okay. Sometimes, people bristle at that phrase, mistaking it for a promise for a pain-free process and immediate healing and everything going back to normal. I see things differently. When I say or hear “It’s going to be okay,” I say or hear this: “You are strong enough to get through even this, and God is with you.”
The corrections officers feel every death on their Green Mile, not just John Coffey’s. They are resilient in the face of the work. I doubt any prisoners gave them assuring words the way John speaks to Paul. But they have spoken about it with one another. When we experience death in our lives, do we tell others how we feel or do we shut down? Only one of those is healthy, in my humble opinion.
John Coffey — J.C., that is — goes to his death innocent and filled with love. Jesus Christ — J.C., as well — goes to his death innocent and filled with love. Both reassure their families that loving kindness prevails, and they can carry that on beyond their deaths. I won’t pretend to know what happens when we die. I will say loving, kind assurance in this life gives me hope for all that is to come.
I admit, I haven’t seen The Green Mile in a long time. And I’ve resisted writing about it here because the J.C. connection is so overt (I remember picking up on it in the theater when I was 20 and an atheist, you can’t miss it!). But as I read the Farewell Discourse with an open mind this year, it seems appropriate to consider this movie at R-Rated Movie Club finally, too. Perhaps it’s time to have a family watch, too.
Glad you were here today. God’s peace and good movies to you!