BREAD & CIRCUSES // #ESCAPETOREALITY

Movies, entertainment, celebrity culture, video games, digital media and social networks are often used to escape from reality. The goal of this 4-part series is to consider how to escape to the reality that comes in knowing Jesus.

Part 2 of #EscapeToReality

PANEM ET CIRCENSES

That’s Latin. I’m not pretending to know Latin, but I do know Wikipedia. And according to wiki Panem et circenses is a phrase that means ‘Bread and Circuses’.

It comes from Juvenal, a Roman satirist and poet writing around A.D. 100.

“Already long ago, from when we sold our vote to no man, the People have abdicated our duties; for the People who once upon a time handed out military command, high civil office, legions — everything, now restrains itself and anxiously hopes for just two things: bread and circuses” (Juvenal)

Juvenal is lamenting the decline of what Roman citizens found valuable. People were no longer concerned about politics and civil service and doing good things. The Empire was in decline as citizens would willingly forego their rights as citizens. All they cared about were bread and circuses.

The free wheat and the impressive entertainment distracted them from reality. They were happy enough, even though they were more or less were living as slaves!

THE HUNGER GAMES

What’s the name of the nation in Suzanne Collins’ best selling trilogy The Hunger Games? Panem. Yep, derived from Panem et circenses.

Hunger Games is all about Bread and Circuses.

The people of the Capitol are quite clearly distracted from reality through fancy food and extravagant entertainment.

Each year 24 teenagers were chosen by lottery to compete in a gladiator-style fight until there was one person left standing.

This reminded the people in the districts of the power in the Capitol. But it was also for the entertainment of the people in the Capitol. Like a reality TV show that captured their attention and distracted them from more important political matters.

If The Hunger Games were true, it would be sick, wouldn’t?

BUT IT IS TRUE!

Collins has clearly borrowed ideas from the Ancient Roman Empire. With chariots and gladiator-style battles.

Gladiator with Russell Crowe shows the harshness of entertainment in the Roman Empire. People literally fed each other to the lions. And people found that entertaining. In the 2nd Century many Christians were actually fed to the lions and thousands of people will fill the stadium to watch and enjoy the festivities!

“Are you not entertained,”

Cried Russell Crowe’s character to the audience feasting upon the brutal entertainment.

SOME OF OUR CIRCUSES

But it’s not just in Ancient Rome that people were deceived by Bread and Circuses. As residents of Western Society we have access to all sorts of bread and circuses.

There are brutal forms of entertainment that perhaps echo some of the Ancient Roman forms: boxing; kick-boxing; mixed martial arts; video games like Grand Theft Auto complete with running people over, theft, rape and murder; increasingly brutal forms of pornography; R-rated horror and slasher movies

But there are also fairly meaningless forms of entertainment that we fill up our minds and time with. Most sports, if you think about them for a long enough, are pretty pointless: chasing a small white ball around an oval and hitting it with a stick; running from one end of a gym to the other and throwing a ball through a basket; kicking a ball through a goal; tackling someone with a ball; and so on. Some of the movies we watch are just strange, bizarre, lame or simply time-consuming.

Some of the amusements we enjoy are just crazy. I recently went to Luna Park and I’m pretty sure part of my brain was smooshed against the head rest on the pirate ship thing!

What’s the problem with bread and circuses? What the problem with food and entertainment?

1. AMUSING OURSELVES TO DEATH

In Luke 12, Jesus tells the story about a rich man who had a bumper crop at harvest time.

and he thought to himself, ‘What shall I do, for I have nowhere to store my crops?’ And he said, ‘I will do this: I will tear down my barns and build larger ones, and there I will store all my grain and my goods. And I will say to my soul, “Soul, you have ample goods laid upfor many years; relax, eat, drink, be merry.”’ (Luke 12:17-19, ESV)

He had access to lots of bread and lots of good times! Presumably part of relaxing would include access to an endless supply of entertainment. His goal of life became taking it easy and enjoying whatever food and whatever entertainment he desired. Bread and circuses.

Little did he know he was amusing himself to death.

But God said to him, ‘Fool! This night your soul is required of you, and the things you have prepared, whose will they be?’ So is the one who lays up treasure for himself and is not rich toward God.” (Luke 12:20-21, ESV)

The relaxing, eating, drinking and merry-living distracted him from reality. Reality? He was living for himself without any reference to God.

This is the heart of sin: failing to be rich toward God. It’s when we forget the one who made us, loves us and offers to save us. All have sinned. But this guy continued in sin thinking life was all okay. He didn’t turn back to God.

ENTERTAINMENT DECEIVES

Some entertainment is wicked. Perhaps some of the music you listen to; the websites you visit; the movies you watch; the games you play. They are wicked and your consumption of them dishonours God.

But much of the entertainment we consume isn’t wicked. It’s just trivial and  mindless. Or maybe we consume too much. It deceives us by distracting us from what really matters. That’s the issue with bread and circuses.

In my early 20s I had major problems with excess TV consumption. 30 minutes would turn into 2 hours. 1 movie would become 2. Night after night I would wake up in the early hours of the morning having fallen asleep in front of the TV again. I had no self-control and couldn’t be pulled away!

I have been married for more than 10 years. For the first 7 years of marriage we didn’t have a TV. That swiftly dealt with my TV watching habit. We do now, but it’s mainly used for ABC 4 KIDS!

BEWARE: THE INTERNET KILLS BRAIN CELLS

However, lately I’ve noticed how much the Internet is killing me! Not porn or dodgy websites. Just constantly clicking from one thing to the next: news sites; social media; design tools; youtube; blogs. My brain has been rewired; I can’t concentrate on one thing for long.

What I need for my excessive use of the Internet is someone to wake me up. You probably need someone to wake you up from whatever bread and circuses are distracting you from reality.

Katniss Everdeen is the hero in The Hunger Games. We need a figure like her. She gives hope to those in the Districts and but also helps those deceived in the Capitol to see reality.

2. JESUS SETS US FREE

John 8 is the chapter where Jesus has 3 fingers in the air. He brings hope and freedom.

Jesus answered them, “Truly, truly, I say to you, everyone who practices sin is a slave to sin. The slave does not remain in the house forever; the son remains forever. So if the Son sets you free, you will be free indeed. (John 8:34-36, ESV)

Jesus brings freedom to those who are enslaved to sin. Whether that’s a slave to bread and circuses or a slave to any other idol or distraction from following Jesus.

It’s all too easy to become enslaved to the entertainment that we consume.

But the issue isn’t slavery. It’s what we’re a slave to!

3. WHO IS YOUR MASTER?

Therefore the important questions to be considered is to ‘who is your master’? What or who will you be enslaved to?

Do you not know that if you present yourselves to anyone as obedient slaves, you are slaves of the one whom you obey, either of sin, which leads to death, or of obedience, which leads to righteousness?

But now that you have been set free from sin and have become slaves of God, the fruit you get leads to sanctification and its end, eternal life. (Romans 6:17, 22 ESV)

Be slaves of God and righteousness by wanting to obey the true and living God who made, loves and saves his people.

Is your use of entertainment mastering you? Whether it’s social media, movies, TV series, Video games or Candy Crush! Is your use of those or other mediums distracting you from serving God?

Do you know more quotes from your favourite TV show or movie than you have memorised Bible verses? Are you more worried about missing (or forgetting to record) your favourite show than you are missing meeting with God’s people?

ESCAPE TO REALITY

It’s time to wake up. You are surrounded by bread and circuses. The problem with such an abundance of bread and circuses is that we are distracted from reality and happy to live as slaves. Don’t use entertainment simple as a means to escape from reality.

Instead escape to the reality that comes in Jesus. He sets us free by his blood shed on the cross. He is to be our master. Turn away from slavery to sin and toward Jesus and seek to live for him alone.

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POSTS IN THIS SERIES: #SELFIES; BREAD & CIRCUSES; THE FIGHT; LEVEL-UP.