Temptation 101

Some of you may have seen my note about this on Facebook, but since I prefer proving things by essay form to just stating them, I'll explain my new fascination with Star Wars episode III: Revenge of the Sith.

All through Revenge of the Sith (henceforth RotS) I especially noticed the way Palpatine lured Anakin to the Dark Side. Every move was subtle, precise, and innocent. His tactics mirror Satan's in every way, making RotS a valuable study of temptation for Christians.

First, Palpatine becomes Anakin's friend and gains his trust by appealing to Anakin's greed and pride. As Chancellor, Palpatine is the most powerful man in the Republic, and Anakin enjoys being close to the power. Anakin never fully accepted the Jedi call to humility. He bristles at not being promoted to the rank of master, even while receiving a position on the Council, the highest honor. After the appointment, when Anakin's pride is smarting, Palpatine hints that his powers are far beyond what the Council will admit and says the Council "needs" him. Anakin loves hearing he's better than the stiff and unapproving masters, and this undermines his trust in them.

Palpatine also plays on Anakin's weaknesses. When he finds the one thing Anakin can't live without--his wife, Padme--he suggests that Anakin may even have power to save her from death. Anakin's ego is pumped up enough at this point to believe him. Every time Anakin doubts Palpatine, he drops a hint that Anakin needs him to save Padme.

Not only drawing Anakin to himself, Palpatine turns Anakin slowly from others he trusts and pulls him into a morally gray area. Because more of Anakin's loyalty lies with Palpatine, he takes offense when Obi-Wan asks him to spy on the Chancellor. When Palpatine discovers the Council's assignment, he slowly generalizes from the Council not trusting him to it not trusting the Republic, or even democracy. He then blurs the line between Jedi and Sith, stating, "Good is a point of view," and questioning if the Jedi are truely selfless. With this trust shaken, Palpatine can easily make Darth Plagueis "the Wise" seem sympathetic in his quest for eternal life.

Anakin never thinks that he's evil by wanting the Sith power to save people from death. Palpatine convinces him that knowledge is a good thing however gained, and that the Jedi view is narrow. That's exactly what the serpent told Eve: "God knows that when you eat of [the fruit] your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil." Eve twists this further herself, seeing the fruit as "desirable for gaining wisdom." Neither Christians nor Jedi should study evil, but rather avoid it.

But how do we defend against such a crafty enemy? By understanding how he works. Matthew 7 says you will recognize false prophets by their fruit. They simply won't echo God's nature. Palpatine should not have encouraged Anakin's secret marriage to Padme, but that was what Anakin wanted to hear. If anyone suggests sin isn't so bad, we shouldn't trust him.

The Bible commands multiple times to flee from temptation. Don't get as close as you can. Mace Windu warned Anakin to stay away while he arrested the Chancellor, but Anakin thought he was stronger than that. Palpatine played on this, and appealed to Anakin's greed and pity; and Anakin made his final step toward the Dark Side.

Finally, in resisting temptation, look no further than I Corinthians 10:13: "No temptation has seized you except what is common to man. And God is faithful: he will not let you be tempted beyond what you can bear. But when you are tempted, he will also provide a way out, so you can stand up under it."

If you haven't seen RotS, I would definitely recommend it (though a knowledge of Star Wars helps greatly). Seeing it is much better than reading my attempts at explaining it.