Sunday Matinee #65 Glory
Preaching on the porch, in search of shoes
Act 4:32-35 | Revised Common Lectionary | EnterTheBible.org
Second Sunday of Easter | 04.07.2024
Context: Peter and John are at Solomon’s Portico (a.k.a. Solomon’s Porch), an area near the Temple in Jerusalem, offering new teaching about Jesus and people are taking it in, though authorities are not pleased. Despite efforts to shut Peter and John down, the crowd takes to the teaching and live accordingly.
32 Now the whole group of those who believed were of one heart and soul, and no one claimed private ownership of any possessions, but everything they owned was held in common. 33 With great power the apostles gave their testimony to the resurrection of the Lord Jesus, and great grace was upon them all. 34 There was not a needy person among them, for as many as owned lands or houses sold them and brought the proceeds of what was sold. 35 They laid it at the apostles’ feet, and it was distributed to each as any had need.
Glory | 1989
IMDb | Letterboxd | RRMC
Context: The son of wealthy abolitionists, Robert Shaw (Matthew Broderick) has been promoted from Captain to Colonel to lead the first Black soldier regiment of the American Civil War. One soldier, Tripp (Denzel Washington in an Oscar-winning role) was caught and flogged as a deserter. The scene is challenging to watch for multiple reasons. Shaw decides he needs help connecting with his men, and he reaches out to Sgt. Rawlins (Morgan Freeman) for help.
Col. Robert Gould Shaw: Mr. Rawlins. This morning, l… It would be a great help if I could talk to you… about the men from time to time. That's all.
Sgt. Rawlins: Shoes, sir. The men need shoes.
Col. Robert Gould Shaw: I know. I've been after the quartermaster for some time.
Sgt. Rawlins: Now, sir. Now.
Col. Robert Gould Shaw: The boy was off trying to find himself some shoes, Colonel. He wants to fight. Same as the rest of us. More, even.
Rawlins leads Shaw to a tent and removes bad shoes from a soldier’s bloody foot.
Col. Robert Gould Shaw: All of the men, like this?
Sgt. Rawlins: Yes, sir. Most of them.
Context: The next morning, Shaw goes to the Quartermaster Kendric (Richard Riehle) while Rawlins and other soldiers stand guard. Shaw had encountered him two nights before and asked about the shoes he ordered. Kendric was less than forthcoming. That changes today.
Col. Robert Gould Shaw: I want 600 pair of shoes and 1200 pair of socks. And anything else you've been holding out on us. You piece of rat fiIth.
Quartermaster Kendric: I'd love to help you, but we just don't have any.
Col. Robert Gould Shaw: Not for [N-word], you don't.
Quartermaster Kendric: Not for anybody.
Col. Robert Gould Shaw: I see. Pity. I'lI just look and see that you haven't misplaced them. Son of a bitch!
Quartermaster Kendric: Damn it! You can't--
Col. Robert Gould Shaw: Can't I? I'm a colonel! You nasty little cuss. You really think you can keep 700 Union soldiers without proper shoes because you think it's funny?! Now where would that power come from?!
Commentary:
When I read this brief passage from Acts of the Apostles, I’m reminded very much of the ending of Acts 2, the Pentecost story. The gathered crowds feel the Holy Spirit, they hear the preaching, and they act accordingly, including giving their things away to anyone who needed them! I’ve been in situations where I’ve read the Acts 2 or Acts 4 passage and someone will pipe up, “Well, that just sounds very communist to me!” Which says two things to me: 1. that is a very broad and not very accurate picture of communism, and 2. um, wouldn’t it be nice if Christians saw giving people what they needed as being very Christian?!
Rejecting “greedy” to give to the “needy” isn’t political, it’s spiritual. These people are compelled by their faith to act with good ethics and strong care for one another. Just because that isn’t fashionable when the almighty dollar would have us do otherwise doesn’t make it the wrong thing. Nor, in fact, does the almighty desire to get what’s ours no matter what anyone else gets a very good reason not to 1. care, or 2. do something about it!
“Make sure no one is needy?! That’s communist! This is ‘Merica! No one gave me anything, so I won’t give anyone else what they need! After all, this is a Christian nation! What?! Helping the needy is Christian?! Where’d you get that, and don’t you say the Bible!”
Oh, please.
Glory sees the Quartermaster play a game with peoples’ lives and lose big time when Col. Shaw shows up. His racism and sick sense of humor fool him into thinking himself immune to any consequences for his actions. By denying a requisition order for shoes, he denies fellow soldiers what they need. Thus, he denies his nation’s defenders what they need. That’s the cost to the “state.” He also denies fellow human beings their dignity. That’s the cost to the “soul.”
We aren’t a Christian nation, but we are a nation with a soul, and our soul sings best when we share.
As you watch the story unfold, the beats all unfold in a complex pattern: Tripp tells his tent mates he needs to go get shoes, come with him. Shaw reminds the Quartermaster he ordered shoes but is rebuked. Tripp is declared a deserter and is flogged. Shaw seeks Rawlins for advice. Rawlins tells him Tripp went out looking for shoes. Shaw threatens the Quartermaster to get his men the shoes they need.
There’s a lot there about communication. Who gets to know what, how they learn it, who shares it, and what is done with it. While in Acts we see Peter and John share their teachings of Jesus and we see that the people do good with it right away, Glory takes this 10% of its runtime to show what happens when people don’t understand one another, don’t know how to communicate, or mock the very idea of communication at all.
In this case, the cost is to the soul, and the cost is too high.
If you’re wondering, no, this scene likely didn’t happen in real life, nor did anyone get flogged in the real 54th Massachusetts. This is dramatic license to emphasize the themes of the film. I don’t deny anyone mixed feelings about all of that. I will say that a film’s job is to make you feel, and scenes like this make you feel.
As for the scripture passage, I’d like to think this is how it happened, that people were not greedy but helped the needy. If anything, I’d like to see we in real life take more dramatic license with the world around us and give it a try. God knows, there’s plenty of need.
