The deity of “Lost”

May 18, 2009 by Gene Veith

Earlier in the history of this blog, we would discuss the occasional Christian symbolism and imagery of “Lost.” At the season finale last week, all of that rushed back big time. We learn that the apparent deity of the island is a Christ-like figure named Jacob who has intervened in key moments in the various characters’ lives. In this episode, someone who looks like Locke (who didn’t rise from the dead after all) and the evil-yet-strangely-sympathetic Ben kill Jacob, though that hardly looks like the end. Oh, yes, at another time, other of the main characters blow up the island with a hydrogen bomb in the hopes of reversing time so that none of this happens. See this for a recap and discussion. That has to be one of the best season finales since TV shows have been putting them on.

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May 18, 2009 The Spirit, the Water, & the Blood

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Rich Shipe

It was a great finale. Do wish they gave us a few moments beyond the H-bomb detonation. Hard to wait eight months!! Jacob is a very compelling character and very well played.
Rich Shipe

It was a great finale. Do wish they gave us a few moments beyond the H-bomb detonation. Hard to wait eight months!! Jacob is a very compelling character and very well played.
Rich Shipe

Forgot to add… The first five minutes were amazing with the interaction between Jacob and mystery man.
Rich Shipe

Forgot to add… The first five minutes were amazing with the interaction between Jacob and mystery man.
Frank Gillespie

This was clearly the best written season finale of the year and I would argue the best of the Lost finales.

I’m not the first person to say it but the first scene on the beach reminded me of the opening of Job where God and Satan were just chatting it up in heaven. I think we saw a sneak peak of what the writers have set up as a good vs. evil scenario; much more so than we had led to believe to be the case in past seasons.
Frank Gillespie

This was clearly the best written season finale of the year and I would argue the best of the Lost finales.

I’m not the first person to say it but the first scene on the beach reminded me of the opening of Job where God and Satan were just chatting it up in heaven. I think we saw a sneak peak of what the writers have set up as a good vs. evil scenario; much more so than we had led to believe to be the case in past seasons.
Larry

A superb season finale.

I wonder how much might if at all tie back with a long forgotten character and series of events. Mr. Echo who functioned/turned preist and baptized Claire’s baby. That seemed to be a BIG point back then, the baptism of the baby. A point at which Echo is later killed by the fog monster. Tied in with Claire’s more recent off island apperition telling Kate to not dare bring the baby back to the island.

Then there was Echo’s counter to Locke’s experience of looking into the black fog monster. Locke saw beauty and Echo terrible things. Was Locke decieved and Echo right. We recall the fog monster in judging Ben saying in order to spar his life, “will you now listen to everything Locke tells you”, the fake Locke we find out who kills Jacob. Who is this fake Locke, an Esau?

Larry
Larry

A superb season finale.

I wonder how much might if at all tie back with a long forgotten character and series of events. Mr. Echo who functioned/turned preist and baptized Claire’s baby. That seemed to be a BIG point back then, the baptism of the baby. A point at which Echo is later killed by the fog monster. Tied in with Claire’s more recent off island apperition telling Kate to not dare bring the baby back to the island.

Then there was Echo’s counter to Locke’s experience of looking into the black fog monster. Locke saw beauty and Echo terrible things. Was Locke decieved and Echo right. We recall the fog monster in judging Ben saying in order to spar his life, “will you now listen to everything Locke tells you”, the fake Locke we find out who kills Jacob. Who is this fake Locke, an Esau?

Larry
C

I noticed the Job thing too. In fact, if you extend the analogy, Ben’s situation reminds me of Job’s, only with a twisted ending: after losing everything (his health, leadership position, and daughter) Ben curses Jacob to his face (kills him).

And how can one not consider the spiritual implications when watching the Jacob murder scene: Ben tells Jacob that “all I ever heard was your name, over and over,” he says that he always received Jacob’s instructions, Jacob’s “lists,” but he could never see Jacob…and then Jacob says, “What about you?” essentially inviting Ben to kill him. If you look closely, you can see Jacob’s visible eye welling up with tears during this scene. It’s as if he genuinely felt for Ben, but he knew that his own death was necessary.
C

I noticed the Job thing too. In fact, if you extend the analogy, Ben’s situation reminds me of Job’s, only with a twisted ending: after losing everything (his health, leadership position, and daughter) Ben curses Jacob to his face (kills him).

And how can one not consider the spiritual implications when watching the Jacob murder scene: Ben tells Jacob that “all I ever heard was your name, over and over,” he says that he always received Jacob’s instructions, Jacob’s “lists,” but he could never see Jacob…and then Jacob says, “What about you?” essentially inviting Ben to kill him. If you look closely, you can see Jacob’s visible eye welling up with tears during this scene. It’s as if he genuinely felt for Ben, but he knew that his own death was necessary.