King Kong

There’s nothing bigger than King Kong! Except maybe the Peter Jackson remake. But coming off the back of the epic Lord of the Rings trilogy you’d have to expect something pretty big from Mr Jackson.
Kong has everyone quaking—animal and human alike. Any and all of the nasty big-teethed critters of Skull Island come off second best against him. The natives of the island live in fear. They have built an impenetrable wall between themselves and the rest of the island and cower in the shadows of their fortress. In a vain attempt to appease the brutal monster they even offer human sacrifices.
When Carl Denham and his film crew arrive on the island the savages’ mistrust is directed at them. It seems fear and suspicion is all they know.
At his first sight of Kong, Denham knows that this is the creature that will make him rich and famous if he can only capture him on film. Or better yet, he could capture Kong himself and take him back to New York, offering his audiences an unrivalled spectacle.
In fact Denham sees the whole world in this way. He is wilfully oblivious to the danger he constantly places his crew in for the sake of making the film that will bring him wealth and glory. He doesn’t even seem to be aware of the kindness he pays to Ann Darrow when they first meet in New York. His only real concern is that she fits the dresses of the actress who’s just pulled out of his film and can get him out of a jam.
If anyone has real reason to fear Kong it’s Ann. Roughly grabbed and dragged though the jungle, she can expect only to be ripped apart and devoured by the monstrous ape. Ann evades this fate and is able to uncover a gentler side of the beast. Rather that killing her, Kong risks his own life to save hers. And it is for Ann’s sake that he captured, bound and treated as a public spectacle. He is misunderstood, mistreated and finally killed because of his “love” for Ann.
The natives of Skull Island treat Kong as a god. There are probably some Christians who have a similar relationship with their God. Admittedly I haven’t seen any human sacrifices at the church I go to! But when fear and obligation motivate us we are acting in that same primitive way. And if all we know is fear and suspicion, the way we treat others will suffer—it’s not a good basis for any relationship.
There are Carl Denham Christians as well. If it’s all about what I can get out of it, I’m probably not caring about anyone else. If I only want a tame God I can show off to an audience and take advantage of, then it’s probably not going to happen. And despite capturing Kong, Denham never knows him the way Ann does.
It’s hard to define Ann Darrow’s relationship with Kong. It’s certainly not your usual love story. Just so, God sometimes seems more like King Kong than a lover/brother/father or some of the other more normal, tangible images we have of Him. And our relationship with Him can be equally difficult to define sometimes. Maybe that’s why the Bible and Christian history are full of so many different images. Let’s add another one to the list: Jesus is my Kong!

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1 JOHN 4:17, 18