Apologies to the one or two of you out there who have been following this blog for the long hiatus. Most of my "spare" time has been diverted to family, church, and my other blog this past month.I came across this thoughtful piece written by Guillermo del Toro and Chuck Hogan in today's NY Times. The writers opine about why our culture is obsessed with the subject of vampires in film, television, and literature. It struck a chord with me because my wife recently discovered the Twilight trilogy of books. We've been discussing the books almost every night. The concept of vampires stuck in an unending undead existence as teenagers tickles us.
Tracing the modern legend of vampires back to 1816, Hogan and del Toro identify some similarities between then and now. The birth of the vampire legend came out of a time of famine when people were deprived of basic needs and faced with a sense of their mortality. As Hogan and del Toro trace the social conditions behind the birth of vampire lore, they observe:
"in contrast to timeless creatures like the dragon, the vampire does not seek to obliterate us, but instead offers a peculiar brand of blood alchemy. For as his contagion bestows its nocturnal gift, the vampire transforms our vile, mortal selves into the gold of eternal youth, and instills in us something that every social construct seeks to quash: primal lust. If youth is desire married with unending possibility, then vampire lust creates within us a delicious void, one we long to fulfill."
The New Testament Greek word for "lust" is epithumia, "over-desire" (Gal. 5:16). This word describes a desire that controls us. According to the Bible, our "over-desires" do not fill a void; they create one.
One common theme in vampire lore is tragedy. The tantalizing promise of immortality in these tales comes with a heavy price. The truth is that an immortal existence with nothing to occupy us than our obsession with our own desires does not a satisfying and peaceful life make. The answer is not in the rejection of all desire either. Desire is truly a human emotion.
The good news is that God has provided us with someone who can satisfy all our desires through eternity: himself! While vampire lore encourages us to fantasize about the nearness of immortality (anyone can be bit by a vampire), the Bible shows us that immortality is far beyond the reach of the best of us. Yet God came down from heaven, was born as a man, not to become a vampire who feeds on human blood, but to become the God-Man who dies on the cross and rises again so all who believe in him can feed on him in the sacrament of the Lord's Supper (Matt. 26:26-29). Jesus reconciles us with God, renews and strengthens us by his word, spirit, and sacraments, and he will bring all who believe in him into eternal glory to enjoy him forever.
I don't think I will stop watching vampire movies. They're just so entertaining! But I find deep comfort in knowing the difference between fantasy and reality. I give thanks to God that the good news offered to me in Jesus Christ is not the stuff of myth, but the counter-intuitive message that exposes human mythology for what it is.
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