How's this for ironic?

I find it very ironic that one of the most profound statements I’ve ever come across from the Batman genre came from Batman’s greatest enemy, the Joker.  In the movie “The Dark Knight” the Joker (played masterfully by the late Heath Ledger) is talking about why he uses a knife and not a gun to slay his victims.  He says, “Guns are too quick.  You can't savor all the little moments.”  Then he makes this statement: “You see, in their last moments, people show you who they really are.”  Facing imminent death, according to the Joker, is the greatest window into a person’s heart and soul.  I think he's on to something.

Let me illustrate this from the Bible.  Of course, we could consider many examples of Biblical characters in the face of death (Jesus Christ Himself, our premier example, comes to mind), but one of my favorites is Stephen from the book of Acts.  As he faced the end of his Earthly life, Stephen exhibited forgiveness actually asking God in Acts 7:60 not to hold his executioner’s sin against them.  Those were his last words before he died!

It’s not all that pleasant to think about, but every time I hear Joker's statement that I’ve shared today, I always think about how I would behave facing my death.  Let me just put it this way: I want to prove the authenticity of my Christian faith when I am in my last moments of life on Earth.  I want to be like Stephen.

Kevin Bauer

(Revelation 2:10)