Christianity Today

Yes, this article talks about all of the important final moments of Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, so those not wanting to know what happens should disapparate now.

In fact, you might want to go before I mention one of the more remarkable revelations in the book: The great Headmaster of Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, Albus Dumbledore, read the Bible.

Albus Dumbledore quotes the Bible word-for-word in placing an inscription on the tomb of his mother and sister, "Where your treasure is, there will your heart be also."

Here's the full passage, Matthew 6:19-24:

"Do not lay up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy and where thieves break in and steal, but lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys and where thieves do not break in and steal. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.

"The eye is the lamp of the body. So, if your eye is healthy, your whole body will be full of light, but if your eye is bad, your whole body will be full of darkness. If then the light in you is darkness, how great is the darkness!

"No one can serve two masters, for either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and money."

Some readers point out that Harry and Hermione do not seem to know that the epitaph comes from the Bible. Rowling only makes it clear that Harry "did not understand what these words meant." At this point in Deathly Hallows, neither do readers. But I think Dumbledore knew the meaning of that verse quite well and put it there for a reason.

What would cause Dumbledore to choose this verse from the Sermon on the Mount for his family's grave? The circumstances surrounding the death of his sister help us understand. Dumbledore's greed (though cloaked with good intentions) for the most powerful of earthly treasures, the Deathly Hallows, ultimately led to his sister's death. Suffice it to say that Dumbledore's sister Ariana was one of the most tragic characters in the whole Harry Potter series. Her life was one of immeasurable hurt. And her need was the most basic need of those who are in pain. She needed love. Sacrificial love. Dumbledore failed her. He was incapable of fulfilling his duties to care for her while pursuing his ambitions for power. His failure which led to his sister's death helped Dumbledore to comprehend one of the other truths of Matthew 6, "No one can serve two masters" (Matthew 6:24). The pursuit of possessions of power, even for benevolent reasons, can ultimately only lead to death and ruin. As he puts it in his own words, Dumbledore understood that he, the most powerful wizard of his day, "Was not to be trusted with power."

Considering the Lily

It was that very conflict that ruined Severus Snape. He attempted to serve two masters, his love for Harry Potter's mother, Lily Evans, and his pursuit of the possession of earthly power. Snape lived out the rest of that verse in Matthew 6, perhaps as tragically as any character in literature, "He will be devoted to one and despise the other" (Matthew 6:24). Near the end of Dumbledore's life Snape reveals to the Headmaster his Patronus, a doe. It is the same doe as Lily Evans's Patronus. When he sees Snape's Patronus, Dumbledore's eyes fill with tears, realizing that for all these years Snape has remained devoted to Lily. His love for her was his master. But so too was Snape mastered by his desire to possess power. Snape could not serve both masters. In the end, to his credit and ruin, he remained devoted to his love for Lily and despised his opportunity for power.

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