I will admit it, I love "24!" But in honor of these 21 days, I decided to try to put a spiritual spin on it last night (maybe just to make myself feel better about my guilty pleasure.)
So here's what I came up with:
Larry: The consummate Pharisee. His heart is in the right place, sort of. . .I mean he seems to really want to do the right thing. . . but he is so caught up in the rules that he can't truly help anyone. His valiant attempts to be in control and make everyone stick to the rules, no matter what, result in more harm than good for those he is hoping to save. He is missing the forrest for the trees. Jesus called the religious leaders of His day "blind guides," who were missing the mark--and told them they were making their converts "twice the sons of hell" as they were themselves. Whenever it stops being about the people who need saving and becomes more about control and regulations and protocol, something is missing. Larry just needs get out of Jack's way and off of his back so he can get on with saving the day!
Agent Walker: Work with me on this one. I'm going with Nicodemus. He was a pharisee who visited Jesus secretly (John 3) to find out what He was really about--thinking that maybe what Jesus was saying and doing actually made more sense than his own cohorts did. Convinced that Jesus was worth listening to, he later argued with those of whom he was "one of their number" for a fair trial for Jesus, and even assisted with the burial of Jesus after His crucifixion. I think Agent Walker, although originally also one of the "blind guides," has seen that Jack really can be trusted, and she is willing to go "against her own number" to assist him, defend him, and help him do his job.
Chloe and Tony: The disciples! They would follow Jack to the ends of the earth (and certainly to the end of their careers) to see what he's up to! And to save people, of course. Jesus' disciples were so convinced He was right, so sure of what they had seen with their own eyes and experienced in their own time with Him, that they all continued their ministry, even after His resurrection, until the end of their days--and the end was not pretty for all but one of them.
Jack: Well of course, you know he's the Jesus figure in all of this. He is here to save the world, and will stop at nothing to do it. There is no sacrifice too big--even his own life--that would keep him from doing what he has to to save these people. He is relentless. He is tireless. He is driven. He is selfless. He has lost everything--his wife, his daughter, I don't know how many friends--he is willing to go to the absolute limit and beyond to save the day. And he breaks protocol!! He is a rebel, unconcerned about his own reputation and ready to go against the "rules" in order to come to the rescue of the people, who he knows can hope only in him.
Who is the mole, by the way? Any ideas?
Well here's the thing: I'm so grateful that we have a real, live, actual hero--so much more amazing than Jack could ever dream about being--in Jesus. And I'm thankful that He was so relentless, so driven, so willing to go up against the Larrys and answer the questions of the Agent Walkers and recruit the Chloes and the Tonys and break protocol and sacrifice everything to save us--because He knew He was our only hope! And if you have any questions about this, any doubt in your mind that He truly is who He says He is and can be trusted. . .with all due respect, just ask around.