Is Jesus Greater Than Our Superheroes?
Who is the Greatest?
I have been studying through the Epistle to the Hebrews. In this letter, the author compares how Jesus is greater than the angels or how Jesus is greater than Moses.
What came to mind with all these comparisons in this Epistle was the comparison of comic book superheroes often found in one-v-one fights. Who will win against whom:
Captain America vs Black Widow
Spiderman vs Batman
Black Panther vs Green Lantern
This competitive spirit, though sometimes healthy and even mentally stimulating, however, can be a spiritual danger! Although entertaining and amusing, these comparisons do not enter into the heart of the issue: our standing before the righteous Father. How will He judge us, mere mortals? Who will save us from our sins?
This overly competitive spirit goes way back. We can see the disciples of Jesus asking him who is the greatest among them in the kingdom of Heaven (Matthew 18:1) and way further back to Cain competing with Abel for God's favor (Genesis 4). We can see it today in our competitiveness in sibling rivalry, comparing ourselves to others in social media, and our tendency to live vicariously through someone else's greatness like watching others’ superhuman feats.
As well, I am also reminded of many animated conversations with a friend of mine, Wesley, in conversation about comic books. Each week he’ll ask my thoughts about Batman or the latest anime he's been pursuing.
I might as well call this blog post, RJ’s Epistle to Westley. He has been so persistent in requesting my thoughts about superheroes, so here, I would like to make clearer my analysis of superheroes, not in terms of who is the greatest, but an overall judgment of their overarching typology or character.
But first, I want to make clear the difference between a hero and superhero from my own limited understanding, so here goes:
Heroes are those who have great courage to serve and even save others despite their weaknesses.
Superheroes are those who have great courage to serve and save others based on their own strengths.
So… is Jesus a Superhero? Or was he simply one of ordinary mortal heroes like some great moral teacher? According to Scripture, Jesus had many superhuman strengths like…
Feeding the five thousand people with only five loaves of bread and two fish
Turning water into wine
Calming a storm
Healing many of the sick
Raising people like Lazarus from the dead
Let's presume he’s a superhero based on these strengths alone similar to Superman leaping over a skyscraper in one jump. Comparatively, many of the Hebrews knew of Jesus’ feats, and they themselves were wondering who is greater. They were making similar comparisons. The author of Hebrews addresses these concerns by comparing who is greater:
Jesus vs Angels?
Jesus vs Prophets like Moses?
Jesus vs High Priest of Aaron?
If Jesus was Batman, when the disciples were arguing over who was the greatest among them, they were arguing who would be working as part of the dynamic duo or the caped crusaders as Robin. The disciples were arguing about their own spiritual outward strengths rather than inward corrupt weaknesses.
Jesus’ response back was golden:
He called a little child to him, and placed the child among them. And he said: “Truly I tell you, unless you change and become like little children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven. Therefore, whoever takes the lowly position of this child is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven. And whoever welcomes one such child in my name welcomes me.” (Matthew 18:2-5)
However, beyond popular belief, Jesus was not a superhero (despite his supernatural strengths). Nor did he call us to be superheroes and/or His sidekick fighting with him. Rather, Jesus died for us despite all of our weaknesses and sins of the flesh.
People mocked him at the Cross while he bled for our sins. They yelled:
“He saves others; [but] he cannot save himself... He is King of Israel! Let him come down now from the Cross, and we’ll believe in him!” (Matthew 27:42)
However, we should praise God every moment that Jesus wasn't a Superhero. He lived like us as a mortal man, but he also was both truly man and truly God. He is the Vine, the Way, the Truth, the Tree of Life because man so so long ago wanted to be Superheroes to be like God. Out of pride, man has sinned gravely. Yet as Scripture prophesied in Psalm 22:18 and is fulfilled in Scripture as described in the Epistle to the Hebrews:
For it was fitting that He, for whom and by whom all things exist, in bringing many sons to glory, should make the founder of their salvation perfect through suffering. For He who sanctifies and those who are sanctified all have one source. That is why he is not ashamed to call them brothers, saying,
‘I will tell of your name
to my brothers;
in the midst of the congregation
I will sing your praise.’”
Even though we're not called to be Superheroes, we are called to be followers of Christ commanded to love God and our neighbor as ourselves. It's not we that save on the day on the Day of the Lord. It is God that saves, provides, and sustains all things through Him.
Thank God that Jesus is greater than the angels. With humiliation comes great exaltation. Jesus was temporarily a little lower than the Angels, but he was exalted to be King of Kings and Lord of Lords. Praise God he’s our Hero.
(To hear more insights on this subject, please join us to study Scripture weekly at Men’s Bible Study, where we’re currently studying the Epistles of Hebrews. We meet on Thursdays at 6:30-8 am. Sign up to connect here.)