.....::::: EVERYBODY NEEDS A HERO :::::.....

When you think of the word “hero”, what comes to mind? What is a hero exactly? A hero is a person who is admired or idealized for courage, outstanding achievements, or noble qualities. Now what is a super hero? A super hero is a benevolent fictional character with superhuman powers, such as Superman. Besides Superman, there is Batman, Spiderman, Wolverine, The Green Lantern, The Green Arrow, Wonder Woman amongst MANY others. But what qualities must a hero have? 

A hero must be willing to sacrifice for his or her cause. A hero must show signs of determination, loyalty, courage, dedication, selflessness, conviction, focus, gallantry, fortitude, compassion, and bravery. The Bible states it best when it says in John 15:13, “Greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends.” In my opinion, this is what makes Jesus Christ the greatest hero that this world will ever know. Why? Because He willingly laid His life on the cross for those He calls His friends. 

What makes Jesus Christ a hero…? No…a SUPER HERO?! Well THAT’S EASY!!! Let’s start in the garden of Eden. 

In the Garden of Eden, we find Adam and Eve after they have been created by God Himself. Fast forwarding a little, we find the same Adam and Eve after they have eaten the forbidden fruit that they were warned not to eat. They were tempted and fell to Satan’s plan. Enter THE hero!!! In John 3:16-17, it states that “For God so loved the world that He gave His one and only Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish but have eternal life. For God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world, but to SAVE the world through Him.” Some might read this and wonder what that has to do with Adam and Eve but the reason those two verses are so important is because the entire gospel comes to a focus right here! Man was separated from God by his desire to act on his own. However, God already had a plan in motion to overcome the effects of the rebellion. Enter Jesus Christ. 

It’s a bird! It’s a plane! No…IT’S THE CROSS?! Jesus Christ is a good guy of course. Like many super heroes, Jesus goes by many aliases; Son of God, Son of Man, Son of David, Word, Lamb of God, Christ, Savior, Rabbi, Teacher, Alpha and Omega, Lion of Judah, and many more! Like most super heroes, Jesus has one enemy; Satan. Throughout the Bible, there is a never ending struggle between the forces of good and evil but let me tell you, I have read the ending and God wins!

Jesus demonstrates various traits of a hero throughout the Bible. Jesus never made any mistakes. He knows all, created all and has authority and power over all. John 1:1 states: “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.” What this means is that He couldn’t make mistakes since He already knew everything. Even though Jesus was fully human, He was also fully God. Even though He made Himself fully human, He never stopped being the eternal God who always existed. Rest assured that since this hero knows everything, He knows you too! He knows when you need help, when you need saving. He will be there!

Christ was also fearless. He willingly gave Himself to be crucified for us to fulfill the Will of God. He never possessed a spirit of fear and neither should we! “For God has not give us a spirit of fear and timidity, but of power, love, and self-discipline.” (2 Timothy 1:7). Jesus was also even-tempered. When you think of an angry super hero, you may think of the Hulk. Let’s face it, Jesus did get angry but not the same kind of anger that we tend to get when something goes wrong for us. Jesus displayed righteous anger for the misuse of God’s house, He never possessed selfish fleshly anger. 

For those who follow and read comic books, we all know that super heroes have their weaknesses. When we think of Superman, we think of his near invulnerability but even the fictional Superman has his own weaknesses. For example, Superman almost instantly becomes weak when exposed to green kryptonite. But Jesus Christ on the other hand has no weakness. He has powerful words that still cause people’s heart to change towards allegiance with the Kingdom of God.
Satan tempted to weaken Jesus in the wilderness but could find no weakness in Him. Every time satan would tempt Him, Jesus replied by stating the scriptures. 

Super heroes also tend to wear masks to hide their true identities. Some super heroes, like Spiderman for example, wear a mask to avoid placing their loved ones in danger. Jesus didn’t have to wear a mask. He was transparent. He didn’t need a created identity or a double-lifestyle. He simply walked with God. Because He was fully human and fully God, even the demons knew His true identity. This is shown in Luke 4:34-36. Jesus has the authority to drive out demons and destroy them. Though He did tell them to be quiet because it was not the right time to let it be known, this scenario proves that Jesus Christ truly is Lord. 

A hero is also compassionate. On numerous occasions, Jesus showed compassion towards people’s signs of faith. But you can imagine, Jesus had to be a busy man. He constantly healed, prayed and taught. But that’s what makes Him so amazing til this very day! He is never too busy! Jesus connected with people. Even though He would find time to pray to His father, He loved helping others and found time to help those in need. 

Super powers…Superman has super strength and the list goes on…Wolverine can regenerate and has adamantine claws…but Jesus has the greatest power of all…the right to call Himself God! God controls everything right? From the very dirt to even the weather. Speaking of weather, some super heroes fight during the storm but in Mark 4:35-41, Jesus told the storm to calm down and it obeyed. He controls the elements. Unlike Thor, Jesus didn’t need weapons because He IS God’s ultimate weapon against the enemy. 

And last but not least, a super hero always defies the odds. Jesus did exactly that! Jesus defeated death. He defeated the one enemy that heroes all succumb to. Though He accepted to take on the punishment of sin for all mankind, He rose after 3 days and foiled Satan’s scheme! The reality of the resurrection brings joy! Because He defied the odds and rose from His death, we can be assured that He will accomplish all He promises. 

In the beginning, I said that Jesus was a super hero. And in it’s definition, it says that a super hero is a "benevolent fictional character […]”. But that is wrong! Jesus is real and He is eager to save you. Jesus was not your ordinary person. He is fully human yet fully God and He died to save you. He was determined to trade His life for yours. We all want to be saved by someone, at some point in our lives. Let Jesus come to your rescue. Not as your “Superman” but as your Savior. How can Jesus Christ save you today? I pray that He saves you from any shape or form the enemy may come in to try and harm you. Everybody needs a hero! Just call on Him!

Luke 19:10 - “For the Son of Man came to seek and to save what was lost."