Redemption, Calling, and Kylo Ren
The Star Wars films have always been special to me. I remember when I was younger, my father would push our couch to the center of the living room where we could fully experience the surround sound. At our home, Star Wars was an experience. I was skeptical when the Sequel Trilogy was announced, but The Force Awakens did not disappoint. In these new films, we were introduced to some incredible new characters: Poe – the hotshot pilot, Finn – a former stormtrooper who decides that he’s better than the man he was trained to be, Rey – the lost scavenger who’s just trying to find out who she is, and Kylo Ren – the new villain. He immediately captures the audience’s attention. It wasn’t long before we learned his identity. He is Ben Solo, the son of Han Solo and Princess Leia.
Kylo talks about feeling pulled and tempted by the light side. There is an ever-growing conflict within him. Eventually, his father confronts him and tries to bring him home. Just when we think he might turn, he strikes down his father and solidifies his place as a villain. In The Last Jedi, it is revealed that Kylo Ren and Rey are connected by the Force. Through this connection, they begin to understand and relate to one another. Rey becomes determined that she can bring him back to the light. When Kylo has the opportunity to strike down Rey, he instead kills his master, Snoke. However, he does not turn to the light; he further embraces the dark and follows in his master’s footsteps.
This brings us to 2019’s The Rise of Skywalker. Rey and Kylo fight numerous times, and, on the wreckage of the Death Star 2, she strikes him down with his own lightsaber. Sensing that Leia had reached out to her son, Rey is overcome with guilt and compassion and uses the Force to save his life. In perhaps the most powerful scene, Kylo is visited by his dead father. Han comes to him not as a force ghost but as a memory. What follows is a parallel of that scene from The Force Awakens. He takes out his lightsaber, but this time, he throws it as far as he can and abandons the life of darkness that he had chosen. In that moment, Kylo Ren dies and Ben Solo is reborn.
He is then faced with a choice. Where does he go? Perhaps he should run away and live out the rest of his days in isolation. But he doesn’t run away from his problems, he chooses to confront them head on. In both confrontations with his father, he says “I know what I need to do, but I don’t know if I have the strength to do it.” After turning back to the light, his inner conflict is no more. He knows what he has to do, and he chooses to do it. He heads straight to Exegol to help Rey defeat Emperor Palpatine. After the battle has been won, Rey has used up all her energy. As her lifeless body lies on the ground, a severely injured Ben Solo crawls over to her and embraces her. In this moment, he is faced with yet another decision. He could leave and recover from his injuries, but he sees Rey’s strength and purity and knows that she is what the galaxy needs. He gives his last bit of life to save Rey. He knew what he had to do, and he had just enough strength to do it.
What can we learn from Ben Solo? His story is one of redemption, but there’s more to it than that. Something that strikes me about his character change is his resolve after turning back to the light. His inner conflict was over. In The Force Awakens he mentioned that he felt the pull to the light. In his mind, the dark was his proper place and the light was tempting him. He then recognized that he wasn’t being tempted, but called. He didn’t care if he was strong enough because he was done running from his calling. Instead, he literally ran to what he needed to do. However, he soon learned that following this calling does not guarantee safety. It cost him his life, but, as we see him smile for the first time, we know he had no regrets.
Just like Ben Solo, there is a calling on all of our lives. We can run from it, or we can run towards it. If we run from it, it may seem like temptation, but it is not. That calling is from God and He does not tempt. James 1:13 reads “When tempted, no one should say, ‘God is tempting me.’ For God cannot be tempted by evil, nor does he tempt anyone.” God does not tempt; He leads. However, be warned that if you run toward your calling, safety is not guaranteed. In Star Wars, Ben Solo died as a result of following his calling. Similar things occur in the real world. Jim Elliot serves as an excellent example. He and his team were killed by the very people to whom they had been ministering. However, their willingness to die paved the way for these people to turn to Christ. Following a calling does not guarantee safety, but the results are often far greater than we could possibly imagine. If you are running from a calling, stop, abandon your darkness, and turn around. If you are worried that you do not have the strength to complete your task, rest assured in the knowledge that God has all the strength you will need.