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In this weekend's reading, I learned about Hernán Cortés' victory over Mexico and Montezuma. Before the conquest had even begun, Cortés' army was unsure about the plan and ready to return to Cuba - perhaps for a piña colada and some salsa dancing. But Cortés was committed. He sunk all but one of his ships just off the coast of Mexico to show his commitment to the cause (missionary but also the pursuit of Mexican riches). He knew that he and his men ran the risk of losing their lives but he believed they would win. Well, they didn't. Cortés lost almost his entire army in the battles with the Mexican people. Just when the Mexicas believed that they had won, Cortés returned with reinforcements and defeated the great city. He was successful only because he was granted a second attempt through support from his friends (obviously).
There are many stories about making a deal with the devil, but most of these only give the hero one try. Examples of this include: The Tragical History of Dr. Faustus, TheTwilight Zone, and Tirso de Molina’s Burlador de Sevilla. Unfortunately, these heroes didn’t have very many friends either.
In modern(er) works, however, romanticism has played a role in the devil-deal maker relationship. Now friends of the hero are allowed to intervene. Jack Sparrow was saved from Davy Jones’ locker by his friends. Homer was saved from his deal with the devil by Marge. Gotham was saved by Batman. The list goes on and on.
So, if you plan on conquering nations, asking for supernatural powers, or simply putting of the day of your repentance, make sure you have a friend who can bail you out when you get into trouble.
That's an interesting perspective on the deal-with-the-devil story, but I think that true in in our lives as well- our friends, those we spend a lot of time around and are influenced by can not only help us escape the devil (sin) if they are an uplifting influence, but can help us from making really bad choices in the first place.
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