Superheroes

Superheroes

Is it just me, or has anyone else noticed our culture’s fascination with superheroes?

There is nothing wrong with wanting good to prevail, for the bad guys to be defeated. I think of all the superheroes that have made a killing at the box office in the last years. One of them shoots webs out of his hands and has spidey sense, one of them carries a massive hammer, and then the one that I favor most carries a shield with red, white and blue on it and wears the coolest outfit of them all.

But what draws us to such plots? Is it that we feel that we are in a battle of good and evil?

Guess what? You are. And there is Someone fighting on your behalf.

I also have noticed the draw by the masses to vampires, zombies and the supernatural. What causes us to be attracted to these sources of falsehoods and mythical creatures? Is it because the supernatural is something we want to encounter, hoping that it brings life, excitement and a feeling of eternity?

I believe we all are searching for something or someone to save us just when the villain sweeps in to do us harm. I believe we are looking for some meaning to life, or the answer to the old familiar question: What am I here for? Why is life so mundane? Why don’t I feel the thrill of life?

In my short 45 years, I have had some heroes, some people who have come when the bad guys were ready to strike. When it seemed I was against unstoppable odds, they came to my aid, but they never could rescue me.

But if you were to ask me who my favorite and only hero is today, my answer would ring loud and clear: Jesus Christ, my Savior. He is the only One who could rescue me. You see, He did so much more than any superhero has ever done. He doesn’t have to worry about eternal life because He is eternal life. He doesn’t need webs shooting from His hands. Instead, the webs were replaced with nails. And boy, does He have the power like no other.

You see, He isn’t a superhero, some fictional character. He is my Savior, my Master, the Bright and Morning Star, the King of Kings and Lord of Lords. Jesus gave up everything and came to this messed up Earth as 100% God and 100% man to save me and to save you. He did so much more than any superhero could do. He came to show how to live life, how to have purpose. He died on a tree so we could live and have eternal life, which is much better than a rotten eternal zombie life.

The Gospel of Mark shows us this in one verse. In 10:45 it reads: “For even the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give His life as a ransom for many.” The word “ransom” used in this verse means the price paid to free a slave or a prisoner; to pay in full. My hero, my Savior has set me free from my prison, from my chains and from myself.

My hero Jesus didn’t just pay my ransom, but the Scripture spells it out clearly that He came to pay the ransom for many. That means He wants to pay your price in full so that you also can have eternal life.

My Jesus also came in and beat a villain on the day He paid that price. He beat death and bruised the enemy’s head. My hero is coming back soon to finish the job.

Superheroes are fictional and entertaining, but my hero is the Way, the Truth and the Life, and only by Him paying your ransom will you ever get to God the Father.

I want to remind you that God the Father’s heart is shown so clear in John 3:16-17: “For God so loved the world that He gave His one and only Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish but have eternal life. For God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through Him.”

So do you need a real hero, a real Savior? Turn to Jesus. He will never disappoint you or forsake you. He will show you how to live and give you the purpose that you are looking for. He gave everything so we might have life, and life more abundant.

Happy Resurrection, Pastor Dave