Disciples Could Not Cast Out Demon

Venice '11 Review: Jet Li's 'The Sorcerer & The White Snake' Is Wuxia-Lite ...

It might have a highbrow reputation (something anyone who’s caught one of the sidebars can confirm), but that doesn’t mean that the organizers of the Venice Film Festival don’t like to watch a little ass get kicked sometimes. Last year, in fact, was something of a banner year for action at the festival, with “ 13 Assassins ” and ‘ Detective Dee ’ in competition, and “ Machete ,” “ The Town ,” “ Reign of Assassins ” and “ Legend of the Fist ” all playing out of it. 2011 is a little lighter on the chop-socky, but there is a single film that’s here to let film critics scratch their face-punch itch, and that’s the Jet Li vehicle “ The Sorcerer & The White Snake .” Directed by Tony Ching , who not only helmed the classic “ A Chinese Ghost Story ,” but also served as action director/choreographer on the high octane likes of “ Shaolin Soccer ,” “ Hero ” and “ House of Flying Daggers ,” so expectations were high that at the very least that we’d see some spectacular fight sequences, and possibly even something that transcends the genre, as “ 13 Assassins ” did last year.

The film is based on a famous Chinese legend, generally known as the “ Legend of the White Snake ,” one that has served as inspiration for hundreds of operas in China, as well as a number of films and TV programs, perhaps most notably Tsui Hark ‘s 1993 “ Green Snake ,” with Maggie Cheung .

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Venice '11 Review: Jet Li's 'The Sorcerer & The White Snake' Is Wuxia-Lite ...
Venice '11 Review: Jet Li's 'The Sorcerer & The White Snake' Is Wuxia-Lite ...

The cast aren't bad, particularly with Li graduating nicely to gruff older men type roles, Huang and Lam managing to squeeze some pathos out of the seemingly endless back and forth, and Zhang coming close to wringing a smile out of the audience, if not




Two Gospel Episodes That Always Puzzled Me

Do I need to spell it out? Isn’t that an odd story for an omnipotent, omniscient God? It reminds me of going to the optometrist, when he keeps flipping the lenses to figure out your prescription. “Better or worse? Better or worse? Better or worse?”

There are plenty of stories where Jesus draws out the healing, but there is usually an obvious reason He’s doing it (for the purpose of teaching a lesson). Yet I don’t see what the purpose of the intermediate step is here. Any theories?

A little bit later there is another odd one ( Mk 9: 14-29 ):

25 When Jesus saw that the people came running together, He rebuked the unclean spirit, saying to it, “Deaf and dumb spirit, I command you, come out of him and enter him no more!” 26 Then the spirit cried out, convulsed him greatly, and came out of him. And he became as one dead, so that many said, “He is dead.” 27 But Jesus took him by the hand and lifted him up, and he arose.

What’s going on in this one? What does He mean by “this kind”? Is there a hierarchy of demonic spirits?

Also, what does Jesus mean when He says it can only come out by prayer and fasting? Throughout the gospel, Jesus tells people that they just need to have faith–in fact He says it in verse 23 in this very story. And indeed when He first hears that his disciples couldn’t perform this task, His conclusion is that they are a “faithless generation.” (I’m assuming He’s talking about the disciples who couldn’t heal the boy, right?)

So what is the story with His declaration in verse 29? Obviously Jesus didn’t engage in prayer and fasting to cure the boy.

Regarding the first incident, one interesting theory is that Jesus did not operate under the omniscience or omnipotence of God while on earth “as a man,” but relied on his relationship with the Father as the source of his power, as an example to his followers of how they were to operate. This is usually supported by Jesus’ statement about his followers doing “greater things than these.” I have heard many personal stories of healings that were immediately followed by prayer, but I have also heard many personal stories of healings that were not immediate, but revealed a gradual progress that increased the faith of those involved as they continued to “fight” for the healing. I do not wish to insert myself into the debate over the theologies of such concepts, but simply to present some empirical evidence for that particular theory.


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