Pay It Forward
Receive the Kingdom of God as a Little Child!
Mark
10:13-16
- In the Gospel, we read that the disciples were quick to dismiss the
children, thinking them unimportant and not worthy of Jesus'
attention. Jesus corrects them, however, declaring the the Kingdom of
God belongs to these little ones because they have the right attitude and
know how to welcome it.
- In Pay It Forward, Trevor is a "little one" who knows how
to welcome the Kingdom. When challenged by Mr. Simonet to make a
positive difference in the world, he takes up the challenge and develops the
"Pay It Forward" plan.
- Unlike most people, Trevor doesn't see a problem with envisioning a
perfect world, a "Kingdom of God on earth." This is
something which "required an extreme act of faith in the world,"
as his teach says. Many others, unfortunately, lack this same faith:
- Many of his classmates doubt that Trevor's plan could ever work.
- Eugene Simonet, who at first seems to have this faith (since he gave
the assignment), actually does not:
- He tells Arlene (Trevor's mom) that he doesn't really expect his
students to do much.
- He doesn't have faith in other people, doubting Trevor's sincerity
when the boy asks about his scars; rather, he suspects that Trevor
wants to know in order to tell the other students.
- Despite his claims that "the realm of possibility exists in
each of you," at first Mr. Simonet believes it impossible for
him to forgive Arlene.
- Arlene, too, lacks Trevor's deep faith:
- When Eugene asks about how much time she gets to spend with her
son, Arlene automatically assumes he is making a judgment about her
personal life.
- When Eugene uses big words in his speech, Arlene automatically
assumes he is looking down on her.
- Arlene cannot believe that Eugene likes her "that way."
- Over and over again, Trevor proves his deep faith, his welcoming of
"Kingdom of God" ideals:
- The first sign that Trevor welcomes the Kingdom of God is that he
follows the example of Jesus and sit down to dinner with the
outcast. Not only does Trevor welcome Jerry into his home and give
him his dinner, but he immediately refers to his as "his
friend." By his actions, Trevor shows people that they are
worthy of care. Trevor cares for Jerry, who in turn cares for the
woman about to commit suicide, despite her claims that "I'm not
worth it... Trust me!"
- Trevor is always ready to forgive. When his mother comes to him
in the bus station and apologizes, Trevor rushes to hug her. (The
scene reminds us a little of the story of the Prodigal Son, whose father
rushes down the road to embrace and forgive his son. This time,
the role of parent and child are reversed.)
- Even after Arlene makes the mistake of letting Ricky (Trevor's dad)
back into their lives, Trevor forgives her, saying "Everybody makes
mistakes."
- Trevor also teaches others how to have this deep faith, how to make the
Kingdom of God real in our world:
- Trevor has deep faith in the goodness of others. He believes
that Mr. Simonet could still forgive Arlene, even though she believed
herself to be unforgiveable. In fact, despite the fact that Eugene
first believes it impossible to forgive Arlene ("I cannot do
that!"), Trevor's example eventually opens him up to the
possibility.
- Arlene, too, learns forgiveness. She begins by learning how to
be forgiven. In the bus station, she says to Trevor:
"You have no reason to tryst me... If you can think it's possible
that I can do it [change], then I think I can..."
- Later, Arlene learns to forgive others. She seeks out her mother
and forgives her for all that had happened in her childhood.
- Arlene and Eugene both learn, through the persistence of Trevor, that
they are indeed loveable.
"It's possible. The realm of possibility
exists in each of you.
So you can do it. You can surprise us..."
Questions:
The people who benefited from Trevor's "pay it
forward" plan really didn't "earn" the kindnesses that they
receive, and yet they were given these gifts anyways. What about us?
Do we need to "earn" the gifts of God?
Do you believe that you can change the world for the
better?
Do you do it?
For more about the film, check out its entry at the Internet
Movie Database.
For another look at the film in connection with the gospel, check out the
entry at The Text
This Week.
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