Film Friday This new take on Shakespeare’s play is set in modern-day London. The story begins with Hamlet coming home for his father’s funeral, his dad was a wealthy Indian businessman, but his ghost tells Hamlet that he was murdered by Hamlet’s uncle who is now marrying Hamlet’s mother. This sets the young man on a quest for revenge. Particularly striking in this version, is the ‘To be or not to be…’ soliloquy which Hamlet recites while dangerously speeding through traffic, driving in the wrong lane, as if this might well be his final moments of ‘being’.
However, not being a Shakespeare aficionado, and never having seen this play before, I struggled to follow the dialogue at times. I spotted bits I recognised but struggled to grasp a lot of the meaning. And this set me thinking about those who heard the stories of Jesus and yet failed to grasp what he was telling them. Jesus spoke in parables so that those with open hearts and minds, and those hungry for God would dig into these stories and be changed by them. But lots of the religious experts refused to grasp what he was telling them, already having made up their own minds about the nature of God.
There many moments in the Bible when God woos his people, beckoning to them through parables and mysteries, longing that they wrestle with what he is saying. In Matthew 13 v 11-12 Jesus told his disciples he had come to reveal the secrets of the kingdom to them. At times, when they struggle with his message, it almost seems as if he is speaking another language to them. But he has come to reveal the true nature of the love and presence of God. And often that might challenge our preconceptions. Let those who are ready, receive what I am saying, Jesus tells them. And us. And often we are told it was only after the resurrection that the penny dropped. So for us, Lord, please help us to hear and receive your good news today.
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