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.
John 3:16
Let me start off by saying that my knowledge of the Superman story is average at best. So, the Man of Steel film was both a refresher course and learning experience for me at different moments. To sum it up: I was thoroughly fascinated! The film married destruction and dialog extremely well and I felt a sense of empathy for the maturing Clark Kent.
With that said, what captivated me above all was the seemingly overt parallels between Clark Kent/Superman and Jesus. Stop me when you’ve had enough comparisons…
The list goes on but what I really took away from the film was the maturation of our protagonist, the patient faith of our savior, and the HOPE we have in HIM.
His Maturation
The growth of young Clark Kent, in eventually coming to a realization of his purpose, paints a picture of an adolescent Jesus and gives insight into the “Lost Years of Christ.” The Bible, as great a library of books as it is, does not mention what happens in the life of Jesus during the years of 12-30. Our mind’s eye is left to wonder what happened in those 18 years.
Personally, I take Luke 2:52 to be the summary of those 18 years:
And Jesus grew in wisdom and stature, and in favor with God and man.
Jesus kept growing. Physically, emotionally, and even spiritually. His daily connection with His Heavenly Father brought Him closer and closer to a divine understanding of purpose. Much like the young Clark Kent, I can imagine a young Jesus being an outcast among other children. I can imagine there being times in His teen years when he would have been tempted to retaliate towards synagogue scoffers but mustered up the courage to turn the other cheek. Even at the age of 33 at the Garden of Gethsemane, Christ cried out for “this cup to pass” from Him. Pleading that if there was any other way to save humanity, He’d want His Father to take that other way. The struggle was real and it lasted far longer than Calvary.
Awaiting His Time– His Leap of Faith
Deus Absconditus- Latin for 'Hidden God.’ Scholars argue that if God existed and was perfectly loving and good, He would reveal Himself more clearly and disallow bad things from happening to good people.
This is the problem young Clark faces throughout the film. He grows up with an earthly father that believes with all his heart that Clark must hide his powers because the human race would not receive him well. Whether it is saving a sinking bus or retaliating towards bullies, Clark must be patient. Even to the point of seeing his own father die, Clark waits for the right time to reveal himself.
It is easy to imagine that the 18 “lost years” of Jesus may have been similarly trying for Him. Even after the biblical account picks back up in His 30’s, Jesus is still waiting for “His time” to be revealed. When His mother, Mary, asks Him to create more wine at the wedding, He says to her, “Woman, why do you involve me? My hour has not yet come.” (John 2:4 NIV). Again in John 7:6, He tells His disciples, “My time is not yet here.” All the while, Jesus is still performing miracles from time to time, yet He believes His time to be revealed has yet to come. It is not until Gethsemane and His subsequent arrest does Jesus become revealed. In fact, He tells His disciples right before Gethsemane that his “appointed time is near.” (Mat. 26:18) Finally, in Matt. 26: 45 just before being betrayed by Judas, Christ says “Look, the hour has come…”
Jesus’s Gethsemane experience is similar to Clark Kent’s experience at the church. A conversation with a spiritual “father” seeking out instruction and reassurance before His revelation and arrest. In fact, we see a shot of Clark Kent talking to the priest with the above image of Jesus praying at Gethsemane in the background. The dilemma Clark brings to the priest is whether or not he should trust humans to receive him. To which the priest responds, “Sometimes, you must take a leap of faith. Trust will follow.” Re-read Matthew 26:36-46. You’ll find a troubled Savior that is showing His human side. Yet, He took a leap of faith! He found his closest friends sleeping when he needed them most and yet He trusted them. He trusted His “Heavenly Father’s” instruction to be the bridge between humanity and divinity. He trusted that those he was ransomed for would believe and trust Him. Superman may be able to leap tall buildings in a single bound but it was the leap of faith he made for humanity that is most marvelous.
Our Only HOPE
Zach Snyder, the director of Man of Steel, shared a trivia nugget in a recent interview. He said a survey was taken to determine what was the most recognizable symbol in the entire world. The results showed that the “S on the Chest” representing Superman was #2, only behind the Cross representing Christ.
Like many of you, I learned from the film that the “S” on his chest is not an “S” at all. It is a Kryptonian symbol representing the House of El and it carries the meaning of “Hope.” Superman was the only hope for humanity. His earthly father told him: “Somewhere out there you have sent another father. He sent you here for a reason.” That “heavenly father,” Jor-El, encourages his son on the spaceship right before his final duel with Zod saying, “You can save her [Lois]; you can save them all.” Superman leaves the spaceship with his arms wide and feet together, resembling the form of a crucifix:
In the same way, Jesus is the HOPE for Salvation! The apostle Paul calls Jesus “our hope” (1Timothy 1:1) and the “hope of glory” (Col 1:27). Like Superman, Christ’s life is summed up in the words of Jor-El: “You will give the people of earth an ideal to strive towards. They’ll race behind you. They will stumble. They will fall. But in time, they will join you…In time, you will help them accomplish wonders.” The savior provides hope of a better life. With Superman it is the hope that he will make earth a better place. With Christ it is the hope that he will make us into better people.
It is not just in reaping the rewards that humanity’s role resides. Like Lois Lane believing in Superman, so too does Christ HOPE you believe in Him.
Superman is seen standing at the focal point of the World Engine’s beam. It is attempting to increase the gravitational pull onto the earth so that Kryptonians can take over. So you could say the “weight of the world was on his shoulders.” The Son of El, the ransomed savior, yells out a cry for strength and flies through the blast beam, reaches the World Engine and breaks it to shreds.
A burden unbearable, a life undesirable, a trust unwarranted…and HE DID IT JUST FOR YOU! The savior asks but one thing in return: BELIEVE.
Now may the God of HOPE fill you with all joy and peace in BELIEVING, so that you will abound in HOPE by the power of the Holy Spirit. (Romans 15:13)
BEEEEE OUT