Reflections on Dune 2, The Film

I watched Dune Part 2 last night at the cinema, and here is a thought which came to me during the film.

We live within patterns.

We are born, grow, decay and die.  We wake, work, rest and then sleep to wake again.

The patterns go beyond the human experience.  Mountains rise and then erode to dust.  Water falls on the land, runs into the sea, evaporates and returns as rain.

Everything in Creation is locked into a pattern.

In the Dune story, we see a pattern of group oppression, power vacuum, messiah, victory and then we will see vilification and loss in Dune Messiah.

Paul Atreides, a natural leader, finds himself part of a group which is under attack from the House of Harkonnen.  The Fremen cry out for a leader, which creates a political and spiritual vacuum.   He becomes their messiah and takes them to victory.  Though in time, after billions die in a holy war, Paul perceives the next step in the pattern.  He allows himself to be vilified.  In the end, he walks away from the Emperor’s throne into the desert.

Like with this story, every political career ends in disappointment.

Christ, in part, lives this messiah pattern too.  But rather than follow it, He masters it.  In fact, He masters many patterns in His earthly ministry.

When we trust in Christ, we are joining with him in breaking the pattern of this world.  Breaking the pattern of sin and demonic deception.   Breaking the pattern of vendettas and escalating violence.  Breaking Death itself, and leading us all to the Resurrection.

Paul Atreides is not a Christ figure.  Paul fails and makes the mistake of allowing himself to be tamed by the pattern.  He becomes trapped by it.  But then Paul is not God.   

Whereas Paul’s story leads to ignominy, Christ’s story leads to glory.