Another Practical Guide to the Logic, Philosophy, and Thoughts of Christianity

Section 1 - Article 23

Article 23 -The real Superman

This article explains Christology and God's rescue drawing some explanation from the "Superman Returns" movie, illustrating how desperate situations help up appreciate God better.

After watching the new Superman movie – "Superman Returns", I believe it is clear for any Christian where the story draws its inspiration from. One line that gave away the source of inspiration is "The Father becomes the Son, and the Son becomes the Father." If it is still not clear, Jesus is the Father, and the Father is Jesus and they are one, as stated in the Book of John quoting Jesus Christ.

A great hero coming to Earth from another world, feeling alone, feeling there is no one who understands, hears every grievance. Surely any believer of Christ can see the similarity. Did not Jesus say, "The son of Man has no place to rest his head."? He does not belong to this world, yet He does. To think that God would reduce Himself to live among us, walk and live like us, setting aside all the glory, all the power, just to tell us of the better world we can be part of. Surely the audience watching the movie scene where Superman got beaten up by Lex Luthor and gang questioned how they could do that to Superman and how can Superman got to that weak and helpless state?

Superman is a fictional character, but Jesus is a historically proven person. The things that Jesus did were also well documented. While the debate on whether the supernatural events are real, He did get persecuted and got killed. Unlike Superman who had kryptonite stuck in him, and therefore could not fight back, Jesus was different. Jesus had every bit of the power of God. He could wipe the whole world clean and start all over as was done with Noah's flood, but He allowed Himself to be trampled on, simply because it was the way for Him to show how much He loved us enough to be willing to die for us. It was not the Roman guards or the nails that held him there on the cross, but it was His love for each and every one of us. Superman had to rescue everyone, yet he was not omnipresent. He was not able to be everywhere and help everyone at the same time. He is limited in time whereas God is not. God created time; therefore He is able to help each and everyone everywhere and on everything. Like a mother who lets her child fall to learn to walk, God lets us learn. It does not mean He is not there, it does not mean He caused it. It actually shows that He would not let us get hurt beyond our tolerance, but that we need to fall in order to learn.

In the Superman movie, the scene where Superman saved the plane and Lois Lane et al from the sinking ship was very impressive. The special effects were done very well. However, was not Superman more super when he saved the world from something that no one can escape from? Was not the grandness of the act relational to the desperateness of the situation, the number of lives, and the gravity of the situation? Similarly God is more glorified when He delivers us from a desperate situation than from an optional situation? The more desperate it is, the more glorified He will be when He delivers us. Sometimes, we go through very horrible things, very evil times so that when He delivers us, we will be able to understand His glory, His love, His Salvation and His power. If someone picks up a book you dropped, you thank him and turn around without much thought. If someone picks up a building that fell on your foot, would you not be eternally grateful? The more desperate our circumstances, the more glorified He will be when He delivers us, especially in circumstances where there seem to be no hope. Is it not the case with us humans?

No one could keep to the Law that was given via Moses. All are condemned. Eternal death awaits us beyond mortal death. Few that were chosen were delivered, but Man was without hope of eternal life. Then Jesus came. He delivered us in the most humble way. He did not come bashing up Satan and his fallen angels. He did not hang around to bask in the glory like Superman did (wave to the camera and hang around for his picture to be taken). Jesus came in the most humble and low-profile manner. He died for us in a relatively obscure country in the Middle East, away from the eyes of the rest of the world, no camera, no videos, and no nothing. He was spat on, had His beard torn out, crucified naked, and taunted, even when the Roman law could find no fault in Him. He died innocent to Roman law, and to God's law via Moses. He came quietly in a manger, with no trumpets or any fireworks. Despite giving us the greatest hope in life – the eternal life after death, when He left, He did so relatively quietly. Yet, how grateful are we? How truly grateful are we to that? We cannot even comprehend eternal. We are so hopeless that we cannot even comprehend how dire we are without Jesus. We fail to give Jesus His due praise and credit. In our foolishness, we feel Superman to be more super than Jesus, because Superman stopped a brick from falling on my head, whereas Jesus only saved us from eternal damnation and torture.

When we people pray to God to show His glory, we may be asking to be put in a desperate situation. Yet that is where trust in God is. Lois Lane trusted that Superman will save her no matter where she was. Should we not trust God in that way and more? Easier said than done. I do wish to see the glory of God, I do wish to be a medium for the glory of God, but I do not want to be put in desperate situations. Surely this reflects that my trust in God is not complete then? Yet hopefully this realization is merely the beginning to trusting God. It is something that is really easier said than done, and it is not surprising if no one other the Lord Jesus could accomplish this, for He trusted the Father to His death.

Let us all pray that the Lord will guide us all in the understanding of our trust to the Lord and understanding amidst our pain and desperation.