Happy Good Friday, friends, and welcome to another Gospel According to post!
Fandom: “Death cannot stop true love. All it can do is delay it for a little while.” – Westley, The Princess Bride
Verses: Luke 24:5-6, 1 Corinthians 15:54-57, Song of Solomon 8:6-7
Truth: Nothing can stop God’s love from reaching us, no matter where we are or what’s going on. Jesus defeated death on the Cross, and He will one day end all death forever when He returns.
p[;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;p;[”””””Tigris says hi : )
I was originally going to publish this post on Good Friday, so here’s a brief round-up of previous Good Friday posts:
Previous Good Friday posts
- 2023: Aang restores balance – I’m still super proud of this one! A very deep dive into the themes of ATLA and the final battle between Aang and the Fire Lord. There are so many connections between the Avatar restoring balance to the world and Jesus restoring relationship between God and humanity.
- 2022: Everlark thousand lifetimes – My OTP is of course a lovely illustration of God’s overwhelming, unconditional, risk-it-all love for us. There’s literally a quote that says Katniss could never earn Peeta’s love for her, which of course points to Jesus’ love for us!
- 2021: Twenty One Pilots “Smithereens” – A sweet romantic song where the singer promises to do anything for his beloved, which is a beautiful picture of Jesus paying the ultimate price for our sins.
- 2021: Imagine Dragons “Next to Me” – One of my all-time favorite songs that talks about how the singer doesn’t deserve his beloved, but is continually blown away by their faithfulness.
This week’s post feels more like Easter, so let’s talk about it now!
the fandom
This quote is absolutely iconic, as is most of The Princess Bride. Like seriously, that whole movie is basically a meme XD. And while Westley and Buttercup’s relationship isn’t the most harmonious (it’s based entirely on her bossing him around lol), there are some lovely romantic moments there. And this is truly a jewel among them:
Westley, after returning from presumed death: Death cannot stop true love; all it can do is delay it a little while. Buttercup: I will never doubt again... (and she goes on to doubt him and his love several more times)
Of course this story is human and Westley didn’t actually die. In fact, there are very few stories (looking at you, Harry Potter) where a character literally dies and comes back. I think there’s a good reason for that: we don’t dare imagine a hero who can and will come back from the dead. It’s like the well-known Christian writer, Max Lucado, said:
We have made many heroes… We give it the best we can, every benefit of every doubt, every supernatural strength, and, for a brief shining moment we have the hero we need- the king who can deliver Camelot. But then the truth leaks and fact surfaces amidst the fiction and the chinks in the armor are seen. And we realize that the heroes, as noble as they may have been, as courageous as they are, were conceived in the same stained society as you and I. Except one… – Max Lucado, And the Angels Were Silent, page 100
We love to read and watch and hear the great love stories because they are all pointing back to the greatest Love story of all. Westley coming back from Buttercup’s belief that he is dead is only a shadow of the Love that actually is greater than Death. Let’s celebrate it!
the verses
While they were perplexed about this, behold, two men [suddenly] stood near them in gleaming clothing; and as the women were terrified and bowed their faces to the ground, [the men] said to them, “Why are you seeking the living One among the dead? He is not here, but He has risen. Remember how He spoke to you while He was still in Galilee…
Luke 24:4-6 NASB
This account of the resurrection comes from a group of women who, fully convinced that Jesus was dead, went to the tomb to anoint His body. As they walk towards it, they wonder, “Who will move the (very large and heavy) stone away for us?” And they find that God Himself has already moved it for them!
But when this perishable puts on the imperishable, and this mortal puts on immortality, then will come about the saying that is written: “DEATH HAS BEEN SWALLOWED UP in victory. “WHERE, O DEATH, IS YOUR VICTORY? WHERE, O DEATH, IS YOUR STING?” The sting of death is sin, and the power of sin is the Law; but thanks be to God, who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.
1 Corinthians 15:54-57 NASB
Again, with Jesus’ death, He took on the punishment for our sin. And with His life, He gave us the power to overcome death and the Law. Because of our new life in Christ, we are no longer bound to the impossible standard of perfection demanded by the Law. We don’t have to make sacrifices of any kind, although we are meant to obey from a place of love. Instead of fearful labor, we now have a relationship of peace and love. Instead of a distant hero, we now have a Lord who is right here with us, in every season and every moment of life.
“Put me like a seal over your heart, Like a seal on your arm. For love is as strong as death, Jealousy is as severe as Sheol; Its flames are flames of fire, The flame of the LORD. Many waters cannot quench love, Nor will rivers flood over it; If a man were to give all the riches of his house for love, It would be utterly despised.”
Song of Solomon 8:6-7 NASB
Song of Solomon is a book of poetry, which means that, within reason, there can be more than one meaning to it. In previous studies of this book, I learned that it can be interpreted as 1) the literal love between a man and woman, before and after their wedding, 2) the allegorical love between God and the nation of Israel, and 3) the allegorical love between Christ and the Church, His bride.
In this case, we can connect the third interpretation to the verses already quoted above and conclude that Christ’s love is literally stronger than Death itself. He is the only one capable of going all the way to the grave and BACK for us, and HE DID. Come on! That is SO GOOD! Death could not stop the True Love that Christ showed for us on the Cross; in fact, it was only a brief obstacle to be overcome in three days.
And that gives this passage in Song of Solomon a whole new layer of meaning to me! Because the word translated as “heart” in Hebrew also includes “mind, will, emotions,” while the “arm” symbolizes strength. So we, the Church, the Bride of Christ, are to bind His love as a seal on our hearts and minds, and on our actions, because His love is as strong (stronger!) than Death. Nothing can overwhelm or overcome it.
For I am convinced that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor things present, nor things to come, nor powers, nor height, nor depth, nor any other created thing will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord.
Romans 8:38-39 NASB
I’ve been reading some of the Christian Dating Books recently, and have actually been really enjoying it. A year ago, I couldn’t picture myself ever being in a relationship again, and now I’m dreaming of marriage… But there’s this one quote I want to share in relation to this passage and the one above:
“How is love like death? They are alike in their strength. When death takes hold of something, it never lets go. Love is like this. How do you know real love? It grabs hold and says, “I am staying for better and for worse.” There is a deep sense of commitment. A resolve to stay even when it requires the discomfort of working through problems.” – Ben Stuart, Single, Dating, Engaged, Married, page 155
That is the love that I hope to cultivate in my own life, now and in the future. That is the love I pray you will find or have already found for yourself, if that is what God has in store for you. And that is the love I KNOW God has for all of us, individually, personally, from the very beginning of time. Nothing, but nothing, will ever make Him withdraw or even decrease His love for us. Nothing!
the Gospel according to the Princess Bride
I believe that the Gospel message, or the steps of becoming a believer and receiving the gift of salvation, can be broken up into three parts:
- I am. Who is God? What is He like? Who are we, and why are we here? Is there more to life than just the time between our birth and our death?
- God is the Creator and Lord of everything that we know. He is light, He is absolutely perfect, and He is all-powerful and all-knowing. He is also love, and He created each and every one of us to live in relationship with Him. We, on the other hand, are hard-wired to resist that relationship. Because of the rebellion of the first humans, our nature is to resist God’s rule, and we are therefore separated from Him. This separation is called sin. Our sin causes us to feel a void or emptiness that we try to fill with other relationships or pursuits (like pleasure or success), but that can only truly be filled with the relationship with God that we were meant to have. For more thoughts on this, check out this post.
- With you. How can I “fix” my sin problem and find joy, peace, and a relationship with God?
- There is only one way to restore the relationship that we were always meant to have with the God who created us, and that is Jesus. As we already discussed above, Jesus, the Son of God, came as a human to rescue and restore us while we were weak, helpless to fix ourselves. He showed the love of God for us by subjecting Himself to all of the indignities and suffering of the Cross, and died a criminal’s death, even though He had done no wrong. Because of His perfect sacrifice, Jesus was able to end the eternal separation between us and God, and now gives us the choice to receive His gift of salvation and eternal life. For more thoughts, see this post.
- Always. God shows His faithfulness and steadfast love for His people (originally Israel, now including all who believe in Him) throughout Scripture. He will always be with us, and gives us reminders of His presence and His truth through Holy Spirit, who inhabits every believer. Through Him, we have eternal forgiveness of sin, access to His throne room through prayer, and the ability to grow into the people we were always meant to be, free from the power of sin. After we die, we have the promise of Heaven, where we will see our Lord face to face and never have to suffer or be separated from Him again. For more thoughts, see this post.
This fandom relates most clearly to the “with you” segment of the Gospel story. Jesus proved that He was both willing AND able to give Himself up for us so that we could be restored to relationship with our Father. Nothing can ever separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus, not even Death! The one thing that will end every love story on Earth has no power in the face of His love for us. All we have to do is believe it, receive His forgiveness and invitation into relationship, and strive never to doubt Him again. Just like Westley was willing to risk his life to make a living for himself and his love, Jesus risked and paid everything in the world to make a way for us to be with Him. And just like Buttercup received her love back from the dead (or so she thought), Jesus came back to life for us, and one day He will be back to put an end to Death once and for all.
If you’re reading this and you don’t have a relationship with the Lord, what are you waiting for? You can have peace and confidence knowing that your past, present, and future are secure. Click on any of the links above to find out more, or feel free to email me at thefangirlfulfilled@gmail.com or DM me @the.fangirl.fulfilled to talk about it more. I’d love to share with you!
Application
In response to what we’ve learned and discussed today, here are some “I will statements” to live out in real, real life:
- I will trust and rejoice in the True Love of my Savior
- I will choose to keep believing despite the (lifelong) wait
- I will ask the Lord to remove any doubts I have about His love for me
Free printable!
Here’s a free printable sticker set inspired by this quote from The Princess Bride. I loved these beautiful stained glass images and couldn’t wait to use them in my own journaling! This printable also features hand-lettered Bible verses and a mixed media drawing that I made myself.
Conclusion
I hope you’ve enjoyed this little exploration of the iconic “Death cannot stop true love” quote from The Princess Bride. Did you grow up watching this movie as many times as I did? What’s your favorite scene? I’d love to know!
Happy Easter!
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