In the first Star Wars movie, Luke, Han Solo, Chewy, C-3PO, R2-D2, and Obi-Wan Kenobi join together to rescue Princess Leia from Darth Vader, who is holding her captive. But as they speed through space and approach Vader’s Death Star, their ship, the Millennium Falcon, is caught in the Death Star’s tractor beam and slowly pulled inside the giant ship. They hide in secret places, then sneak out to find Leia. Obi-Wan, however, breaks off from the group to disable the tractor beam. On the way, he encounters Darth Vader.
Darth Vader – keeper of the “dark side” of the Force squares off against Obi-Wan – Jedi Knight of the Light. They battle fiercely until that moment when Obi-Wan stands in front of Vader and lowers his light saber. “If you strike me down,” he says, “I shall become more powerful than you can possibly imagine.” Vader cuts him in half but Obi-Wan’s body disappears leaving only a cloak in a pile on the floor.
I thought of this and of those who have been studying the Course for years. Clearly we are “experts” in one sense. We know what it says, we understand what it means, and our lives have been transformed as a result. But, in another sense, we are just as newbie as everyone else. Because if we really got it, really understood who we were, we wouldn’t still be here.
Think about it, once Jesus figured it out, he didn’t stick around for very long. He knew his power and communication would only increase upon his leaving. Like Obi-Wan, Jesus became more powerful than the forces of dark could ever imagine. “Nothing can prevail against a Son of God who commends his Spirit into the hands of his Father.” (OrEd.Tx.3.19)