The finale episode of Downton Abbey taught many lessons about walking right with God as the events of the show had several parallels with our walk with Christ.
ERLC in their latest post explain some of these parallels. For one thing, Edith and Thomas' deceit and attempts at manipulation end poorly with Edith losing her fiancé after withholding the fact that Marigold was her daughter. Thomas, with his continuous attempts to manipulate and deceive in order to get ahead with the Crawleys, ends up outside of the Downton estate in a lower position with a family that is less wealthy than the Crawleys.
Because of their greed, the two ended up losing two of the things that are most important in life – love and a home.
"This is always the path of sin. In rebelling against the order of the house—in trying to manipulate the system to gain power—Thomas was like Adam and Eve who were not content with the just rule of paradise. They didn't want God dictating right and wrong to them, they wanted autonomy—a kingdom of their own law. In trying to hide her daughter, Edith was also like Adam and Eve: hidden, shamed, isolated. Of course, our first parents eventually shared in Thomas' expulsion: exiled from the garden, driven away from home. The house in which they now served was hard—thorns and blisters abounded. A smiling Father was traded for a scowling master," Theology professor Dustin Messer said in the article.
There was, however, some redemption brought about by God's mercy as the episode progressed. Thomas finally achieved his dream of becoming the Abbey's butler, not because of manipulation but because Mr. Carson's palsy and Lady Mary's mercy.
There was also a moment where Lady Edith, who showed her vulnerability and humility while attending the wedding, received the love of her fiancée and soon to be mother in law as a gift.
"There were no secrets left—Edith had shared them all. She was known fully for the first time, and loved anyway. The love given to Edith was just that, given. It was a gift. It was grace. Such is the love which will bring in the Kingdom," Messer said.
The show likened the dawning of the new age experienced by the Downton characters to Christians welcoming the Kingdom of Christ that was secured by His life, death, resurrection and ascencion.
In the show the audience saw, for example, how the line between the upstairs and the downstairs became increasingly blurred as demonstrated by Lord Grantham allowing the use of the upstairs bedroom for Anna's birthing and subsequent welcoming of her and Mr. Bates' child, with the artistocrat even humbly serving them tea - something that would have been unthinkable in season 1.
"We live in this present "kingdom of darkness" with the sure knowledge that its day is setting, even as the "Kingdom of light" is dawning. In the end, Downton offers a glimmer of our Christian eschatology of hope. To quote Isobel Crawley in the closing words of the series: "We are going forward to the future, not back in the past." From Eden, to the New Jerusalem. Amen," Messer concluded.
