Since 1984 the whole world knows of Daniel “Danielson” LaRusso, Ali Mills, the “Cobra Kai”, and of course Mr. Miyagi. Allusions are made to this movie. . .
Wait you don’t know them!? You don’t know the “Karate Kid”!? Where have you been!? Stop what you are doing! Go right now, get a copy of the DVD, go to a streaming service. Find this movie! Watch this classic! By the way, do you know Bugs Bunny and the Looney Tunes gang? NO!!! Go watch them too! You cannot be a culturally relevant person without the Karate Kid, and you cannot consider yourself an educated, sophisticated person without Bugs Bunny, Daffy Duck, Elmer Fudd, or the rest of the Looney Tunes characters!
Ok, now that that’s taken care of, back to Mr. Miyagi and the Bible. 1 Remember the scenes in the movie after Daniel, called “Danielson” by Mr. Miyagi, had convinced Mr. Miyagi to teach him karate so he could defend himself against a group of guys from the “Cobra Kai”, one of whom was Ali’s ex. These are the scenes where Mr. Miyagi gives Danielson the task of washing his fleet of classic cars and then waxing them. He requires him to use a very particular motion for “wax on” and “wax off”. After completing this task, he is given the task of painting Mr. Miyagi’s fence. He is to paint the fence all the way around his large yard…both sides of the fence! Again, this task is to be done with a very particular motion, alternating arms with each plank. Daniel, at this point, is getting very tired of doing work but not being taught karate. Mr. Miyagi gives Danielson yet another task. This time to sand the wooden deck which runs throughout his backyard gardens. Once again, a particular motion is required for the task.
Daniel has done each task as assigned with great care to follow Mr. Miyagi’s instructions, but he is about to lose it; he is fed up. He did not sign up to do free labor but to learn karate. Mr. Miyagi tells Danielson to demonstrate each motion; “wax on”, wax off”, “paint the fence” with both arms, and “sand the floor” again with each arm. Danielson does this with the “enthusiasm” of any frustrated teenager. Then out of the blue, Mr. Miyagi attacks Daniel! Bing, bang, boom! Instinctively Daniel used “wax on” and “wax off” to block the shots. He then uses “paint the fence” to block kicks from Mr. Miyagi and “sand the floor” to block additional attacks. Then in a flurry of attacks, Daniel uses a combination of the skills he has unknowingly learned to fend off Mr. Miyagi. After the attack ends, Daniel realizes he was doing more than “stupid chores” but was learning the foundation of the karate skills he was seeking.
Jesus explains in Luke 24:25–27; John 5:39 and John 5:46–47 that the OT is about Him. He is the point, the reason, and the purpose of the Hebrew Scripture – law, the prophets, and the writing – or as we would call it the Old Testament (OT).
Paul used the word “guardian” in Galatians 3:24 of a teacher or a guide, originally, referring to the slave who conducted students from the home to the school. The idea is that the purpose of the OT is to lead us to the teacher: Jesus. The OT was given to us to teach us of the foundation of sin and righteousness. It showed us how we are lost and in need of a Savior. Just as, unknown to Danielson, Mr. Miyagi was leading Daniel to karate, the OT is leading us to Christ.
So, in the Gospel of John, John the Baptist identifies Jesus as the “the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world!” (John 1:29 ESV). Bing, bang, boom! Instinctively, through a lifetime of learning generation after generation, the people knew what John meant; he did not have to explain it. They knew John was saying that somehow this man was the payment for our sin. Jesus was the sacrificial lamb who was offered on Passover so God would pass over the people’s sins without requiring of them the debt owed by their sin.
The Old Testament is not old, dead or useless; it has been fulfilled in the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus the Christ. From the very beginning of the Church, it was our Scripture. It was the Bible of Jesus, the apostles, and the first century church even as the Gospels and other works of the NT were being written and added to the Bible forming the New Testament thus completing our understanding of God.
When we study the OT to learn what God was saying to the people of those days, we should never leave it without asking what is there to learn about God. God is more interested in you learning of Him, to glorify Him, than to learn of historical events or moral instructions. What is God telling us in His Word about Himself, whether the Trinity as a whole or individual – about the Father, Son or Holy Spirit? If we leave the text without this, we have gathered facts, yet not moved closer to understanding our God or growing in our personal relationship with Him!
While you know the fictional characters of Danielson, his girlfriend Alli, even the bad guys of Cobra Kia, and, of course, Mr. Miyagi, do you know the one true God? Do you have a personal relationship with God through Jesus Christ? If not, read “Knowing God” to find out how you too can have this relationship. If you do have this relationship, then don’t skip the OT. While the NT is wonderful, there are treasures to be found in the whole Bible especially in the Old Testament!
Until the next time we see you here at CultivatingFaith.org, God Bless! #CultivatingFaithOrg
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Feature Image Photo by Charlein Gracia on Unsplash
- I wish I could take credit for this “Karate Kid” illustration but it comes from Mike Winger of Biblethinker.org. This is a great site with a ton of material. Check it out, it is well worth your time!