Episode 4 > Spoiler Alerts! I did as I knew I would do. I binge watched all five last episodes and loved every bit of it. Now I consider the messages the writers/teachers sent, and compare them to what I believe, and the ending I would have chosen.

First I would say, be careful the teachers you choose, and make no mistake, writers and movie-makers are teachers too. Most stories have a message to preach. All of life does. But lets put a pin in that and start with a different thought.

One line that stood out to me went something like this: “We fight to honor everything we’ve learned.” I always try to sleep on an article before I write it. I’ve enjoyed sleeping on this one. As a matter of fact, it woke me up at 4:30 a.m. and I was up at 4:45 making coffee and preparing to write.

We fight to honor everything we’ve learned. That is a good fight, assuming you’ve chosen good teachers. There’s that thought again. But we must have fight! There is no doubt about that. Even God’s Word teaches that. We must have fight in us or we are nothing but a loser! That is so true! And as the final episodes began, they were all wrestling with how terrible everything had ended. The fight had not been finished!

Things got out of control because of evil afoot, something terrible had happened and now they were all stuck in limbo. What is right to do? What is a win, here? However, it can be very difficult to determine what the win is, because we have different definitions of it. How have I determined what a win is for me?

You see, that should always be the question for each of us. What is the win in this? The answer to that is different for each person, because there are many different answers to that question. My definition of a win might be different from yours. And how have I come up with my definition? Probably by the teachers I have decided are right. For some reason I have put my trust in them and decided that is what I want to be.

Another question to be considered in your definition of a win: What am I doing with my life? What is a win for me? Is my life lining up with what I have decided is good and right? Am I living what I believe, or am I losing that fight? Yes, it is a fight. On this planet nothing good comes without a fight. If I am unwilling to pursue the good fight, I’ve already lost! The evidence of your desire is in the pursuit! What is the true reason you pursue what you are pursuing?

How do I be a winner and not a loser? No one wants to be a loser. God does not want you to be a loser. But my Bible is full of stories of people who were losers, Satan being the king of them all! History is filled with losers. The possibility of ending up a loser is very real! Cobra Kai and Christianity has a lot to say about winning and losing. But you can be the greatest fighter, and if you are fighting for the wrong thing, you still end up the loser.

The evidence of your desire is in the pursuit! Are you pursuing anything? And what are you pursuing? What have you chosen? Who are your teachers? Have you chosen wisely? If so, then get to the fight! Get back into the arena of life and prove to God you are serious about what you claim! Don’t waste your life on things that don’t line up with what you know to be a win! Why are we not pursuing your win? What has you off track and out of the good fight? You may be fighting, but is it the good fight? The right fight?

Okay, we’ve laid a lot of groundwork here. Now how does all this relate to Cobra Kai? Wow. Where to even start? This can’t be done in only one article. Let me start by adding some words and thoughts to this line >

We fight to honor everything we’ve learned. And to honor the way of those who taught us. Pray you have learned something worth fighting for. If not, then choose better and rise to fight again!

1.) Sensei Kreese finally sees the light! He finally sees he’s the real loser, and he creates losers! He is a Sensei of losers! They might win some tournaments, but they lose on the grand scheme of life. They might win some battles, but they lose the war. Kreese finally gets it! I did not think he ever would. He seemed to be the type who will never admit to being wrong, never learn, never change, just like Silver proved to be.

Kreese is the perfect example of someone who has fought the wrong fight for so long, that when he finally realizes it, it’s too late for him. He does not believe he can change. But he does change enough to make some amends. He manages to confess his sins to a few people that really count. The Bible says we reap what we sow. That is important to understand when we determine what we believe to be winning. Kreese lived a violent life and died a violent death, in an effort to stop Silver, a man he knew needed to be stopped! He did it the only way he knew how.

A sad ending for Kreese. A very realistic ending. Even more sad for Silver because he died still fighting for evil. We do not get to see the reaction of Johnny or LaRusso when they finally find out about the circumstances of his demise. But I’m sure it confirmed many things to them. And Johnny is very lucky he allowed LaRusso, disciple of Mr. Miyagi, to begin speaking into his life. He was saved from ending up just like Kreese and Silver. He began pursuing a better way.

2.) I was afraid Hollywood would do another Luke Skywalker throw the Light Sabre away story line. Thank goodness they did not. It was human to take a step back and consider what had happened and evaluate the right course from there. Oddly enough, it was the bad guy who motivated everyone back to the fight, but he had different reasons! He was seeking a different win, which was not really a win! LaRusso finally decides returning to the fight is right, but he has different reasons for doing so. We begin to see there is a proper “Balance” to all things. “Balance” becomes a major teaching lesson in the remainder of this show.

There is a balance and flow in God’s Spirit. He leads us in all things. What LaRusso and his daughter needed for a “win” was different from what Robbie, Tory, Miguel, and others needed. Miyagi-do was all about learning to choose the right fight for you! We all have our callings. Not every good fight promotes our personal assignment. Life is not really about needing to knock the other guy out. And Johnny needed that balance brought to his understanding in order to find peace in his soul and finally be a Sensei worth learning from!

Yes, it was good that he got to come full circle and bring a different ending to his old story, but thanks to LaRusso and Miyagi-do, he was also a different person. The old Johnny would have rushed in and lost the fight again. But the new Johnny, even if he had lost the fight, he would have been just fine. Sad for a while, for sure, but having the tools to pick up his life and fight for a better day and better way! He now had more of the “Big Picture” of life.

3.) Did they honor the way of Miyagi-do? I believe they did. I loved the scene where LaRusso has like a vision at night. The old skeletons are coming over the fence to attack! They are many! Suddenly Miyagi shows up and Sensei and student fight back to back! A mirror image of each other in fighting style. Student now also a master. The skeletons are defeated. And Miyagi one more time reminds Daniel…you’ve always had the answer…the answer is in your heart…real life is not about this tournament fight…fight the real fights…the good fights…the worthy fights.

Of course for Johnny, Tory, and Robbie, one could argue they needed this fight. It was part of their calling. Cobra Kai was changing! They would be the new and better Cobra Kai. They would teach the way of balance. Johnny would teach that strike first, hit hard, no mercy, would turn you into a jerk, if that was all you understood. So… in my opinion, Miyagi-do got a proper recognition. Johnny even called LaRusso his Sensei. And Cobra Kai found its proper balance too. The bad guys reaped what they sowed. And there is so much more that could be said, but we risk too many words.

We will end with this. In Bible teachings are we “Birds of Peace”? Or “Birds of Prey”? I believe we are both. But in God’s ways, we will never be much of a Bird of Prey unless we are a greater Bird of Peace. I believe we are Birds of Peace towards our fellow human beings, and Birds of Prey against everything Satan. Are we ever allowed to defend ourself, or others against a physical attack? All I can say is, be led of the Spirit in all things. That is what we have learned to do. Honor your chosen teachers and what you have learned. And I will end with this. Jesus said >

“I send you forth as sheep among wolves, be ye therefore wise as serpents (cobras), and harmless as doves.” (Matt. 10:16)

It is interesting that Johnny’s fight is against a man called, Sensei Wolf. God has given us powerful spiritual weapons, if we know how to use them. A certain lifestyle, a way, is involved for those weapons to work properly. It is as much spiritual skill as any martial art. The world does not understand our way, or the power of our weapons, but they do work. They do not recognize or honor our “win”. One man’s loser might be another man’s winner. You determine the teachers you believe, the lessons you yourself will teach, and what is a win in the eyes of God. His honor and approval is the one that really counts. That is what we have learned. That is what we believe. We seek to honor our teachers, and what we have learned. Amen!

“Not many of you should become teachers, my fellow believers, because you know that we who teach will be judged more strictly.” (James 3:1 NIV)

Be a good and faithful teacher, if you are called and gifted to be one.