The question of what constitutes “real Christianity” has raged in media for the last few decades, often splitting along political lines. In seeking clarification, most look to their favorite priest or pastor for guidance. But if you’ve grown disillusioned with Church leadership, there’s another, less conventional source of clarity regarding Christian goodness. Netflix’s Daredevil. Specifically, season 3.
The sadly final season begins with a strong and unapologetic nod to the original comic: its focus on Matt’s faith, or in this case, his loss of it. In the last episode of The Defenders, a building fell directly on top of Matt Murdock, AKA Daredevil, as well as Elektra, the love of his life whose soul had been stolen by The Hand.
This should have been fatal, to say the least. It wasn’t. By the grace of God (and yes, I mean literally), he was carried away from the wreckage in a drainpipe, found by a cab driver, and taken to St. Agnes’ Church… the orphanage where he grew up.
Until this crushing defeat, Matt lived his life with the certainty he was walking the path God laid out for him. He believed God selected him to be the Devil of Hell’s Kitchen, the protector of the weak. Now, Matt is not so sure.
Hitting Rock Bottom
Matt’s ability to “see” is gone, as his entire sinus system has been severely damaged by the explosion. He doesn’t know why or how he survived and, as his recovery continues at a too-slow pace, he realizes he wishes he didn’t. After all, if he can’t be who he was made to be, then he doesn’t want to be at all.
For Matt, the idea that God did not choose him to be a protector is shattering. It is made all the worse when he discovers Father Lantom and Sister Maggie, his mentors and guides in his faith, have been lying to him since he was a child.
We watch how his inner changes are reflected in his outward behavior. This was another brave and true point the writers made.
If you change on the inside (your beliefs, your outlook, etc.), you WILL change on the outside.
The behavior of a person who believes in one God, the Father the Almighty, will always be different from a person who believes we are merely hairless primates. It must.
God and your Identity
This is something we don’t often admit because, as Westerners, generally we value our secular society. But it is true and it’s why I say that many people who consider themselves to be believers… really aren’t. Let me explain that before you get mad.
Often when you meet a self-identifying Christian, there is no difference between them and your atheist or agnostic friend. If you were to ask one of these believers how their life would change if they WERE an atheist, they have no answer for you.
Would your friends change? The media you consume? The clothes you wear? No. Nothing would change. Because you live like an atheist. Noted Athiest Bill Maher got it exactly right when he said the majority of Christians are not followers of Christ, but merely fans.
But Matt DID believe. And the loss of his belief changed him. He estranged himself from his friends, from his mentors, from his calling. He abandoned his commitment to preserving life, succumbing to the idea that murdering Kingpin is what is right. Except he knows it’s not right; it’s just what he thinks will make him feel better.
Swallowed up by nihilism and self-pity, he becomes a different man. It is only when he comes face to face with a true devil, his mirror image, that he can see what he has become.
Though Matt finds peace with himself and his place in the world by the end of the season, it’s not stated clearly if his faith has actually returned. But I think it has. Because of how he behaved:
He forgave a good man and a good woman who lied to him because they genuinely thought it was right.
He saved his city without committing murder
He accepted the love of his friends, giving of himself to those who needed it most.
Matt Murdock shows us that real Christian faith is not just the “still, small voice,” it is what we do and how we treat one another.
“By their fruits, you will know them.” (Matthew 7:16)
This made me think of the movie Signs. I didn’t see Daredevil but it sounds like Matt Murdock was met with a similar dilemma. When we come to our very own tree of knowledge of good and evil, what will we choose? It’s in those moments, big or small, that we will be shaped. For good or for ill until, to paraphrase CS Lewis in The Weight of Glory, we become either beings so glorious there’d be a temptation to worship or beings more horrible than any nightmare. There are no mere mortals. Love your posts, Kristin!