JESUS IS MY SUPERHERO
Scott Bayles, pastor
First Christian Church, Rosiclare, IL
Note: if this sermon is a blessing to you, please consider buying a copy of my book, Holy Heroes: The Gospel Accordign to Marvel & DC available on Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/dp/0817017704
Well, in honor of the Annual Superman Celebration held this week in Metropolis, Illinois, I thought I’d share some thoughts with you about my childhood hero. The three biggest influences in my life growing up were my mom, Jesus and Superman. So as I grew up, you can imagine my excitement when I began to discover some interesting parallels between the Son of God and the Last Son of Krypton.
Jesus was the master storyteller. When Jesus taught stadium-sized crowds on the shores of Galilee, he used what the Bible calls “parables.” The parables of Jesus are some of the most captivating stories ever told. Now, a parable is simply a fictional story used to convey a spiritual truth. The parable of the prodigal son, for instance, isn’t about a real boy who ran away from home; rather, it’s about us and God’s unrelenting love and willingness to forgive. Each of Jesus’ parables starred fictional characters in everyday settings who revealed some sort of spiritual truth or reality.
That’s what Superman is today—a modern-day parable, a fictional story that conveys spiritual truth. Throughout the decades of Superman’s career, creators have drawn upon the Biblical narratives of Jesus and enveloped them into the mythology of Superman—sometimes intentionally, sometimes, perhaps, providentially. Either way, Superman has become a pop culture icon that can point people toward Jesus—the original superhero!
Now, the number of parallels between Superman and Jesus are far too numerous to cover in one sermon, but I would like to share a few key comparisons. The first is that they each have a secret personality(or secret identity).
• SECRET PERSONALITY
You know the story. Once, long ago, a rocket ship launched from the doomed planet Krypton and dove out of the sky landing on the humble property of Jonathan and Martha Kent. With mingled fascination and fear, they climb out of their Ford pickup truck to discover the ships tiny infant occupant.
Of course, Superman’s Kryptonian father’s name was Jor-El. El, by the way, is the Hebrew word for God—which is most likely not a coincidence since Superman was created by two young Jewish boys from Ohio. And, of course, it was Superman’s Kryptonian father who would give him “powers and abilities far beyond those of mortal men,” but it was Jonathan and Martha Kent who would adopt him, raise him as their own son, and instill in him his humanity.
Scooping him up in her arms, Martha (who was originally named Mary in the comics) and Jonathan (whose middle name is Joseph) named their adopted son Clark Kent and raised him in a small town in the middle of nowhere where he would learn to work with his hands on his father’s farm. His father, Jonathan, would die sometime while Clark was a teenager and it wouldn’t be until he was around thirty years old that Clark would make his first public appearance as Superman.
This dual-identity (Clark Kent/Superman) has become an essential element in Superman mythology. I mean, who can forget the famous line from the George Reeves’ television series, right? “Superman...disguised as Clark Kent, mild-mannered reporter for a great metropolitan newspaper, fights a never-ending battle for truth justice and the American way.”
Throughout the seven decades of Superman lore, writers have approached his dual-identity in a variety of ways, but one mistake that I think story-tellers often make is thinking that Kal-El is really Superman, and that he only disguises himself as Clark Kent. The best writers know that he is just as much Clark Kent as he is Superman, and he is just as much Superman as he is Clark Kent—the two are really inseparable. He is fully Superman and fully Clark.
Does all that sound familiar?
It should. The Bible tells us that Jesus Christ is just as human as he is divine, and just as divine as he is human. Jesus is fully God and fully man. The Gospel of John offers some compelling testimony about Jesus’ humanity and divinity: “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God… And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us” (John 1:1-14 TLB).
Even though Jesus was sent from above, he was raised here on earth in a small town in the middle or nowhere where he would learn to work with his hands in his father’s workshop. And just as with Superman, both sides of Jesus’ dual-identify are essential to his nature. Jesus’ humanity is important, because it sets him apart from the ancient gods of Greek and Roman mythology who sat up on Mount Olympus playing dirty tricks on the ignorant humans down below. Jesus isn’t like the gods of Islam, Buddhism, Hinduism, or even Judaism, who have never experienced humanity. Jesus’ dual nature reveals one inconceivable reality—God loved us enough to become one of us.
Our infinite God confined himself within human flesh—because he loves us. Our limitless Lord limited himself to the stretch of an arm—because he cared for you and me. The hands that created the universe were blistered by a carpenter’s hammer—because he loved us enough to become one of us. As a young man Jesus became very familiar with the tools of his father’s trade. How fitting that those very tools would be used to secure our salvation. With a hammer and nails, he was a carpenter. With a hammer and nails, he was our Savoir.
The next parallel between Jesus and Superman is that both possess super powers.
• SUPER POWERS
One of the most remarkable of Superman’s powers and abilities is his sheer strength. The old radio serial of the 1940’s boasted that Superman “could change the course of mighty rivers,” and “bend steel in his bare hands.” One of Joe Shuster’s earliest sketches of Superman bore the caption, “a genius in intellect, a Hercules in strength, a nemesis to wrong-doers...” In fact, the very first issue of Action Comics spotlighted Superman’s Herculean strength, depicting the hero hoisting a car over his head on the front cover—a scene that was reenacted for the big-screen in Superman Returns.
In Superman: The Movie, Christopher Reeve’s inaugural appearance as the Man of Steel begins with peril atop the Daily Planet building. Lois Lane hurriedly boards a helicopter scheduled to fly her to an all-important interview with the President when a freak accident causes the helicopter to fall back to the platform, suspended precariously from the edge of the Daily Planet roof. Just then, Clark Kent steps out of the building and spots the damsel in distress. He spins quickly through a revolving door, changing clothes faster than the human eye can see, and emerges as Superman. Streaking through the air just as Lois loses her grip, Superman catches the intrepid reporter in freefall. Carrying Lois with his right arm, his left hand is still free to catch the now plummeting helicopter. With just one hand, Superman gracefully snatches the careening copter and effortlessly lifts it back to the roof, resting it in the center of the helipad. And, of course, the crowd goes wild.
Not to be outdone—in the 2006 film, Superman Returns, Superman catches an airliner in a nose-dive, landing it right in the middle of a baseball stadium. In the comic books, especially back in the 60s and 70s, it was no big deal for Superman to move an entire planet if need be.
Of course, Superman’s super-strength points us to an even greater power. While Superman may be able to slightly shift the orbit of a planet, Jesus suspends entire solar systems by his infinite power. The Bible says that Jesus “is the radiance of the glory of God and the exact imprint of his nature, and he upholds the universe by the word of his power” (Hebrews 1:3 ESV). Jesus not only created the universe with his infinite might, but he maintains it through his powerful word.
That kind of power is almost impossible to grasp, yet Jesus avowed his unlimited strength, declaring, “God can do all things” (Matthew 19:26). Genesis affirmed from the beginning, “Is anything too hard for the Lord?” (18:14). John saw it in his vision on Patmos and wrote, “Hallelujah! Our Lord God, the Almighty, rules” (Revelation 19:6 NCV). Almighty! Have you ever tried to wrap you mind around that word?
And maybe you’ve never thought about it this way, but the fact that Jesus is supremely strong means a world of difference to you and me. Think back to the helicopter scene when Superman caught Lois in mid-air. He calmly reassured her, “Don’t worry miss, I’ve got you.” When someone as powerful as Superman has you in his arms, what could you possibly have to worry about? Lois was safe and secure in the arms of her savoir, and so are you.
Jesus once said, “I give them eternal life, and they will never die, and no one can steal them out of my hand” (John 10:28). The One who saved you is strong enough to keep you safe. Jesus, in essence, is saying, “Don’t worry… I’ve got you.”
As true believers, we are safe and secure in the grip of his grace. The Bible says, “Yes, I am sure that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor ruling spirits, nothing now, nothing in the future, no powers, nothing above us, nothing below us, nor anything else in the whole world will ever be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord” (Romans 8:38-39 NCV).
We can breathe a sigh of relief. Like Lois Lane falling from the rooftop, we had fallen from grace—saddled with a sinful nature—but Jesus swooped down from heaven and caught us in his powerful arms. Now we can sing, along with E. A. Hoffman, “Leaning on Jesus, Leaning on Jesus, Safe and secure from all alarms.”
Finally, the last parallel between Jesus and Superman that I want to point to you today is that both experienced a sacrificial passion.
• SACRIFICIAL PASSION
In 1993 the unthinkable happened. Superman died. Now, this certainly wasn’t the first time a comic book killed off its main character and then figured out a clever way of bringing him back later, but when news of Superman’s impending death hit mainstream media it was publicized as the end of the era. People lined up for blocks outside of comic book stores and waited for hours just to get a copy of the illusive Death of Superman issue—some because they were curious, others because they figured it was a good investment. The Death of Superman collection remains the best-selling graphic novel of all time.
In the story-arch that resulted in the death of Superman, a beast known as Doomsday, who had been imprisoned in an abyss far below the surface of the Earth, breaks free and begins carving a swath of destruction that quickly endangers human lives—he topples an interstate overpass, obliterates an 18-wheeler in a head on collision with his fist, and wanders from place to place attacking whatever catches his eye. One of the other heroes who try and fail to stop him describes him as “hate, death and bloodlust personified.” Later, when a boy and a woman see Superman in the fight of his life, the boy asks about the monster, and the woman replies, “I’d say he’s the devil incarnate ushering in the end of the world!”
Fatefully, in a battle the raged across half the Midwest, Metropolis becomes the epicenter for the fight of the ages. Streets are demolished and cars are hurled as the indestructible fighter crash through buildings. Their final punches send shockwaves, shattering the glass from nearby windows. Finally, after a bloody battle, each puts his all into one last strike—which proves to be the killing blow for both. In the end, Superman gives his life to protect the people and the city that he loves. Of course, even after an elaborate funeral spanning several issues, he would only spend a few days in the grave before his marvelous Kryptonian body is miraculously restored.
It certainly doesn’t take a theology degree to see the Christ-like parallels here.
Superman’s battle with Doomsday points us to the passion of Christ in that each chronicles the sacrificial death of its world’s Savior. What Superman did in a graphic novel, Jesus did in real life. The word “doomsday” which is an old Anglo-Saxon term, was originally synonymous with Judgment Day. In that sense Doomsday represents God’s wrath and judgment against humanity. But in a more vivid sense, Doomsday personifies the monster lurking within each one of us: sin—the most destructive force in the world. In either case, Jesus conquered the beast, but at the cost of his own life.
The Bible says, “When we were unable to help ourselves, at the moment of our need, Christ died for us, although we were living against God. Very few people will die to save the life of someone else. Although perhaps for a good person someone might possibly die. But God shows his great love for us in this way: Christ died for us while we were still sinners” (Romans 5:6-8 NCV). Jesus made the supreme sacrifice. He did what nobody else could do. When Adam and Eve first wrestled with sin and Satan in the Garden of Eden, they lost—and every human being who has lived since has lost just as badly. So Jesus stepped in. He battled sin and Satan on our behalf, overcame death, and saved us all.
Conclusion:
Just like the parables Jesus told, the story of Superman serves as an illustration—an illustration that points us to a God who loved you so much that he gave his only Son so that whoever believed in him would not perish but have eternal life. Both the story of Superman and the story of your salvation begin with a loving Father who sent his only Son to save the world.
Invitation:
Could you use a hero? Do you need someone to save you, to catch you when you fall, someone who promises to never, never let go? Do you need a savior? Savoir is just a stained-glass, impersonal word until you realize how badly you need one. That’s when his grace becomes amazing. That’s when Jesus becomes more than just a sanitized, stylized, stained-glass image. He becomes your very real, very personal Superhero.
