At the heart of J.R.R. Tolkien’s, The Hobbit lies the journey of the title character, Bilbo Baggins, who was whisked away from his very comfortable life, by a band of homeless, and possibly hapless dwarves, as they sought to reclaim their home. In the movie adaptation, and in other places of Tolkien’s writings, we hear one of the dwarves recount a long ago battle, in which, as his kin were losing, he saw one man, the heir to the kingdom stand up to the face of defeat and press against the oncoming tide. We hear him say: In that moment, there was one who had the strength to turn back the tide and when I saw him standing over the enemy, I knew that was one who I could follow. We are meant to be sweated up in the awe and admiration so that our hearts too would follow this King under the Mountain.
However, if we jump toward the end of the book, after the dwarves have returned and reclaimed their home and the great riches and wealth that had once belonged to them all. Tolkien describes this same king having been overtaken by his lust for gold, ready to begin a war against an unbeatable army and sacrifice his brothers and loyal followers without even a second thought. He had abandoned all reason and sense, and so was no longer one worthy of following.
We are also reminded, that Tolkien wrote these stories as an allegory for Christ, a sacramental reality and the spiritual life. While Thorin was a fictional character, the truth remains that no matter how noble and great a person may be at a given moment, we remain sinners, we fall and continue to bear weaknesses.
But there is one who the gold lust never takes over who always seeks wisdom, always chooses the right path; he always guides perfectly. This is our faith and it is the one in whom we place our faith. It is as Peter said: Lord to whom else would we turn. Who else has the words of everlasting life? It is not about the failure of others. It is not about despairing that everyone else will leave us or let us down. It’s the promise that there is one; there is a path to life; there is a path to deliverance; there is forgiveness of sins; and there is wisdom to lead us through the most challenging and even hopeless situations in the world.
He is the One whose tongue is like a two edged sword and whose word is always true. It is Our Lord Jesus Christ, who is, who was and who ever shall be. Even this world will pass, but his words will never pass. It is Jesus Christ, the Son of God, who is worth giving up everything for. You can take all of your riches, your accomplishments, your talents, your joys, and everything else that is good in your life and give them up to receive and follow him, and it would still be worth it.