Jesus to the Rescue

Most of the people in my family like superhero movies, especially the Dark Knight series directed by Christopher Nolan or most of the movies in the MCU. Needless to say, a few of us Birds are quite excited about The Black Panther movie releasing tomorrow night. It is getting rave reviews, and seems to hit most of the things I appreciate about good movies (character development, solid storyline, great photography, solid special effects, etc.).

But if you think about it, most superhero movies boil down to the same plot: a seemingly ordinary human uses his or her superpowers to do something truly extraordinary that saves others from the story's bad guy.

If you are a follower of Jesus, you know from where they get this plot – the Gospel, the greatest story of all time.

More than a Superhero

We are continuing our series here on the blog on "The Gospel on the Ground," which is God, Man, Christ, Response. So far, we've looked at parts 1 & 2 (God & Man), so that means this week we come to Part 3: Christ.

In Isaiah 53:2-3, God clued His followers in that the Messiah wouldn't look like anyone special. Just like comic book superheroes have secret identities, Jesus looked like a carpenter from the small town of Nazareth. But unlike a Peter Parker who was a flawed teenager, or a Bruce Wayne who was trying to overcome the guilt and fear that washed over him with the murder of his parents, Jesus wasn't a flawed human trying to atone for His shortcomings. He was the sinless Son of God.

And He did more than just rescue earth from invading aliens like the Avengers, He died for the sin of the bad guy in the story, who was separated from the loving Creator of the Universe because of this sin.

Jesus is the hero of the Gospel story. That is why we sing to Him each Sunday, why we remember His incredible sacrifice through communion, and why we seek to become more like Him in our emotions, thoughts, and actions.

And so may you find joy today in knowing that Jesus rescued you through the cross. Let the high point of the Gospel story invigorate your spirit and impact your "everyday, ordinary life—your sleeping, eating, going-to-work, and walking-around life." (Romans 12:1-2 MSG)