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In the 2004 movie “The Terminal,” Tom Hanks plays Victor, an Eastern European immigrant. Viktor, after having spent months at JFK airport, has finally gained clearance to go to New York City to make good on his promise to his father to collect the last signature for his jazz greats collection. Only the vengeful airport field commissioner, Frank, stands in Victor’s way.
Viktor arrives at Frank's office to get the final signature he needs, finally, to get into New York City. Frank will not give it. He considers Viktor to have been an irritant since his arrival, and, so, Frank will not help Victor. Frank tells Viktor that he will have to go straight home to Krakosia, but Viktor insists that he be allowed to go to New York City.
During residency at the airport, Viktor has made many friends. Frank uses them, viciously, to force Viktor to give up his quest to get into New York City. Frank observes, "Part of my job as field commissioner is to get rid of undesirables. There are quite a few. Like this guy, Joe Mulvoy? I think you know him. Joe's been here about twenty years, but it turns out that he's been running an after-hours poker game, bringing in liquor, marijuana. Poor guy's gonna lose his pension. I think he has kids, too. Then there's this guy, Enrique Cruz. I think you also know Enrique. Enrique, as it turns out, has been letting people into the food preparation area, that's a major security breach." Frank shows Viktor some security tape of Enrique escorting Viktor to get some food. "Poor guy, I think he's a newlywed, but I'm gonna have to let him go. Then there's Gupta Rajan, he's a janitor. But, as it turns out, he's wanted for assaulting a police officer back in India in 1979. I'll have to deport him."
All three of these men have been of much help to Viktor during his stay. Frank has known about them for a long time, but he is using them to force Viktor out. As Viktor recognizes what Frank is doing, he hangs his head and says, "I will go home. I will go home." Frank tells him that if he does not get on his plane today, "they're all gone, do you understand?" Viktor says he understands and moves to leave.
As Viktor walks toward his gate, he encounters the friends that he is trying to protect by leaving. None of them understands why he is, apparently, giving up so easily. Finally, Viktor passes by Gupta, the man from India, who upbraids him, telling him to fight and calling him a coward. Gupta continues to yell at Viktor as he walks away, until an airport policeman comes up to Gupta and explains the sacrifice Viktor has made to save them all.
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Soon, Gupta is out on the tarmac of the airport. His goal is to delay Viktor's flight, so that Victor can have time to enter the city and make good his promise to his father. Gupta walks up to the arriving airplane, mop in hand, and strikes the tire on its landing gear. Police arrive on the scene to arrest him, and the flight is delayed.
Victor was willing to give up his life quest to save his friends. He did this even when they did not understand his motives. Victor is a Christ-like figure, in his willingness to surrender his wishes out of love for his friends:
9"I have loved you even as the Father has loved me. Remain in my love. 10When you obey me, you remain in my love, just as I obey my Father and remain in his love. 11I have told you this so that you will be filled with my joy. Yes, your joy will overflow! 12I command you to love each other in the same way that I love you. 13And here is how to measure it--the greatest love is shown when people lay down their lives for their friends. (St. John 15.9-13, NLT)
Sacrifice is essential to the message of Good Friday. Obviously, the image of Christ as blood sacrifice, while utilizing an image from an ancient form of Worship many today would consider barbaric, is still an image that powerfully resonates with many of us. And, regardless of the fact that different theories on how to interpret the death of Jesus have been offered by thoughtful theologians, this concept reminds us, we who will likely never be killed for our faith or ideals, that there are many ways that we are called upon to surrender our self-will, goals, comforts, and pride to serve others. Giving our lives in many little sacrifices over the years, as well as some larger sacrifices, is one way we participate in the Likeness of Christ and his self-oblation from love for us and in obedience to the one he called “my Father.”
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