Heroes
“The Lord will march forth like a mighty hero…”
It’s been on my mind for a good long time, especially this year: why do does the concept of a great hero resonate so powerfully in our world?
Both Hollywood and television have always done well with hero-themed movies, and lately it seems the concept is everywhere. The “Heroes” show is just one more example, ordinary people (who are yet weak, and still struggle) who have special powers and can use them for good or evil. Our longing for this story extends to celebrity culture: people love to raise up their fellow humans on a pedestal. It might be because they are exceptionally quick with a stick and a puck, or have fine features and acting ability (or just fine features), or appeal to us as fresh answers to our political stalemates. Consider even the church (or a high school, a company, a university department), and you can probably learn within a day or a week who are the heroes. It may very likely be mythical virtues set upon them, but someone past or present in that community is the hero, and the one for whom people either strive to be or strive against. These particular heroes, if still living, wield extraordinary power to move people in one direction or another.
This longing fora real-life, just and powerful hero who would deliver us…well, it matches up with the promise and character of God himself. AND HIS CHOSEN WAY of bringing hope and justice to the nations is through the empowering of ordinary, broken people….the church.
Isaiah 42 invites us to take a good long look at the hero anointed by God to bring justice:
“Look at my servant, whom I strengthen. He is my chosen one, who pleases me. I have put my Spirit upon him. He will bring justice to the nations.
He will not shout or raise his voice in public. He will not crush the weakest read or put out a flickering candle.
He will bring justice to all who have been wronged….”
So in Jesus, the hero of heroes, we find our highest example. But His chosen way to fulfill his mission ….is us! He commissioned his disciples: “But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes upon you. And you will be my witnesses…”
I’ll get to the point: Hollywood or any hero-building community can re-write the script a hundred times over but they are only adjusting the fine points of a theme God built into the human condition. We are meant for great things, to bring mercy, justice, compassion, peace, complete with extraordinary power. Our sin (well recounted in so many versions of the “hero” story today) makes us a brittle race, destined for self-destruction. But in the self-sacrifice of Jesus on the cross, God demonstrated his love for men and women, making a new life possible, complete with the filling of His spirit in us.
So every time you see a twist on theme of the hero, be reminded that all deepest longings in us and in our world for a true hero are met in the true character and mission of Jesus, who, in turn, has selected you.
“You will be a light to guide the nations. You will open theyes of the blind. You will free the captives from prison, releasing those who sit in dark dungeons.”