First blood A story about Jesus

A study Finding Jesus in

Rambo: First Blood
Introductory Statements
Before we get into the movie, we should lay down a couple of warnings and ground rules:
• Jesus is the spotless lamb of God, the movie is far from spotless when it comes to language.
(Notably, it is almost never that the ‘good guys’ cuss.)
• Hey, guess what, the Rambo film has violence. Who knew?
• Jesus does not equal Rambo, Rambo does not equal Jesus.
• Watching Rambo without reading the Bible is still just watching Rambo. Watching Rambo
alongside the Bible, is something a little different.
He came to Holidayland, and Holidayland did not receive Him
The name of the town that Rambo is picked up in is “Holidayland”, (scene 3) and under the sign it
says “welcome to Hope”, yet there doesn’t seem to be anything “hopeful” about the scene that John
Rambo walks into.

• Read John 1:1-11

• What things did the sheriff do to let Rambo know that he was unwelcome in Holidayland?
o He calls him a drifter, picks on how he’s dressed – tells him that he’s different, that
people won’t like him. He says “we don’t like guys like you in this town…I get paid
to keep it that way.” He also tells him that he can go to a different town to eat, etc.
• What things do people do to show that Jesus is unwelcome in our towns and cities?
o Drill people on where Christianity is considered “unacceptable”, and what people
consider talking about Jesus or faith as a negative thing.

40 days
Jesus was driven out into the desert by the Holy Spirit. Rambo, similarly, was driven out into the
wilderness (scene 8) where he is tempted several times: to give himself up, to kill unnecessarily, to
give up his sense of honor.

• Read Matthew 4:1-11

• Jesus is tempted by the devil three times. What sort of things does the devil try to tempt
Jesus with?
o Bread (1-4), Safety (5-7), Power (8-11)
• Rambo responds “I can’t do that,” when Col. Trautman tells him to give himself up. Jesus
responds “I won’t do that” to Satan’s temptations. What are we tempted by in the
“wilderness” around us?

By His stripes, we are healed

Interestingly, John Rambo is “baptized” by the guards during his time in prison. This time is also
when many similarities between Jesus and Rambo appear.

• Read Luke 22-23, and/or Matthew 27

• What happens to Rambo that reminds you of Jesus’ passion story? (Watch scenes 4-7 if
necessary)
o Silent before his accusers, guards “name” Rambo like the authorities “name” Jesus as
the King of the Jews, “we’re going to make you more presentable for your
courtroom appearance”, has stripes from being whipped and/or scarred, guards
abuse him, “crucified”, also – many of the things said by David Carusso’s character
Deputy Mitch.
• Jesus’ suffering and death paid the price for our sins. Knowing that He had the power to
stop it at any moment, He let it happen. What would you let someone do to you in order to
save a friend?
And was buried, and on the third day…
There appears to be a very clear association with Jesus when Rambo is “buried” in a tomb – the old
mineshaft. The soldiers gloat over his death, taking pictures. Sheriff Teasle screams “the best man
lost, and he (Trautman) doesn’t like it.” After some time in the tomb, however, Rambo emerges
from the tomb to claim victory.

• Read Acts 2:22-24 and John 20:19-31.

• We talk about Jesus’ resurrection as a “victory” but it doesn’t go around getting revenge like
Rambo does. How is it still a victory?

The Problematic Ending

In the original story of Rambo, which was based on the book “First Blood”, Rambo ends his own
life by committing suicide. While he does not end his own life in the movie, the end of the movie
shows a seemingly defeated Rambo being marched off to prison. Jesus’ story “ends” quite
differently – both when He leaves this earth forever, and when our age ends as heaven comes to
earth.

• Read Luke 24:36-53 and Revelation 21:1-8.

• What is tragic about the last scene of Rambo? Has Rambo gone through a transformation
by the end of the movie? How is the tragedy of Rambo like our lives or the lives of non-
Christians sometimes?
o Rambo’s tragedy is that despite fighting and “winning”, he still loses. He is still stuck
in a world that hates him. This could be like Christian persecution, or like non-
Christians “trying to do their best” in a world that will still chew them up and spit
them out.
o Rambo does go through a transformation – one of the realization that he is different.
Perhaps specially gifted, but different. That could be like a Christian life.
o Rambo’s tragedy is that his “death” (imprisonment in the case of the movie) is one
that is unfitting for a hero. Rambo should be going out “in a blaze of glory”.

Additional Similarities
Hopefully, we’ve been able to convince you that there is some similarity between Rambo and Jesus.
That similarity happens naturally with many of our “hero” stories because deep down inside, we are
working out our “hard-wired” nature of knowing the true God of the Universe.
• What are the “heroic” aspects of Jesus that seem to show up in many of our stories?
o You may want to lead by just walking through the life of Jesus – born in obscurity,
attempt on his life by evil from the beginning, a mysterious nature, calling followers,
rejected by society, saves society nonetheless, etc...
• What additional similarities can you find between the story of Rambo and the story of Jesus?
I think I saved some good ones for you.
o The “Adam and Eve’s Fall” story is seemingly alluded to when John Rambo meets
Delmore Berry’s wife. (scene 1)
 o Helped out and identified by a friendly lawman. Jesus was actually helped and
identified by Pharisees like Nicodemus and Joseph of Arimethia. (Scene 5)
o Deputy Mitch claims “I knew there was something about him” like the Roman
centurion claims “Surely, this man was the Son of God.” (Scene 11)
o One of the deputies exclaims “We’re not hunting him, he’s hunting us.” Our
Christian lives are really not us seeking God, but Him revealing Himself to us.”
o Col. Trautman to Rambo: “the mission is over”, sounds similar to “It is finished” –
but the problem is that Rambo replies “Nothing is over, Nothing, you just can’t
switch it off.”
o Is Col. Trautman the Holy Spirit? (Helps and defends Rambo, explains that he
“made” Rambo sort of like being made man through the Holy Spirit, etc). Or is
Trautman the devil? (Is always finding a way to sell Rambo out, tempting him to
believe that it IS over.)

Please don’t throw this away. If you’re not going to use it, leave it for someone else to use.