Indebted for Life

by Rolaant McKenzie

Fans of the Star Wars films may be most familiar with characters such as Luke Skywalker, Princess Leia, Han Solo, and Darth Vader. But they may not be as acquainted with the Wookiee Chewbacca, a tall fur-covered humanoid from the planet Kashyyyk who was Han Solo's friend and co-pilot of the Millennium Falcon.

Several years before meeting Han Solo, the evil Galactic Empire had laid siege to Kashyyyk, invaded with ground forces, then enslaved the Wookiees. Chewbacca was taken captive and eventually sent to an Imperial facility on the planet Mimban. While imprisoned, he came to be known as "the Beast," and the Imperial officials sought to sell him off as a pit fighter.

The 2018 science fiction film Solo: A Star Wars Story takes place about ten years before the events of the original Star Wars film of 1977 and depicts the meeting of Han Solo and Chewbacca. Han was an Imperial infantryman on Mimban who questioned the Empire's destruction and occupation of the planet. Denounced as a deserter, Han's commanding officer sentenced him to death by placing him in the same underground cell occupied by a starved and enraged Chewbacca. But he used his knowledge of Chewbacca's language, Shyriiwook, to stop his attack and persuade him to work with him to escape. By staging a fight, they were able to overcome the guards and escape to freedom.

In Wookiee culture, loyalty, courage, honor, and friendship were valued above all else. This included the practice of taking on a "life debt," a custom stating that if someone had saved a person's life, then that person owed the one who saved him his life in return. In other words, it was a promise or an oath to serve the person who saved him from death and stand by his side in friendship with the understanding that their lives would be intertwined forever.

In gratitude to Han Solo for saving his life from Imperial captivity on Mimban and certain death, Chewbacca proclaimed a "life debt" to him and became his lifelong friend and traveling companion. Because of this relationship, many years later, when Han was taken captive by the infamous gangster Jabba the Hutt, Chewbacca played a crucial role in rescuing him.

A similar kind of covenantal relationship existed between David and Jonathan, for their souls were knit together in friendship (1 Samuel 18:1-3). When David was successful in his battles with the Philistines, King Saul became jealous of him and fearful that he would seek to take his place on the throne, because he heard it sung that "Saul has slain his thousands, and David his ten thousands." As a result, Saul sought to kill him (1 Samuel 18:10-30). But at risk to his life, the king's son, Jonathan, saved David out of the hands of his father (1 Samuel 20:18-42), and they made a "life debt" covenant with each other.

"You shall not cut off your lovingkindness from my house forever, not even when the LORD cuts off every one of the enemies of David from the face of the earth. So Jonathan made a covenant with the house of David, saying, "May the LORD require it at the hands of David's enemies. Jonathan made David vow again because of his love for him, because he loved him as he loved his own life." (1 Samuel 20:15-17)

Jonathan knew that God was with David and that he was destined to be king of Israel. He also knew that it was customary that when one royal house replaced another, the new one would eliminate any potential heirs to the throne from the old one. But Jonathan agreed to care for David in the face of Saul's present threat to his life, and David pledged to care for and show kindness to Jonathan and his family in the future when he became king. They wept and parted ways in peace because Jonathan had to remain in his father's house, and David could not stay but had to flee as a fugitive.

Years later, after the death of both Saul and his son Jonathan, David became king of Israel. He inquired whether there was anyone left of the house of Saul, and he was told that Jonathan's son, Mephibosheth, lived in a small, barren town about 70-80 miles east of Jerusalem called Lo-Debar (2 Samuel 9). He was brought before King David, and the king calmed his fears and told him:

"Do not fear, for I will surely show kindness to you for the sake of your father Jonathan, and will restore to you all the land of your grandfather Saul; and you shall eat at my table regularly." (2 Samuel 9-7)

Mephibosheth was moved from Lo-Debar to a new home granted to him in Jerusalem, and he ate at King David's table regularly as one of his sons.

Debtors' prisons, several centuries ago, were places where indebted people were held in custody until they could, through hard labor, pay their debt in full. Our sins are debts to God that we cannot ever pay, and no amount of labor on our part can ever change this (Matthew 6:9-13; Luke 11:2-4). Sin separates us from God, places us in an indebtedness unto death, and holds us captive to a terrible destiny in hell. But God sent Jesus, the one and only Savior, to rescue sinners by paying their sin debt in full on the cross and granting eternal life to anyone who believes in Him.

In Jesus Christ, we have something far better than Chewbacca being rescued from certain death in an Imperial prison or David being delivered from death at the hands of King Saul.

"For He rescued us from the domain of darkness, and transferred us to the kingdom of His beloved Son, in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins." (Colossians 1:13-14)

Chewbacca in the Star Wars films was grateful for his life being saved by Han Solo, and so he gladly spent his life as his companion and helper. David was grateful to Jonathan for delivering him out of the hand of King Saul, and so he was pleased as king of Israel to show kindness to his son.

Do not be like the wicked servant whose master compassionately forgave his massive debt but was unappreciative because he failed to show compassion and forgiveness to another servant who owed him little (Matthew 18:21-35). Instead, be like the Gerasene demoniac who was grateful to Jesus for delivering him from the legion of demons that inhabited and tormented him and was so overjoyed that he proclaimed throughout Decapolis (ten cities) the great things Jesus had done for him (Mark 5:1-20).

Our redemption came at great cost: the precious blood of Jesus shed on the cross (1 Peter 1:18-19). For those of us who trust in Him, let our salvation cause gratitude in our hearts so that we will have our own "life debt" to God and serve Him faithfully with the talents He has given to us with gladness and joy. In Jesus Christ, all who believe in and are saved by Him are indebted for life and will be granted permanent residence in His glorious unshakeable kingdom that will never end.

"Therefore, since we receive a kingdom which cannot be shaken, let us show gratitude, by which we may offer to God an acceptable service with reverence and awe" (Hebrews 12:28).