By Ruth Sneha Stephen.
Superheroes are popular. They jump in and save the day. They intervene when things are hopeless. Superhero movies usually end with the hero decisively conquering darkness and evil.
Is Jesus a superhero? Yes, we see him conquering sin and evil, but he didn't do that with a flash of lightning or by beating up his enemies. (Is 53:2-3) We see him quietly submitting to a shameful and painful death on a cross. (Is 53:7) Where's the army of angels? Did the script go wrong somewhere?
And yet, Jesus says He came to the earth just to die a terrible death. With His resurrection, we understand that He came to conquer our evil by His purity, our pride by His sacrifice and our hate by His love.
Jesus chose to set aside His supernatural powers so He could become just like us, so He could experience pain from humans and rejection from God.
But here's the good part - because of Him, we are now healed; free from the curse of sin and reconciled back to God. (Is 53:4-5)
He did turn out to be our Hero after all!
Bible Verse References:
Is 53:2-3
2 He grew up before him like a tender shoot, and like a root out of dry ground. He had no beauty or majesty to attract us to him, nothing in his appearance that we should desire him.3 He was despised and rejected by mankind, a man of suffering, and familiar with pain.Like one from whom people hide their faces he was despised, and we held him in low esteem.
Is 53:7
He was oppressed and afflicted, yet he did not open his mouth; he was led like a lamb to the slaughter, and as a sheep before its shearers is silent, so he did not open his mouth.
Is 53:4-5
4 Surely he took up our pain and bore our suffering, yet we considered him punished by God,
stricken by him, and afflicted. 5 But he was pierced for our transgressions, he was crushed for our iniquities; the punishment that brought us peace was on him, and by his wounds we are healed.