Beowulf’s Christian Message About Strength
When my students encounter Beowulf, the 9th century Anglo-Saxon poem about a medieval warrior fighting monsters in Demark, they are often swept up in the physical struggle of the hero against his grotesque opponents.
Beowulf is the quintessential hero—capable, witty, and strong (“the strength of thirty men in his grip”). The world traditionally finds heroes like Beowulf impressive, and he plays his role well, bragging about the deeds he intends to accomplish.
But during the fight against Grendel’s mother, the hero is shockingly overpowered. Unexpected failures—of his sword and his own physical prowess—leave him pinned under the monster’s knife. Our hero is on the brink of a humiliating defeat.
At this moment, I often point out to students that the poet is allegorically communicating a spiritual truth here: He tells us the monsters (Grendel and his mother) are descendants of Cain. They are the poem’s metaphorical embodiment of the wages of sin stalking the darkness and waiting to devour anyone unprepared (an echo of God’s warning to Cain in Genesis 4:7).
The lesson? If we put our faith in our own strength to free us from sin, we are doomed to failure. While we might initially trust our own power to escape retribution for sinfulness, we cannot escape sin’s wages any more than Beowulf can free himself from Grendel’s mother.
The poet confirms that Beowulf “would have surely perished” in this moment were he alone. This assessment echoes Matthew 19:26 where Jesus explains that “With man this is impossible, but with God all things are possible.” Human strength alone, the poem demonstrates, is not capable of overcoming sin.
Fortunately, the poem offers Beowulf an escape from his desperate situation: God’s intervention. A divine light illuminates the dark cave where the hero is fighting for his life; he is pointed toward a sword that will not fail, and he is finally able to get back on his feet. The poet writes: “It was easy for the Lord, the Ruler of Heaven, to redress the balance once Beowulf got back up.”
Just as Beowulf’s unearned victory is the direct result of God’s unmerited favor, we should recognize that the grip of sin can be escaped only through the grace of Christ Jesus, whose intercession on our behalf also frees us from our own death.
Beowulf is the quintessential hero—capable, witty, and strong (“the strength of thirty men in his grip”). The world traditionally finds heroes like Beowulf impressive, and he plays his role well, bragging about the deeds he intends to accomplish.
But during the fight against Grendel’s mother, the hero is shockingly overpowered. Unexpected failures—of his sword and his own physical prowess—leave him pinned under the monster’s knife. Our hero is on the brink of a humiliating defeat.
At this moment, I often point out to students that the poet is allegorically communicating a spiritual truth here: He tells us the monsters (Grendel and his mother) are descendants of Cain. They are the poem’s metaphorical embodiment of the wages of sin stalking the darkness and waiting to devour anyone unprepared (an echo of God’s warning to Cain in Genesis 4:7).
The lesson? If we put our faith in our own strength to free us from sin, we are doomed to failure. While we might initially trust our own power to escape retribution for sinfulness, we cannot escape sin’s wages any more than Beowulf can free himself from Grendel’s mother.
The poet confirms that Beowulf “would have surely perished” in this moment were he alone. This assessment echoes Matthew 19:26 where Jesus explains that “With man this is impossible, but with God all things are possible.” Human strength alone, the poem demonstrates, is not capable of overcoming sin.
Fortunately, the poem offers Beowulf an escape from his desperate situation: God’s intervention. A divine light illuminates the dark cave where the hero is fighting for his life; he is pointed toward a sword that will not fail, and he is finally able to get back on his feet. The poet writes: “It was easy for the Lord, the Ruler of Heaven, to redress the balance once Beowulf got back up.”
Just as Beowulf’s unearned victory is the direct result of God’s unmerited favor, we should recognize that the grip of sin can be escaped only through the grace of Christ Jesus, whose intercession on our behalf also frees us from our own death.
Recent
Archive
2025
May
June
July
August
September
No Comments