Theology of Thrones #1: Improper Worship & The Lord of Light
This is part 1 of my “Theology of Thrones” series which looks at the many themes and characters of Game of Thrones and how it interacts with faith and theology. Check out my introduction post here.
*Spoilers for Game of Thrones up to season 7.
One character in Game of Thrones that drives me insane is Melisandre. If she’s not acting superior to literally everyone else on screen then she’s taking her clothes off for no reason.
The “Red Woman” Melisandre is a priestess of R’hllor, the Lord of Light. And she’s a weirdo. If you’re a Game of Thrones fan like me you’ll join me in forgetting when she gave birth to a shadow thing that killed Renly Baratheon…this show can be weird.
I’ll spare you from too much description because if you’re reading this then you probably know what I’m talking about.
Melisandre’s story arc is quite interesting to me because she is one of the few people in this show that has utter devotion to her god. However, her devotion and service to the Lord of Light doesn’t quite work.
She serves Stannis Baratheon who the Lord of Light apparently chose to be “the Prince who was promised,” but if you’ve kept up with the show then you know Brienne of Tarth ends Stannis pathetic run.
Everything Melisandre does in efforts for Stannis’ victory fails him. In stoic desperation she has Stannis sacrifice Shireen, his daughter (my least favorite scene of this whole stupid show).
In season 7 we see Melisandre sulking in defeat realizing that all her efforts were in vain and not the real desires of the Lord of Light. I believe Melisandre was actually pridefully following herself instead of humbly being led by the Lord of Light.
I think she got carried away with her influence and power that lost sight of her actually faith. This is one of the many ways Game of Thrones shows the evils of power.
I think she is truly ashamed of what happened to Shireen and everything else (remember how she took her necklace off and became a 600 year old witch monster?…this show is crazy). That scene was her turning point for when she “took off” her false self and faced the reality of who she is.
I’m tempted to just think the Lord of Light is dumb and not a good god to follow, but it’s clear the Lord of Light is up to something (see Jon Snow being alive again).
The Lord of Light might actually being trying to save this horrible world, and Melisandre wasn’t following him correctly. I think that’s the case because of Jon Snow’s resurrection and Thoros of Myr.
Thoros is the weird man-bun wearing hipster Red Priest of the show. Him and Melisandre have a conversation in the cave about the resurrections of Beric Dondarrion. Melisandre says to Thoros about his ability to resurrect Beric, “You shouldn’t have that power.” Thoros responds, “I don’t have any power.”
And here’s the lesson. When serving God we don’t have any power. Some Christians lay hands on people praying in the Name of Jesus that they’re physical problems would go away. I think some Christians can get carried away with this.
Recently, a middle school student asked me why some Christians can heal people and others can’t. There’s a lot that can be said in response to this question, but my first thought is, “No one has that power.”
Anything miraculous that happens is by the power of the Spirit of God, not the person who has the Spirit. Serving the Lord requires constant humility. Serving the Lord requires complete dependence on Him.
As a pastor if the church grows and people are being saved left and right, I can never act like it’s because of me. This is the danger of Christian leadership and Christian living.
We can easily worship ourselves thinking we are worship God.
Faith requires constant communication with Whom faith comes from. Pride must always be checked and surrendered. Pride can be subtle and insidious, but the Spirit can reveal the light of our Lord when we find ourselves in darkness.
Personal Disclaimer: I don’t think this show should be watched by everyone. It can be depressing and deeply challenging to anyone struggling with lust, anger, etc.. The world does not need this show, and you do not need to see it. However, I think it brings up some correlations to our world that can be useful to discuss.
