Wanting Superheroes...Getting Disciples.

Don't mess with this lady.

It strikes me that our culture has always had a love affair with the “Superhero” genre.  In the last year we’ve had tons of movies about X-Men, Spiderman, Iron Man, Superman, The Avengers…the list goes on.  But the diversity of superheroes isn’t limited to the realm of fictional characters.  It also includes ‘real world’ ones, such Jason Borne of the Bourne Identity series, Ethan Hunt of Mission Impossible, and of course my favorite…Katniss Everdeen of the Hunger Games trilogy.  It seems superheroes are everywhere these days.

What qualifies as a superhero? I think we can agree it’s not the costumes, as alluring as the spandex might be. Rather, a superhero is defined by their unprecedented physical prowess and powers, which are either found in supernatural abilities (‘cool skills’), advanced equipment (‘cool toys’) or simply their lack of fear in the face of threats and obstacles that make the rest of us tremble (‘cool demeanor’).  Basically, superheroes ain’t us.

Hmmm...Spandex was invented
30 years after  these characters
showed upon the scene.

But possessing cool skills, toys, or demeanor doesn’t completely explain their appeal. (Remember, the archenemies of superhero usually have equal amounts of skills, toys and demeanor, if not more.)  We are attracted to superheroes because of their pursuit of justice. Superheroes are all about justice.  It is at the core of their identity. They go together like hamburgers go with fries.  I think we like justice too, mostly because we have this deep seated desire for fairness.  The problem is that both justice and fairness are so lacking in our world.  We are constantly bombarded with stories of injustice and unfairness which the established authorities are unable, or worse, unwilling, to overcome.  The sheer volume of injustice in the world reduces us to feeling powerless. Enter the superhero!  The superhero relentlessly pursues justice on behalf of everyone, whereas we feel that our hands are full just trying to survive until day’s end.  Again, they ain’t us.

It seems to me that the world would be a whole lot better off with superheroes than without them.  If God truly hates evil, then why not superheroes?  It would be the simple answer to a very complex problem.  Indeed, God has an army of superheroes at his disposal.  We call them angels.  Understand that angels do NOT look like the cute Precious Moments figurines in your grandmother’s curio cabinet.  Every time a human encounters an angel in scripture, the first words out the angel’s mouth is: “Do not be afraid.”  Angels are fearsome warriors of God’s army, not some meek cherub that would crumble under the licks of a puppy. So why doesn’t God use them?  Why not heavenly superheroes?

Personally, I don’t think God is interested in showing off.  God understands that ‘shock and awe’ has a short shelf life.  Rather, God wants real change.  He wants permanent change. This is especially true when it comes to issues of justice.  When we see injustice, we want superheroes.  When God sees injustice, he

A later version of a Motley Crue

wants disciples.  Remember that when Jesus came into the world, he picked a motley crew of under-educated kids to be his disciples.  Why? While God is powerful, he is not coercive.  What’s more, I think He loves to reveal to us how much we can do through reliance on His awesome power.  He takes ordinary, plain ole’ you and me and equips us to do extraordinary things…Kingdom of God kinds of things…things that change the world for the better. 

Sure, wanting superheroes and getting disciples instead doesn’t make much for exciting movies, books, or comics.  That is because we are the disciples God calls on to do his work.  Yeah, we conspicuously lack cool skills, powers and demeanor, but then again, we aren’t fictional either.  So when it comes to pursuing justice, the answer IS us.

Keep the faith,