“Who are those guys!?” It’s repeated so often in the film to make its point poignant. It’s this mysterious posse in dedicated pursuit far away but still in view to these two culprits.

It’s Paul Newman and Robert Redford in the movie, “Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid.” Trying to run away, these two are galloping up and down mountains, quickly riding through lowlands. Very often pausing, these two stars look behind them saying that repeated, but unanswered, question. “Who are those guys?”

With all due respect to our Blessed Trinity, don’t we very often think but never say out loud, “Just, who are those guys up there!?” 

There’s our unseen Creator, His once-visible Son and making it a trio is the sidekick, the ever nagging and inspiring Holy Spirit. That’s our holy posse chasing after each of us. Catching up to us is not to be arrested for our failures, foibles, and failings but to hug and embrace each of us. 

That’s the gesture of love that “those guys” created and the love we are able to share both within and about ourselves and then extended to others. 

But that’s about horses. What about cars?  The best movie car chase ever is “Bullitt.” Better than any after it. Eleven minutes of terror and thrill. No music, no dialogue, just the sounds of revving engines and  squealing tires up, down and around the San Francisco streets. There’s Dodge Charger, bad guys – evil chasing Mustang, good guy, Steve McQueen – goodness.

Zooming away, bad guys have that sly smile of catching someone as though they’ve got the upper hand. The spiritual twist to this chase is Dodge Charger, bad guys, lose sight of Mustang, good guy. “Where did he go?” is the look on both faces. Driver bad guy spots Mustang McQueen in his rear view mirror. The chase continues but now has switched sides. 

Psalm 23 anyone? “You set a table before me in the sight of my foes.”  Mustang guy now knows exactly where Dodge Charger guys are. Who, now, is chasing whom?

But now back to the horses. The best scene in that movie is Newman and Redford caught and cornered on a cliff needing a way out. The only solution is by jumping into the deep, rocky water below. Hesitatingly, Redford admits to Newman that he can’t swim. Newman responds, “Hell, the fall will kill ya!”

They jump. They jump out of fear and to simply escape. We jump. We powerlessly jump to give up our selfish powers to be empowered by the power of God. We die to ourselves and allow that heavenly posse to capture, embrace and hug us into the life the three of them created for us. 

Sound scary? It is and it’s not. Don’t ask me. Just jump off and feel and see who captures and embraces you. And, thanks to Steve McQueen, who’s chasing whom?