Virtue in LOTR - Faith

Faith – Hebrews 11 and Faramir
Since faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen … a living faith must change behavior.

For example:

1 John 1:5-7
This is the message we have heard from him and proclaim to you, that God is light, and in him is no darkness at all. If we say we have fellowship with him while we walk in darkness, we lie and do not practice the truth. But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus his Son cleanses us from all sin.

A living faith produces faithfulness as a fruit of the Spirit. We are to submit ourselves, by the mercies of God (not in our own strength) as living sacrifices, holy and acceptable, as a spiritual worship. We are not to be conformed to this world but we are to be transformed by the renewal of our minds so that we may discern the will of God and what is good, acceptable, and perfect (Romans 12:1-2). We are called to live faithfully as stewards of our lives.

I think one of the most exceptional characters in the LOTR is an illustration of an a faithful steward and that is Faramir. To make his faithfulness more striking Tolkien provides Faramir’s brother Boromir and his father Denethor of Gondor. Boromir couldn’t stand to be around the One Ring of Power. Boromir wanted the Ring for himself and he was unfaithful to the charge he was given as one of the Fellowship of the Ring.

This is what Faramir says about his brother:

‘And this I remember of Boromir as a boy, when we together learned the tale of our sires and the history of our city, that always it displeased him that his father was not king. “How many hundreds of years needs it to make a steward a king, if the king returns not?” he asked. “Few years, maybe, in other places of less royalty, “ my father answered. “In Gondor ten thousand years would not suffice.” Alas! Poor Boromir. Does that not tell you something of him?’ (LOTR 2.278)

It sounds like the question each of us should be asking ourselves to remind us that God is Lord and we are stewards of our lives and of all resources in our control. We need to be careful about sitting on the throne of our lives while we call Jesus Lord.

Faramir had a deep respect for Mithrandir or Gandalf. In fact, it aggravated his strained relationship with his faithless father Denethor.

Here is what Faramir says about himself:

‘For myself,’ said Faramir, ‘I would see the White Tree in flower again in the courts of the kings, and the Silver Crown return, and Minas Tirith in peace: Minas Anor again as of old, full of light, high and fair, beautiful as a queen among other queens: not a mistress of many slaves, nay, not even a kind mistress of willing slaves. War must be, when we defend our lives against the destroyer who would devour all; but I do not love the bright sword for its sharpness, nor the arrow for its swiftness, nor the warrior for his glory. I love only that which they defend: the city of the Men of Númenor; and I would have her loved for her memory, her ancientry, her beauty, and her present wisdom. Not feared, save as men may fear the dignity of a man, old and wise.

Faramir was confronted with the ring and it was within his grasp. It stumbled his brother and he failed at the trial. Faramir vowed that, “Not if I found it on the highway would I take it” and comments to Frodo, “If you took this thing on yourself, unwilling, at others’ asking, then you have pity and honour from me. And I marvel at you: to keep it hid and not to use it. You are a new people and a new world to me.”

We see the unfaithfulness of his father Denethor at the end of his life. He selfishness and unfaithfulness nearly result in the death of Faramir. Denethor decides to kill himself and choose the time of his passing. The steward had played King so long that he thought he would decide when to lay down his life (ironically this gift was given to Aragorn the true King).

Gandalf told Denethor in his grief that “Authority is not given to you, Steward of Gondor, to order the hour of your death” and that “To me it would not seem that a Steward who faithfully surrenders his charge is diminished in love or in honour.”

Faramir was on his deathbed but Aragorn called to him and treated him in the Houses of Healing and when he awoke he said, “My lord, you called me. I come. What does the king command?” There are so many flashes of the light of the Gospel that they seem even more extreme to me because the book is not an allegory. To fall in faithful service like Faramir and to wake up at the call of my King sounds about as good as I could hope for.

Éowyn of Rowan (the woman who goes to battle) had a real problem with faithful service and provides another illustration. While Boromir was unfaithful and his heart would not submit and his father was slothful and would not submit, Éowyn looked faithful but all she did was for glory. The movie misses these points pretty badly. She had no hope (LOTR 3.145) and wanted the glory of battle. Her love for Aragorn was not a love of him but rather of the idea of him and the glory he had in leading men and encouraging them. Her motives were corrupted by self although she looked faithful. That is a condition that is common in our day. Aragorn made sure that once she was in the hospital that she stayed there to “heal” (LOTR 3.147).

The theme of stewardship is particularly strong in LOTR and I think particularly convicting because of the stewardship role we have in our life. Faramir’s faithfulness becomes redemptive in the live of Éowyn. She gets back on her feet and tells her nurse that getting healed isn’t always good and death in battle isn’t always bad. Then she wants to see Faramir because he is in charge and she wants something to do. She tells Faramir, “…I can not lie in sloth, idle, caged. I looked for death in battle. But I have not died, and battle still goes on.” (LOTR 3.237) She was pretty much the definition of a bad patient. After a long while and many walks with Faramir, they loved each other and “Then the heart of Éowyn changed, or else at last she understood it. And suddenly her winter passed, and the sun shone on her.” (LOTR 3.243) She learned faithfulness from Faramir and left of seeking for selfish glory.

One other picture of faithfulness and unfaithfulness is seen in the trip to the Gate of the Dead by Aragorn (LOTR 3.063). The faithless had failed and died and Aragorn gave then a chance to make it right. I was in an exercise class the other day and the instructor said, “Don’t quit on me! Quitting is forever but pain only lasts a little while.” Well the dead army at Blackroot met the King of the Dead and they got another chance. This was a picture of purgatory but I think for us it is a clear picture of the importance of faithfulness in our lives. Run with patience the race that is set before you. Quitting is forever.