15 Film Characters Way More Like Jesus Than Many Actual Portrayals Of Jesus

Sometimes we think that only people playing JESUS HIMSELF have anything to teach us about that radical and subversive person named Jesus of Nazareth. Here are fifteen totally non-Jesus characters that show us a lot more about him than you'd think.

1. Patsey, "12 Years A Slave"

Via imdb.com

Patsey, born under oppression, refuses to lose any piece of her humanity - regardless of what happens to her.

2. Oskar Schell, "Extremely Loud & Incredibly Close"

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A nine-year old kid on a emotionally powerful journey typifies Jesus' example that "whoever doesn't receive the kingdom of God as a little child will never enter it" (Mark 10:15).

3. Django, "Django Unchained"

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Okay, okay, not counting the crazy Tarantino revenge fantasy aspect, Django escapes slavery and is determined to bring those he loves towards freedom as well.

4. Kronk, "The Emperor's New Groove"

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This incredibly devoted character risks everything to do the right thing.

How Jesus of him.

5. Harry Potter, "Harry Potter and the 7(8) Movies"

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I mean, this says it all. If you don't think Jesus would have a bounty on his head in today's society, go back and read the Gospels.

6. Ricky Bobby, "Talladega Nights"

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Just kidding. He's not like Jesus at all. But this is such a great scene.

7. Hushpuppy, "Beasts of the Southern Wild"

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We don't have a lot of stories from Jesus' growing up, but seeing him in a poor, homeless six-year old in the Louisiana bayou is as theologically powerful as it gets.

8. Ray Kinsella, "Field of Dreams"

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Seriously. He does incredibly unpopular things that make everyone around him call him a lunatic - and it ends up being amazing. Sound familiar?

9. Ree, "Winter's Bone"

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We forget that Jesus wasn't formally educated. He lived and died as a poor wanderer. Very much like Jennifer Lawrence's character in this stunning movie.

10. Paul Rusesabagina, "Hotel Rwanda"

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Both the real Paul - and Don Cheadle's portrayal of him - is as Jesus as it gets: giving up everything in the face of horror to save others.

11. Juno MacGuff, "Juno"

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Okay, so she's more like Jesus' mother, but the story still shows so much - an unplanned pregnancy, an unwed mother, and everything else that comes with it.

12. Ernesto Guevara de la Serna, "The Motorcycle Diaries"

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Ernesto's transformation after seeing what he sees in this epic journey mirrors Jesus' own struggles to understand his mission (that we often ignore).

13. Napoleon Dynamite, "Napoleon Dynamite"

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Social outcast, ridiculed by others - and ends up dancing like a fiend. (I assume Jesus could dance with similar gusto.)

14. Daniel Hillard/Mrs. Doubtfire, "Mrs. Doubtfire"

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That's right. Someone who has so much love, they'll risk everything (including dignity...?) to show that love. Jesus, anyone?

15. Hauptmann Gerd Wiesler, "The Lives of Others"

Via imdb.com

Another exquisite story of transformation that leads this character to sacrifice everything he is to save others. (Noticing a pattern here??)