A Biblical Look into Twilight: Exploring Edward

“What if I’m not a superhero? What if I’m the bad guy?” He smiled playfully, but his eyes were impenetrable.
“Oh,” I said, as several things he’d hinted fell suddenly into place. “I see.”
“Do you?” His face was abruptly severe, as if he were afraid that he’d accidentally said too much.
“You’re dangerous?” I guessed, my pulse quickening as I intuitively realized the truth of my own words. He was dangerous. He’d been trying to tell me that all along.
He just looked at me, eyes full of some emotion I couldn’t comprehend.
“But not bad,” I whispered, shaking my head. “No, I don’t believe that you’re bad.”Edward and Bella, Chapter 5 of Twilight
We have looked into the heart of Bella. Now it’s time for us to explore her object of fascination – Edward Cullen. The weeks pass in a matter of paragraphs in Twilight, but the time is dragging for Bella until something changes. A plethora of boys ask Bella to the spring dance. These boys seem to spur the aloof Edward into action. The next day Edward asks Bella if he can give her a ride to Seattle on the day of the spring dance. Everything changes. Edward is engaging in dialogue with Bella, but he keeps a distance through his verbal warnings. He discourages her from being friends with him and states his addict-like draw to her. He pursues her and pushes her away. OK, timeout here. I know he is a vampire, but Edward is acting like such a teenage boy right here! He appears to be conflicted but enjoying himself all at the same time. Ugh!!

Edward asks Bella to sit with him at lunch the next day. Their in-depth conversation gives us as the readers some insight into Edward. Bella shares her frustration and even one theory on his crazy demeanor. Edward chuckles at Bella's worship of him because he doesn't see himself in that way at all. Edward’s own perception of himself is full of self-loathing. That’s how it goes with those who seem arrogant. The people who seem to think the most of themselves are usually the ones who hate themselves the most. Edward is no different. Bella sees him as a “god.” Edward can see nothing but evil in himself. As the Twilight story continues, we learn that Edward also struggles with anger. Did you know that anger can be a symptom of self-hate? Interesting.

We learn that Edward’s birth parents died when he was young, and he was adopted by a young doctor and his wife, Carlisle and Esme. I love that Carlisle and Esme have adopted children. The love of a parent for an adopted child is beautiful to me. We choose who we love and bring into our lives. Adopting a child is a lifelong commitment to raise someone else in your household. It is a deliberate act. While a pregnancy can be unexpected, adoptions are planned. Throughout the Twilight saga, Edward’s adopted parents will become an attractive picture of compassion and love.

We have been chosen by a loving Father. Read Ephesians 1:3-12. Write down the actions of God in these verses.

God has acted powerfully in bridging the gap of sin to build a redeeming relationship with us. We were created by God, but our ancestors chose to disobey Him. (See Genesis 1-3.) That choice brought sin into this world, which brought complete separation from our Creator God. Our God is love, and He always provides a way back. This passage in Ephesians gives us some insight into our heavenly Pursuer. He is always working in our lives, even when we can't see Him or can't imagine that He wants to be involved with us. Unlike humans, our God never gives up on us. I love that!