Finding Christ in Middle Earth

And when men, elves, dwarves, and hobbits struggle with all their might against evil of Middle Earth, rewards aren’t the result. More struggles and constant suffering are the result. That seems a lot like our Christian lives under the cross.

By Rev. Bruce Keseman

I read The Lord of the Rings trilogy at least three times before I ever realized it had any connection to Christianity. I just enjoyed the books.

J.R.R.Tolkien said that he didn’t originally intend for his writings to reflect his faith. But when the Holy Spirit makes you a Christian, allusions to Christ are bound to slip in. And Tolkien was a Christian, so I guess I shouldn’t be surprised by all of the Biblical images in his works.

The Lord of the Rings shows us a fallen world that needs to be saved. Most of us identify even more with the hobbits than with the humans in Tolkien’s tales. Maybe that’s because hobbits are as frail as we are. Most of the hobbits in the Shire aren’t even aware that an enemy is assaulting them. If you have the same experience as me, a lot of your friends ignore Satan. Some of them refuse to believe he even exists. As Tolkien shows, that’s dangerous!

But even the hobbits who recognize the power of Sauron have no ability to resist him. We Christians can’t stand on our own against Satan’s schemes. What temptations are especially enticing for you? Where would you be without a Savior?

And when men, elves, dwarves, and hobbits struggle with all their might against the evil of Middle Earth, rewards aren’t the result. More struggles and constant suffering are the result. That seems a lot like our Christian lives under the cross.

Planet Earth needs a Savior. God provides one. He is Jesus. Middle Earth needs a savior. Tolkien provides one. Or maybe Tolkien provides three. I’m convinced that our Lord’s saving work is so extensive that no single character in Middle Earth can represent Him. It takes three fictional saviors together—Gandalf, Frodo, and Aragorn—to represent the one real Jesus.

Remember in catechism class when our pastors talked about the three offices of Christ? Jesus is prophet, priest, and king. It seems to me that Gandalf is a lot like Christ the prophet, Frodo like Christ the priest, and Aragorn like Christ the king.

More than anyone else, Gandalf (the prophet) recalls the past and foretells the future. More importantly, like a real prophet, he is the one who constantly proclaims the truth. Gandalf also dies in his battle with the Balrog, just as Jesus died in his battle with Satan. Gandalf died in the place of elves, dwarves, and hobbits. Jesus died in place of us. Gandalf waged his battle on Mt. Celebdil. Jesus waged His battle on Mt. Calvary. Gandalf appeared alive three weeks after his death. Jesus appeared alive three days after His death.

If Gandalf shares a death and resurrection in common with Christ, Frodo shares a mission in common with Christ. Like a priest, Frodo brings a “sacrifice,” something that must be destroyed so that the world can live. Frodo brings the ring as a sacrifice. Christ brings Himself. Christ’s burden, the cross, weighed Him down with all the evil of our world, past and present. Frodo’s burden, the ring, weighed him down with all the evil of Middle Earth. Still, like Christ, Frodo committed himself to completing the task, even though he expected to die doing it.

And Frodo is like those he saves. Gandalf and Aragorn seem extraordinary by nature—that could represent Christ’s divinity. But Frodo is like everybody else in Middle Earth. That makes me think of Christ’s human nature. Middle Earth needed both natures for salvation. So do we. In Jesus, those two natures are united in one person.

Maybe you have to use some imagination to see Gandalf as prophet and Frodo as priest. But it’s easy to see Aragorn as king. Like our Lord, Aragorn isn’t just any king. He is the king—the king who reigns over his people in love. In the beginning, Aragorn hardly seems like a king. He first appears in obscurity at an inn in a little out-of-the-way town. Sound familiar? Further, Aragorn’s claim to kingship is nothing more than a broken blade from yesteryear. I can’t help but think of the broken stump of Jesse’s family tree that was Christ’s only claim to kingship.

Aragorn also lived like our Lord. He came not to be served but to serve. Aragorn watched over the very people he would save, long before they realized he was their king. Our Lord does the same.

Finally, in a scene reminiscent of Jesus’ last three hours on the cross, Mordor’s shadow covered the whole earth while Aragorn walked the Paths of the Dead. But as it was at the cross, so it was in Middle Earth: the moment when evil seemed most in control was the moment that evil was last in control. Or, to be more precise, evil was never really in control. The victor was known from the beginning. In Middle Earth and on our earth, it’s just a matter of waiting through strange, wonderful, and unexpected events for the victory to be achieved!

Gandalf, Frodo, and Aragorn together provide us with a pretty good picture of Jesus. But their victory, no matter how creatively conceived, remains a fictional figment of J.R.R. Tolkien’s imagination. Jesus, on the other hand, is real. Jesus died and rose for you. And that makes fact even better than fiction!

Rev. Bruce Keseman, pastor of Christ Our Savior Lutheran Church, Freeburg, Illinois, invites you to send him a list of the Biblical allusions that you notice in The Return of the King. Feel free to e-mail comments to him at ChristOurSav91@aol.com.