Every Sunday night at 9pm Hope HSM is going live on our @HopeHSM Instagram. This week is a special discussion centered around the movie Just Mercy.
THE ASK: Watch the movie Just Mercy in advance, think through the below reflection questions, and join us live 9pm Sunday to talk about it together. You can watch the movie FREE on Amazon this month.
JUST MERCY is a movie about a young lawyer, Bryan Stevenson, who heads to Alabama to defend those wrongly condemned or those not afforded proper representation. Stevenson encounters racism and legal and political maneuverings as he tirelessly fights for justice on behalf of his clients. We picked this movie because it embodies many Biblical themes, such as fighting for justice, hope, forgiveness and redemption. A main emphasis of our discussion will be centered around justice as this has become a hot topic in our current culture.
Micah 6:8 “He has shown you, O mortal, what is good. And what does the Lord require of you? To act justly and to love mercy and to walk humbly with your God.”
“Speak up for those who cannot speak for themselves, for the rights of all who are destitute. Speak up and judge fairly; defend the rights of the poor and needy.” – Proverbs 31:8-9
REFLECTION QUESTIONS:
- What specific scene(s) in the film that you found gripping or unexpected? Which scene(s) was it, and why?
- Bryan had to face a lot of injustice (being asked to submit to an illegal strip search or being pulled over, having a gun aggressively pointed at him by police for no reason, etc). How would you react if that happened to you?
- Think about the time when you made an unhealthy assumption about someone based on their skin color. Why do we make assumptions like this? How do we break out of that habit?
- What are some actual things we can do personally to love others and stand against injustice the way the Lord calls us to?
- What specific scene(s) showed hope, resilience, or redemption in the film? What can we learn from them?
- A real big question we all need to ask ourselves: How hard am I willing to work for justice?
Here is a further resource that unpacks even further many of the Biblical themes in this movie. We highly encourage you to watch this movie as a family and talk about it together.
