In the stories of The Hunger Games, Katniss, the main character, is called the Mockingjay. Mockingjay represents defiance and rebellion. If you are familiar with the story, you know that Katniss was at the center of a war with “The Capitol.” She was fighting for freedom for her people, and no amount of evil and resistance stood in her way.
The Mockingjay was a symbolic jabberjay bird created by the oppressors (The Capitol) to provide secret information to them. They were sent among the subjects of the land, and they reported to the Capitol any information they learned. Eventually, the subjects discovered the purpose of the birds and fed them misinformation. When the oppressors realized what was happening, they let them loose in the woods where they mated with female mockingbirds and learned to repeat sounds, even singing. Later they became a symbol for rebellion.
These birds were never meant to be created. They were not a part of the Capitol’s original plan or design. When they no longer served their purpose, they were abandoned and left on their own to survive. They survived through the will to survive. It was persistence.
Mockingjay’s fight against evil reminds me a lot of our war with the devil. It’s hard to believe that Satan began his life with our heavenly Father; through a series of events unknown to us, he was forced out of heaven.
There are certainly differences between the mockingjays and our fight with the devil. We were not created by accident; and our war is real, not fictional. Also, we were each purposed, chosen, designed in the image of God. We were given a purpose, and that purpose has never changed.
Our war with Satan is much stronger, more difficult, more dangerous than the war Katniss faced with the Capitol. Our war is for our souls.
When we look at the attributes of Satan, we can see why we are at war. Satan has his sights on us. Paul says Satan is out to outwit us (Second Corinthians 2:11). Does that not sound like an act of war?
Satan also presents himself as an angel of light. Paul, when warning the Christians in Corinth about false apostles and deceitful workmen, said they present themselves as apostles of Christ. They do this because Satan disguises himself as an angel of light, and his servants disguise themselves as servants of righteousness.
Satan hinders our every effort to please God. Paul, wanting to get to Thessalonica, says that he wanted to be there; but Satan hindered him (First Thessalonians 2:18). He will stand between us and every good deed we want to perform. He will stand between us and our desire to offer forgiveness, aid the sick and homeless, prevent us from teaching the gospel, and pretending to be our friend when we need one most. He will pose as good when, in reality, he is evil.
Our adversary can move in on the vulnerable when they are not looking. Paul, in his first letter to Timothy, gave some specific instructions about the behavior of the women, particularly young widows, some of whom had remarried. Paul wanted them to fulfill their purpose as wives and mothers and homemakers and to not give Satan an occasion to slander. But Paul told Timothy that some had already “strayed after Satan” (First Timothy 5:15).
One of the scariest attributes of Satan is his ability to enter into our hearts and fill them with evil. Luke tells us that Satan entered into Judas Iscariot causing him to conspire with the chief priests and captains to betray Jesus. In Acts 5, Ananias and Sapphira suffered a similar experience when they lied to the Holy Spirit and to the apostles. They conceived the deception in their hearts and acted on that lie to benefit themselves.
But there is hope. In the fictional stories of the Hunger Games, the people had to depend on one of their own people to save them. They suffered out of fear and neglect under a dictator that was evil and claimed to be just what they needed.
Does that not sound like the devil? He portrays himself as one who will provide us just what we need. He sells mankind the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eye, and the pride of life. He makes promises he can’t keep, and the only thing he can give us is an eternity in the lake that burns with fire and brimstone.
God makes no promises for wealth and power on this earth, but He promises us a home with Him in heaven for all who obey Him and remain faithful to Him. The writer of Hebrews reveals God’s enduring promise to us. “Let your conversation be without covetousness and be content with such things as ye have for he hath said, ‘I will never leave thee, nor forsake thee’” (Hebrews 13:5).
We don’t need a mockingjay to save us. We have Jesus Christ who sacrificed Himself for us.
Sandra Oliver