87. The Lord of the Rings' Most Important Lesson

Why did Frodo need Gollum?

Coming to you from Hobbiton, New Zealand, John Ortberg explores one of the deepest themes running through J.R.R. Tolkien's The Lord of the Rings:

Mercy.

Bilbo could have killed Gollum. Frodo could have killed him. Sam could have killed him.

But pity stayed their hands.

And when Frodo finally reaches Mount Doom, something surprising happens: he fails. His own willpower isn't enough to destroy the ring.

Yet the mercy extended to Gollum earlier in the story follows Frodo all the way to the end.

“Surely goodness and mercy will follow me all the days of my life.”

Maybe we need mercy because none of us can save ourselves.

And maybe there's a Gollum somewhere in your day who needs mercy too.

#LordOfTheRings #Tolkien #JohnOrtberg #Hobbiton #Psalm23 #Mercy #Gollum

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Music Credits:

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00:00 John Ortberg in New Zealand
 00:25 Welcome to Hobbiton!
 00:44 A Special Edition From the Shire
 01:12 Gollum, Frodo & the One Ring
 01:48 Why Bilbo Didn't Kill Gollum
 02:18 “What a Pity”
 02:43 Gandalf's Warning About Judgment
 03:10 Gollum Still Has a Role to Play
 03:36 Two Kinds of Pity
 03:55 Mercy in The Lord of the Rings
 04:19 Frodo Begins to Pity Gollum
 04:39 What the Ring Does to a Person
 05:08 Gollum Was Once Sméagol
 05:38 What Gollum Represents
 06:07 Frodo Reaches Mount Doom
 06:31 Frodo Fails
 06:58 Why Gollum Had to Survive
 07:34 Mercy Followed Frodo
 08:00 This Isn't a Story About Willpower
 08:17 We Can't Save Ourselves
 08:46 There Will Be a Gollum in Your Life
 09:18 “This Is a Being Like Me”
 09:40 Let Mercy Follow You
 10:06 From Hobbiton to All You Little Hobbits 😂