Simon Peter was a fisherman. His friend and master, Jesus, once asked Peter if he could borrow his boat for a short while. “Why?”, Peter must have asked. “I need a place from where I can teach God’s Word without getting mauled”, was perhaps the response given by Jesus. This was a time that according to the Scriptures, the people “pressed” upon the Lord to hear God’s Word. They came from everywhere to hear what God’s Word had to say. What a high time that must have been.
JK Rowling is not a fisherman. She is a writer. Recently she appeared at the SkyDome in Toronto for a book reading. The book was the latest in her Harry Potter series. Thousands of eager, young fans came to hear what this extremely popular author had to say. You might even say that the people pressed upon her to hear the word of Rowling. From the radio accounts that I heard, she received a standing ovation for her efforts. Surely, for all her adoring fans this must have been a high time.
Two gatherings – about 2 thousand years apart – one for the purpose of making known the truth of God’s Word, the other, for the purpose of promoting literature centering on magic, witchcraft and wizardry. If you could get the video of either one – which one would you rather have?
If you are struggling with the decision, let’s look at the Scriptures to see if that makes your decision any easier. The Word of God declares,
Deuteronomy 18:10-12
“There shall not be found among you any one that maketh his son or his daughter to pass through the fire, or that useth divination, or an observer of times, or an enchanter, or a witch, Or a charmer, or a consulter with familiar spirits, or a wizard, or a necromancer. For all that do these things are an abomination unto the LORD…”
Related scriptures inform us that witchcraft and wizardry are sins. Those who practiced such arts were to be cast out of the land that God had given His people. The Scriptures declare that we are not to even consider or speak of the evil things which they do. Clearly God’s opinion doesn’t seem to line up with standing ovations in baseball parks for those who would choose to promote these ideas. It seems that God doesn’t think too highly of those who would make a hero out anyone who practices these black arts, either.
Despite what the Harry Potter books might be trying to say and no matter if they encourage children to read, according to the Scriptures there is no such thing as a good wizard. If I naively believe that books promoting wizardry are nothing but harmless fantasy, the Bible declares that I am deceived (I Corinthians 15:33). Instead of allowing popular thinking to cloud our reason, we ought to be more concerned with what the Word of God has to say.
There is no question that the Harry Potter series is a tremendous success. There is no question that millions of people worldwide are captivated by these tales of a young wizard. However, there is also no question as to what the Word of God declares. Perhaps the times in which we live could do with a few more borrowed fishing boats.