It’s ‘The Gospel According to Harry Potter’ Week
at the Napkin Dad Daily!
My daughter Caitlin has been reading and watching the Harry Potter books since she was 10 years old. It’s now coming to an end and she is very nostalgic about it all. We are watching ALL the movies, one a night, for 7 days. THEN we will go see the last movie.
I heard a great quote spoken by Headmaster Albus Dumbledore in the second movie, ‘Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets’. When I came to draw the image to go along with the quote the obvious example that came to mind was the biblical story of the Good Samaritan.
The story is thus: Jesus is being asked how someone can attain eternal life. His response is to ask what is written in the law and how does the questioner reads it.
The questioner gives the answer, “Love your God with all your heart and love your neighbor as yourself” to which Jesus agrees.
The questioner is being a bit defensive at this point and asks, “But who is my neighbor?”
In response Jesus tells the story of the Good Samaritan.
A man is beaten, robbed and left for dead on the road to Jericho. A priest sees the stricken man, moves to the other side of the road and walks on by. A Levite (one of the 12 tribes of Israel, the tribe from which priests are chosen) also walks by, sees the man, moves to the other side of the road and walks on by. Finally a Samaritan (an ethnic group that did not get along well at all with the Jews of the era) walks by, sees the man, goes over to him and helps him with his injuries. He then takes him to an inn and stays with him overnight. The next morning he gives the innkeeper money enough for 2 more nights. He asks the innkeeper to take good care of him until he returns, at which point he will pay whatever extra expenses have accrued.
Jesus then asks the questioner, “Who among the three travelers was the neighbor?”
The questioner answers, “The one who showed mercy on him.”
Jesus answers, “Go and do the same.”
Dumbledore is teaching the same lesson. What you choose to do is more important than whatever talent or prestige you may have. Many have immense talent and ability but waste it doing stupid, evil, wasteful things. Many who have minimal talent use what they have for good. That is what matters, what you do with what you have.
Drawing and commentary by Marty Coleman of The Napkin Dad Daily
Quote by J. K. Rowling, 1965-not dead yet, British author