It cannot be gainsaid that mankind throughout its history has demonstrated a fascination and I dare say even an obsession with superheroes. Indeed, the origins of Greek mythology can be traced as far back as 700 BC and Greek mythological characters such as Hercules and Achilles have formed a noted part of modern popular culture having been immortalized by the Hollywood Film Industry. This industry has turned mankind’s fascination with superheroes into a billion dollar one. Whether you are on team DC or Marvel Comics, you cannot help but agree, that we all love a good superhero movie.
According to a recent Kyoto-based study published in the journal Nature Human Behaviour, “recognizing heroism is an innate ability of humans”. The researchers arrived at this conclusion having observed six-month old infants in staged scenarios where a player intervened to perform acts of heroism. It was found that the infants gravitated to the figure who performed the heroic acts as against those who did nothing.
As thrilling as it may be to see the larger-than-life superheroes from Hollywood on the big screens, we have a Superhero that is above all heroes and is the greatest of all and we call Him Jesus.
The Superhero of the world, God who became a man and came among men to save us from sin.
It is typical of Hollywood heroes to perform amazing stunts and risk their lives to save the day. There is however no act of heroism that compares to the ultimate sacrifice made by Jesus Christ. Indeed, John Chapter 15 verse 13 (NIV) speaks to this ultimate act of heroism and state that “greater love has no one than this: to lay down one's life for one's friends”.
Yes, Jesus is the greatest Hero. He is the saviour of our soul, without Him we would all be lost and left to eternal damnation. Jesus’ acts of heroism are countless and not limited to His martyrdom. Whilst on earth Jesus Christ healed the sick and raised the dead. He opened blind eyes and cleansed lepers. He brought hope to the hopeless and restoration to the forgotten. He cast out demons. There is absolutely no script from Hollywood that compares to the mighty works of Jesus Christ and His heroic feats never end. Just the name of Jesus alone is strong enough to save us and to deliver us from evil. The Conquering Lion of the Tribe of Judah never slumbers and sleeps and unlike other heroes who run to the next emergency, Jesus never leaves our side. He is always with us. Indeed, in Matthew Chapter 28 verse 20 Jesus said that “I am with you always, even unto the end of the world.”
What is especially awesome about Jesus- the Superhero of the World, is that He encourages and empowers us to be heroes too. He left us with the special power of the Holy Spirit so that we too can accomplish amazing feats just as He did on earth (See Matthew Chapter 10).
So, the next time you tune into a superhero movie reflect on who the ultimate Superhero of the world is, Our Lord and Saviour- Jesus Christ.