Milele — The Land of Forever
Lessons for Christians from the movie 'Mufasa'
Disney's Mufasa, released in December 2024, tells the story of Mufasa, the father of Simba from Lion King. When Mufasa was a young cub, his parents often spoke to him about Milele. In the beginning part of the movie, Mufasa's mother tells him to close his eyes and 'see' Milele – the land of forever, where there is plenty for everyone, a rich land where all live together in peace and harmony in the circle of life. Mufasa and his parents together dream of Milele and sing of it.
Years later, although separated from his parents, Mufasa knows that he must go seeking Milele. Along this journey he meets other lions who ridicule his dream of Milele. They say that Milele does not exist, that it is a fairy tale told to young cubs. Yet, with the support and encouragement of his new friend Rafiki, he sets out on the journey.
Whether the makers of the movie intended it or not, Mufasa has many Christian undertones. Like Mufasa, Christians long for and look forward to the heavenly city (Heb 11:10). Like Mufasa, they 'see' the heavenly Jerusalem, not by sight, but by faith (Heb 11:1). And like the lions around Mufasa, Christians are often told that the heavenly city does not exist, that it is merely a fairy tale told to small children.
Mufasa, with its Christian undertones, has insights for the Christian life.
The role of Education – instilling a desire for Milele
Christian schools and parents often desire and make sure that children know the right doctrines (the right things to believe) and and that they know the right way to live. What sometimes gets left out, though, is ensuring that they long for and dream of Milele, or the heavenly city.
We need to develop the imagination of our children and help them imagine the heavenly city, not merely as a place where we sit on clouds and play harps all day, but the place where we live forever (Is 65:20), the place where we build houses and live in them, and plant vineyards and eat of their fruit (v21), the place where we enjoy the work of our hands (v22), the place where everyone will live in so much peace that it would be as if the wolf and the lamb would feed together (v25).
As Christian adults, our responsibility towards the covenant children in our community is to talk to them often of Milele. Talk of it as part of daily life. When our children encounter conflict with others or witness conflicts or fights, talk of Milele – the land where the wolf and the lamb will feed together (Is 65:25). When they learn of poverty and scarcity, talk of Milele – the land flowing with milk and honey (Deut 11:9) or in other words, the land of abundance. When they see injustice or unfairness in how they or others are treated, talk of Milele – the land ruled by the perfect righteous judge who will settle all disputes (Is 2:4). When they complain of potholes on the roads, talk of Milele – the city with perfect roads made of gold (Rev 21:21).
It is good to teach our children right doctrine and the right way to live. But let us not forget to stoke their imagination and their longing for Milele.
The role of art – helping us imagine Milele
What often stifles faith today is not arguments about how God does not exist or how Science explains the world. Faith is often stifled when our imagination of heavenly things is crowded out from our minds due to our preoccupation with earthly things.
The dream of clearing NEET/JEE, the dream of owning a Mercedes, or becoming a CEO of a large company, the dream of becoming a famous sports star or a musician, the dream of traveling the world or becoming a digital nomad, the dream of financial security and an early retirement, the dream of having enough that we don't work because we have to but because we want to... These are the dreams that crowd out the dream of Milele from our minds. It is possible to attend church every Sunday, and yet have our dreams of Milele crowded out from our minds.
How do we reenchant our minds and reignite our imaginations?
Stories such as Mufasa can sometimes lead us back to a world of wonder. They can help us dream of a world that is more than just the practical demands of the here and now.
Art and stories, therefore, can have an important place in training our imaginations to dream of Milele, or of Aslan's Country, or of Valinor and the Undying Lands. Fairy tales such as Narnia, the Lord of the Rings, or Mufasa, are tales that express truth – not historic facts, but Christian truths. If we despise fairy tales, we will only reject the true fairy tales. And yet we will fall prey to other kinds of fairy tales, but they will be tales that are not true – such as the tale of the American Dream.
Stories can also remind us that Milele, or Aslan's Country, or Valinor, are all echoes of the real eternal city. God has placed eternity in the heart of man (Ecc 3:11) and so we imagine it in our fairy tales in a hundred different ways.
As we celebrate Easter, let us retell the stories – of the life, the death and the resurrection of Jesus of Nazareth. And let us dream of Milele – the resurrection world that is breaking out into our current world of death and decay. And when Jesus comes again, we will be forever in Milele. In the meantime, we press on our journey to Milele. Though ridiculed that Milele doesn't exist, or that it is a fairy tale told to children, we press on, knowing that some fairy tales are true, and are worth telling. We know that Milele is true because Jesus rose from the dead.