Superman: Departure From Krypton Sculpture by William Paquet [DC Direct] |
In Moses we
see a man set adrift in a vessel and pushed into a great unknown. The vessel is used to save his life from impending doom. This is similar
to Superman being put on a craft that will evacuate Superman from a dying
planet. Both Moses and Superman are found in a rural agrarian setting as
infants by their adoptive parents. Moses is found among the bulrushes (reeds). Superman is found in a field. Both end up in a strange foreign world. Like Moses, Superman goes through an
exodus from everything in his past only to take hold of a much greater responsibility.
Superman or Kal-El is sent as the only son of Jor-El to earth. He looks the same
as those around him (Clark Kent) but is clearly different (Superman).
Exodus 2:5-6
~ The daughter of Pharaoh came down to bathe at the Nile, with her maidens
walking alongside the Nile; and she saw the basket among the reeds and sent her
maid, and she brought it to her. When she opened it, she
saw the child, and behold, the boy was crying.
Ironically,
Jesus to would come in a vessel too. He would come in a human body as an infant
which would not be used to save His life but to give it up for the sins of those who repent. The reason He would
give it would be to save everyone else’s life who were dying from sin on a
dying sin-tainted planet. I should say that He gave it for all those who would
believe that He came for that exact purpose. Jesus would come into a hostile
world that was under the sway of evil and would use his power and influence to
change His environment around Him so greatly that it would seem as if another
world was forming in His presence (the Kingdom).
Romans 4:25
~ He was delivered over to death for our sins and was raised to life for our
justification.
As Moses
grows it becomes more and more apparent that is more than meets the eye when it
comes to Moses life. In a similar way, as Clark Kent grows it becomes obvious
to his parents Jonathan and Martha Kent that he has superhuman powers. The Kent’s
teach Clark to use these powers responsibly to help others. After Moses kills
an Egyptian for unjustly beating a Hebrew slave he flees to Midian and it is
here that he will eventually come into God’s direct presence with the Burning
Bush. From both of these stories we see that both Moses and Clark Kent seem to
have been created or made with an acute sense of justice and right or wrong.
Their lives become proactive in righting wrongs and correcting injustices.
Like Clark
Kent, Moses appears mild-mannered and Moses even seems to fear what he is
called to do by the Lord and uses human shortcomings to emphasize this fact.
The Bible said that Moses was reluctant to speak because he was slow of speech
and of slow tongue. Some people take this to mean that Moses stuttered. Regardless, it seems to be some sort of speech impediment. Yet he
still managed to do great things. He did them through the Spirit of God!
It is when
Moses begins to do the mighty works of God that we begin to see a shift to a
new character. It is at this point Moses stops
being mostly Clark Kent and becomes more Superman. The reason this seems to
take place is because a new character comes over Moses. It is the Spirit of God (just as it is now in all believers). We see a shift and foreshadowing of
Jesus. It is at this juncture also that when we see a shift from Clark Kent to
Superman, we biblically can analogize the shift from Moses to Jesus Christ. Where
Clark Kent was a mild-mannered but idealized working man, Superman is something
more. Where Moses was originally only part of a royal earthly family he is
divested of this role to become something much more in a spiritual manner in
God’s family. In so doing he becomes an emulation of the Messiah.
Both Moses,
Jesus and Superman are associated somehow with the Mosaic Law, a law or moral
rectitude. God obviously
gave Moses the Law in the Pentateuch and in the form of the Ten Commandments.
The laws given at the time embodied moral, civil and ceremonial law. These all
of course pointed to Jesus who was an embodiment of the Law given to Moses.
Although the ceremonial and civil laws no longer apply to the Christian, the
moral principles behind the moral parts of the law will always apply because,
well, they deal with morality. Herein lies the unique parallel in the Superman
narrative. Superman essentially upholds modern civic law in an idealized
fashion. Not all, but some of the legalities and law in modern times is morally
based. Even much of our Constitutional law is based in moral/ethical and even
biblical underpinnings regardless of what revisionists want us to believe. In
Superman’s world which parallels our own (sort of), it is the same.
When dealing
with Superman as Jesus we see that Superman’s real name leaving Krypton is Kal-El which in a forced Hebrew means “voice
of God”. This of course is exactly what Jesus was, not necessarily Superman.
Unless of course we believe Jesus to be our Superman in real life because of
the fact He has died for my sins and wishes to be my Master (which I do). Not
only was Jesus Christ the voice of God, He was God, and the perfect human
embodiment of God. A voice which, ironically, gave Moses the Law which Jesus
was an embodiment of.
John 14:7-11 ~ “If you had known Me, you
would have known My Father also; from now on you know Him, and have seen Him.” Philip
said to Him, “Lord, show us the Father, and it is enough for us.” Jesus
said to him, “Have I been so long with you, and yet you have not come
to know Me, Philip? He who has seen Me has seen the Father; how can you
say, ‘Show us the Father’? “Do you not believe that I am in the Father,
and the Father is in Me? The words that I say to you I do not speak on My own
initiative, but the Father abiding in Me does His works. “Believe Me that
I am in the Father and the Father is in Me;
One thing I
will note is that there are a few serious and major differences not only
between Jesus and Superman but Jesus and all superheroes and all men including
Moses. Jesus is divine and Jesus is perfectly holy. Jesus is the only begotten
Son of God. Jesus is one Persona in a Triune Godhead. These characteristics
cannot be found in any of the aforementioned. Nor will they be found in any
future superhero or man. It is due to these characteristics that Jesus would be
able to die and atone for the sins of man. This is a critical distinction that
needs to be made. It is specifically because of these characteristics
that Jesus would be able to die in accordance with Scripture, be buried quite
dead and rise again the third day. His rising would be through the power of the
Holy Spirit and it would change the course of history forever. Not even
Superman can do that.
In short we
must realize that I am comparing Superman to Jesus, not the other way around.
The concept of Superman as we understand it today would not even exist if Jesus
and Moses hadn’t existed first. Why? The creator of Superman was Jewish and
there are deliberate vehicles from the Jewish faith (Moses meta-narrative)
incorporated into the Superman story line. Even though the creator was Jewish
and most likely intended the Moses parallels, God behind the scenes seems to
have pushed the story line in Superman even further in real life into Christianity. How? By using
Moses in the Hebrew Bible, the creator has inadvertently pointed to the One
Moses and the Law would portend: Jesus.
I find it really neat that God can work through an eighty year old comic book story line to point to His Son Jesus even though this probably wasn’t the original intent of the comic. God has used a child’s comic book to inadvertently bring focus and therefore glory to His Son. So I guess, in a strange quixotic way, we are hearing the voice of God through the character of Superman. We see the sovereignty and other characteristics of God in real life because of a fictional story. Even in the things of this world we can see God shining through. In a story for youth we see Jesus most clearly exemplified.
I find it really neat that God can work through an eighty year old comic book story line to point to His Son Jesus even though this probably wasn’t the original intent of the comic. God has used a child’s comic book to inadvertently bring focus and therefore glory to His Son. So I guess, in a strange quixotic way, we are hearing the voice of God through the character of Superman. We see the sovereignty and other characteristics of God in real life because of a fictional story. Even in the things of this world we can see God shining through. In a story for youth we see Jesus most clearly exemplified.
Matthew 18:2-4 ~ Truly, I say to you, unless you turn and become like
children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven. Whoever humbles himself
like this child is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven.
Romans 1:20 ~ For since the creation of the
world God’s invisible qualities—his eternal power and divine nature—have been
clearly seen, being understood from what has been made, so that people are
without excuse
Isaiah 55:8-9 ~ For my thoughts are not your
thoughts, neither are your ways my ways, declares the LORD. For as the heavens
are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts
than your thoughts.
[Addendum: One last thing should be mentioned about Superman. In the very spirit of what he is about, he is an advocate for men. He helps men do good...this is strangely akin to the work of the parakletos or advocate in Scripture (John 14:26, Galatians 5:16-25) who is the Holy Spirit]
No comments:
Post a Comment