Why Did I Cry Watching Naruto Shippuuden 31?

-~#*’` Contains Naruto Shippuuden Episode 31 SPOILERS ‘`*#~-

I cried. I downloaded and watched Naruto Shippuuden, episode 31 today, which released yesterday. The series reached a climax in the Shippuuden series. In the current episode, one of the retired ninjas of the Sand Village, Elder Chiyo used a forbidden life-transferring ninja technique to revive Gaara, the Sand’s village leader and protector, the Kazekage.

There was desparation. Elder Chiyo had just fought and killed her grandson, whom she discovered in horror killed the Sand’s former Kazekage. She had used every technique she had at her disposal. She’d been fighting for at least 3 to 5 hours non-stop against a relentless enemy. She had run out of chakra. She couldn’t save Gaara as she intended. Then in a heart-wrenching moment, string instruments tearing into my heart, Naruto’s hands appeared beside her, offering his own chakra to help.

Elder Chiyo’s eyes grow wide, and she recalls her conversation with Kakashi about Naruto: Naruto’s empathy for Gaara’s isolation as a child. Kakashi’s words hit home, “That’s why he can’t help but want to save him. It doesn’t matter if he’s from the Sand Village or from Konoha.”

There are so many things going on in this episode I want to write about I wonder if I’ll really cover them all.

John MacArthur, during his series, “Love No Matter What,” paraphrases the Good Samaritan Parable in Luke 10:29, saying, “Jesus in effect turned the lawyer’s question around.” Instead of who is my neighbor, Jesus’s parable asked “Are you a Neighbor?” Thus, I suspect one of the emotions that moved me to tears was Naruto’s desire to save Gaara- Naruto loved Gaara biblically, regardless of where Gaara was from.

Kakashi talks about Naruto’s desire to become Hokage, protector and top ninja of Konoha village, saying

“Naruto’s dream is to become the Hokage. So he was frustrated when he heard that Gaara had become the Kazekage. But at the same time, Naruto was truly happy for him.”

Naruto in some sense, has been learning what I’ve been learning at church bible studies and John Piper’s book, What Jesus Demands of the World, about how Christians are to love: “Love your neighbor, as yourself” (Mt 22: 39). John MacArthur describes how we love ourselves the first sermon in his series:

“You love yourself. I mean- you do. Who’s teeth did you brush this morning? Who’s hair did you comb? Who’s wardrobe hangs in your closet? Who’s saving account is in your bank? You are concerned about yourself. You love yourself. To love means to serve the needs. You serve your own needs- let’s face it. You have an unfeigned, unhypocritical total love for yourself. There aren’t some days where you fall out of love with yourself. You love yourself all the time. And your genuine about it, you really do. You’re fervent about it. Your habitual about it. It’s a permanent love it.

Whenever you have an interest you fulfill it. Whenever you have a need you want to meet it. Whenever you have a want you want to supply it. Whenever you have a desire you want to fulfill it. Whenever you have a hop you want to realize it. Whenever you have an ambition you want to see it come to fruition.”

Naruto was glad Gaara became Kazekage. It caused him to desire his own goal even more. My goal is achievable. Gaara has finally found friends in his villages he desired to protect. Moreover, Gaara had found a whole village to protect.

As Kakashi’s words echoed in Elder Chiyo’s mind, she finally understood why Kakashi said “Naruto had a strange power.”

“He becomes friends with people very quickly, even if they haven’t known each other for long.”

So then I think one reason why I cried, was because I desire to love like that, and I identified and even envied Naruto’s ability to make friends. Don’t get me wrong. I’m not saying that if you love like Christ loved us, you’ll make friends. You’ll make enemies, just as Christ warned his disciples that just as they maligned him, they would maligned his disciples even more.

The second reason is regret. When the episode finally shifts, Elder Chiyo finally begins to smile upon her realization of what’s to come, the mood suddenly shifting focus from Naruto’s character of love to the future based on the past. “I’m happy that someone like you has appeared in the shinobi world we foolish old people created,” her voice noted quietly. I’d call her Granny too because I’ve grown fond of her elderly voice.

“Everything I’ve ever done was a mistake.” she stated. Elder Chiyo was instrumental in forcing such a heavy burden on Gaara, being there at his birth, when the Sand Village elders sealed the one-tailed demon inside him. Instrumental in some sense to his kidnapping and subsequent death. Elder Chiyo despised relying on other villages, wary and suspicious of any outside help. Elder Chiyo had always sought power for the village. Elder Chiyo hence had regrets. And I identify readily with her. I have regrets. I have sins. I have offended God’s sacrificial death and defiled the body, which is supposed to be a living sacrifice. (Ro 12:1)

Elder Chiyo then says, “But now, at the end, it looks like I’ll finally be able to do the right thing… The Sand Village and Konoha… Their future will be much different than the way things were back in my day.” This leads me to the other reason I suspect I cried. She had hope. Although there such dispair and such regret, by seeing the “strange power” of Naruto, she had hope. And hope is a beautiful thing. Elder Chiyo, eyes looking into the blue sky and clouds, tells Naruto, “That strange power of yours that Kakashi mentioned… that power will have a strong influence on the future.”

She then says in part where I get teary-eyed, “Become a Hokage like none before you.” I’m not writing these things to say that Naruto and the philosophy of Naruto is correct. And the last thing I want is some non-Christian pulling these observations and thinking about all the morals Naruto taught. Any morals outside of Christ are foolishness. I’m writing and was crying because it hit home on so many different emotions and thoughts I’ve had as a Christian recently. How to love. Regret. Hope.

Elder Chiyo’s ending words finally shift to her last advice to Sakura. “Next time, save the people who are dear to you, not some old hag. You and I are very similar. There aren’t many girls as chivalrous as you around. You’ll surpass your teacher as a female ninja.” I thought about this as the screen focused on Sakura’s tears streaming quietly down her face. Why would Elder Chiyo say, “there aren’t many girls as chivalrous as you?”

Though it could be a number of things, I thought mainly about Sakura’s defense of Elder Chiyo against Sasori. Of her endurance, willpower and perseverance and desire to protect Elder Chiyo even when she faced a superior, and deadly opponent whom almost killed her. Sakura has normally in fights been always too scared. But in these last battles, I’ve really come to admire her newfound strength and determination. I suspect then that perhaps what Elder Chiyo found chivalrous was the way she protected and refused to leave Elder Chiyo when asked to.

There are other aspects that I really initiated thoughts of the bible. I really thought Elder Chiyo’s dying advice was in the same form as Moses’s warnings and reminds of past failures and sins of Israel as well as exhortations to do the right thing. She reminded me of the spirit of Moses’s words to Israel in all of Deuteronomy. She remind me of the reverence we should have toward advice of wise like the wisdom in Proverbs.

I keep pulling things out of this episode. Here’s another. Elder Chiyo gives a dying request, “This is a request from an old woman. You are the only one who can understand Gaara’s pain. And Gaara understands your pain. Please, save Gaara.” Just as Naruto understood Gaara’s pain, Christ understands ours. Christ was here on earth. Yelled at. Spat at. Crucified. Christ understands. He’s been there.

I’m about done. The last thing I really thought about was how Elder Chiyo’s technique was a partial illustration of imputation, grace, as well as Christ’s sacrificial death for us. When Elder Chiyo gave Gaara life, it was at the cost of her life, just as it cost Christ His life. And yet, the life Gaara obtained was not his, it was from Elder Chiyo. Elder Chiyo didn’t have to give it to Gaara, but she did. Likewise, Christ imputes his righteousness to us in the way Elder Chiyo gave her life to Gaara. Obviously at some point this comparison will break down, but I really think that just as Elder Chiyo was honored by the Sand Village and by me (the viewer), it reminds that I should likewise honor Christ even more, for He has given me life!

Finally in answering my own question: Perhaps because I’ve been asking the Holy Spirit to soften my heart, perhaps because I listened to Focus on the Family’s Dr. Dobson plead for estranged sons to reconcile with their father before it was too late, or perhaps of my recent failures in purity I yearn to please my Heavenly Father. Regardless of why I cried, my thoughts think back to Ben Patterson’s introduction to his sermon on the Goodness of Sex, his observation that really, the Christian’s sole (emotional) purpose, is to really hear someday, “Welcome my good and faithful servant.”

Don’t you want to please your father? Don’t you want to please God?

Elder Chiyo’s wise words should be heeded. Advice that was given in love to not make the same mistakes she had. Are there things you regret in life?

The truth is we can never take back the things we’ve done. And yet, like Elder Chiyo, we can look forward in hope, to pleasing God, to being a light, to influencing the world for the better.

I exhort you as a brother in Christ, as a fellow sinner, to die to your sins and really pursue God, and be more and more like Christ, so that some day, you in joy and in tears hear the words every Christian desires to hear, “Well done, good and faithful servant. You have been faithful over a little; I will set you over much. Enter into the joy of your master” (Mt 25:21 English Standard Version).

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