Netflix is definitely not my thing – I have not watched any of their shows until this past Christmas, when I binge-watched Squid Game Seasons One and Two back-to-back. Whilst I found this global pop culture phenomenon somewhat entertaining on one level, I was amazed at how the underlying message of the story is like a parable on my favourite topic: Biblical teaching on money and possessions.
My goal is not to describe the plot in detail nor to analyze the show’s details, hence there will be relatively few spoilers for those who haven’t watched it yet. Having said that, there will still be some references to the characters and storyline, so please read on at your own risk.
The following key lessons, in no particular order, jumped out at me:
1. The Love of Money is the Root of All Evil (1 Timothy 6:10)
Notice it is not money itself (which is neutral on its own, in my humble opinion), but rather it is the love of money that is the root of all evil. The craving for money basically drove all the contestants to different atrocities, leading them to dire economic circumstances and thus targeted for invitation to participate in the deadly and twisted contest.
2. Warning Against Debt (Proverbs 22:7)
Generally speaking, the Bible warns about leverage. Off the top of my head, over 95% of the contestants in the show had debt issues to begin with (ranging from gambling debt, futures trading related debt, real estate debt, loan shark debt, you name it). All the ones who insisted in carrying on with the next round of potentially lethal games were the most highly indebted, pinning their hopes of setting themselves free from indebtedness by risking their lives.
3. The LORD will testify at once against those who cheat employees out of their wages, and those who take advantage of widows, orphans, and foreigners (Malachi 3:5)
For me personally, one of the most endearing characters in the show is Ali, the Pakistani migrant worker who is fluent in the Korean language. He was badly mistreated by his boss, ripping him off in his wages when he clearly had cash available for himself (Proverbs 3:28). There were also various widows and orphans in the show who were oppressed by the socioeconomic system as a whole. The LORD spoke numerous times throughout the Bible (in both the Old and New Testaments) how much He detests such behaviour.
4. Religiosity = Ineffective Evangelism (James 1:22)
As a self-proclaimed non-traditional missionary, I found the pastor character rather amusing. I do not remember whether the reason for his economic problem was explicitly mentioned, but he certainly had a problem with hypocritically judging others (Matthew 7:1-5). His Christian spiel and meaningless prayers right before he schemed on how to kill the other contestants, safe to say, won no converts to Christ during his time on that remote island.
5. Life Does Not Consist in an Abundance of Possessions (Luke 12:15)
Despite surviving all the gruesome rounds of games and winning the grand prize of KRW 45,600,000,000 (equivalent to USD 31,500,000), contestant #456 had no family, no friends, and no joy in life. All he could think about was vengeance, deeply traumatized by the whole experience.
In closing, I am kind of looking forward to the finale Season Three, mainly to see what other Biblical lessons can be drawn from this unconventional parable. One thing is for sure though – there is only one Saviour who could break our chains from economic bondage, and it is not contestant 456.