Les Miserables

The film does not give much of a backstory for the bishop, but the original novel goes into far more detail. This video helps to put his story into perspective.

On one occasion an expert in the law stood up to test Jesus. ‘Teacher,’ he asked, ‘what must I do to inherit eternal life?’

‘What is written in the Law?’ he replied. ‘How do you read it?’

He answered, ‘“Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength and with all your mind”; and, “Love your neighbour as yourself.”’

You have answered correctly,’ Jesus replied. ‘Do this and you will live.’

But he wanted to justify himself, so he asked Jesus, ‘And who is my neighbour?’

In reply Jesus said: ‘A man was going down from Jerusalem to Jericho, when he was attacked by robbers. They stripped him of his clothes, beat him and went away, leaving him half-dead. A priest happened to be going down the same road, and when he saw the man, he passed by on the other side. 3o too, a Levite, when he came to the place and saw him, passed by on the other side. But a Samaritan, as he travelled, came where the man was; and when he saw him, he took pity on him. He went to him and bandaged his wounds, pouring on oil and wine. Then he put the man on his own donkey, brought him to an inn and took care of him. The next day he took out two denarii and gave them to the innkeeper. “Look after him,” he said, “and when I return, I will reimburse you for any extra expense you may have.”

'Which of these three do you think was a neighbour to the man who fell into the hands of robbers?’

The expert in the law replied, ‘The one who had mercy on him.’

Jesus told him, ‘Go and do likewise.’

Does the parable of the Good Samaritan inform our understanding of the church, and our duty as Christians?

The bishop is reluctant to see his parishioner and turns back several times.

Have we experience of avoiding tasks we know we should undertake? When we finally get round to tackling difficult issues, how do we feel afterwards?

How far was the bishop open to new ideas and ways of looking at things?

Did he realise that he had prejudged the revolutionary recluse?

Did he tend to see things in black and white?

How far do we have fixed views?

How far do those around us have fixed views?

‘Do not judge, and you will not be judged. Do not condemn, and you will not be condemned. Forgive, and you will be forgiven. Give, and it will be given to you. A good measure, pressed down, shaken together and running over, will be poured into your lap. For with the measure you use, it will be measured to you.’

Does the bishop make a judgement on Monsieur G?

The bishop is accused of avoiding the cruder aspects of truth. Is this fair?

As we reflect on the old man's death, we can see that he believed that he had lived life as well as he could, although he had not supported the traditional structures of the church. Jesus died without supporting many of the traditional structures of Judaism at the time. Like the old man, be cared about social justice, as Isaiah did, and in that sense his death was a critique of Jewish preconceptions.

Does this old man's death help us to make a constructive critique of some Christian preconceptions?

Is it fair to say that the bishop realised that the old man had tried to make the world a better place, but that he had faced very difficult choices in the process?

Conscience is the amount of inner knowledge we possess. These words of Monsieur G are a perceptive comment on how we view ourselves. It is so easy to overlook aspects of our characters, just as the bishop assumes he has the moral high ground when he visits the recluse. The bishop has made the mistake of imagining that Monsieur G should have lived life according to his rules, and of failing to see that he lived life in the way that he thought best under the circumstances.

God sees the heart (see 1 Samuel 16:7). How far do we find ourselves judging others, when we do not know their heart motivations or what had led them into their situation, or to act in a certain way? Spend a few moments thinking about your own attitudes, and bringing them before God.

How open are we to begin to see things from a new, unexpected and different point of view, so that we might exercise more compassion?

We have a picture of an extraordinary man. A man who lives life simply and has a simple understanding of the gospel. He is the kind of man we do not often meet.

Watch the scene where Valjean ends up being taken in by the Bishop but then steals the silver and goes off into the night. In this YouTube video, this scene is the first 2 minutes. We watch the second half later in the session

As they approached the village to which they were going, Jesus continued on as if he were going further. But they urged him strongly, ‘Stay with us, for it is nearly evening; the day is almost over.’ So he went in to stay with them.

When he was at the table with them, he took bread, gave thanks, broke it and began to give it to them. Then their eyes were opened and they recognised him, and he disappeared from their sight.

For Christians, there is obvious symbolism in the bishop's offering of bread and wine. But they are potent symbols of hospitality and friendship for all. For Valjean, arriving tired, hungry and dispossessed, they represent physical sustenance and have no spiritual significance. For Cleopas and his friend in the passage we have read, they also represent sustenance after a long trek until their eyes are opened. And, they have just witnessed the extraordinary events in Jerusalem, and knew something of the life and death of Jesus. Valjean did not have such thoughts uppermost in his mind. We may assume that all had a good knowledge of Christianity and underwent a basic Christian education, but in nineteenth-century Europe many of the poor would have had no such instruction. Many of us make the same assumptions today. The truth is that in countless parts of society, there is almost a complete lacuna of understanding. It was not through teaching that the bishop could communicate his message, but through an act of love.

Watch the remainder of the previous scene, when Valjean is brought back by the constables until the bishop blesses him. In this YouTube video, this scene starts at 2 minutes. Note especially the words of Valjean.

Reflect on and discuss the bishop's words, thinking about what is meant by:

• • Leaving the best behind;

  • A higher plan;

  • The witness of martyrs

  • The passion, the blood.

What has come into being in him was life, and the life was the light of all people. The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness did not overcome it' (John 1:4,5)