A Walk in the Clouds
- Stephen Orr
- 1 day ago
- 3 min read
(a Steve Orr Bible reflection)
Did film critic Roger Ebert know he was saving A Walk in The Clouds from the dustbin of obscurity? He called it “a glorious romantic fantasy, aflame with passion and bittersweet longing.” The other critics didn’t see what he saw. Ebert also said: “One needs perhaps to have a little of these qualities in one's soul to respond fully to the film…that to me sang with innocence and trust.” Perhaps that explains the other reviews. They just didn’t allow passion and bittersweet longing to serve as their lens.
The story: Paul, a veteran fresh from the trauma of World War II, befriends Victoria, a pregnant woman on her way home from college. She’s been abandoned by the man she thought loved her. Now she fears a harsh reaction from her father, the strong-willed master of their family, and their family vineyard “The Clouds.” Paul agrees to temporarily pose as her husband, and she hopes this will blunt her father’s anger.
But don’t let any of this drama distract you: It’s really all about the vineyard. The family’s entire existence revolves around it. Each day is filled with everything it takes to keep the vines healthy and producing the varietals needed for a great wine. The challenges are constant. Before the film is over, an existential crisis threatens the vineyard.
At the heart of it all is the original vine, the root. Without it, the vineyard would be lost.
It’s the same for the vineyard in this week’s Isaiah and Psalm 80 passages. It represents God’s people. His vineyard also needs its root to flourish: It cannot survive on its own. Sadly, God’s people keep failing and then begging to be forgiven. All that rootless vineyard will produce is wild grapes, useless for making wine.
Eventually, God has had enough and says He is giving up on His vineyard. After that, animals, plants, and even the weather work to destroy it.
Centuries pass before someone appears to end that heartbreaking cycle. As we know, that cycle-breaker is Jesus, the promised Messiah, the root, the original vine. Without Him, the vineyard will be entirely lost, cut off from God.
Jesus said, “I am the Vine, you are the branches. When you’re joined with me and I with you, the relation intimate and organic, the harvest is sure to be abundant. Separated, you can’t produce a thing. Anyone who separates from me is deadwood, gathered up and thrown on the bonfire. But if you make yourselves at home with me and my words are at home in you, you can be sure that whatever you ask will be listened to and acted upon. This is how my Father shows who He is—when you produce grapes, when you mature as my disciples.” (John15:5-8, The Message)
Is what Jesus said sentimental? Definitely. Idealistic? Maybe. Too simple for a cynic to believe? Perhaps. But it absolutely sings with innocence and trust. And nothing could be more true.
Because Jesus volunteered to be the new vine, He now sits to the right of God. When God looks to His right, he sees the son He loves, the true vine, and not those wild grapes of His wrath.
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Like The Wizard of Oz and It’s a Wonderful Life before it—both box office flops—the film’s following expanded greatly after moving to smaller screens.
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