America is obsessed
with movies. I’m sure most of us have been asked at one time or another what
our favorite movie was. Some of
our favorite movies might stem back to the Charlie Chaplin silent films all the
way up to How to Train Your Dragon 2. I’ll tell you that one of my favorite
movies is the first Avengers. My favorite Avenger is Captain America, because
of his courage and his integrity throughout the movie. I’m certain Captain
America is not everyone’s favorite avenger but I am sure that most people who
saw that movie came away feeling like they should start jumping off of
buildings and carrying a massive hammer or shield around with them wherever
they go (Or maybe that was just me).
Near the very end of
the Avengers there is a world news scene (after the heroes save the city) about
the public opinion of the various superheroes. In that news scene there are two
types of people, the first type are the ones who are fearful of the Avengers
and want them to answer for the damage they caused to the city, the second type
are the ones who are thankful that the heroes saved them. This may sound
ridiculous but I was mad at the citizens who thought the Avengers needed to
answer for the damage done to the city. I was almost in a rage, thinking: they
just saved your lives how dare you question them. Would you rather be dead?
They have so much more power and prestige than you guys do! You don’t deserve
an explanation. Do you even know what you are saying?!
As I was raging about
the citizens of that city a woman, while being interviewed about her first hand
experience, was notified of the criticism of the Avengers, she responded, “What,
that this [destruction] was all somehow their fault? Captain America saved my
life.”
At least someone got
it.
As I thought about
that scene I noticed that it was the people who were not in immediate need of
saving that were against the Avengers. Little did they know that if the
Avengers did not step in, the whole world would have been in ruins. Then it
would have been different; then they would have prayed for the Avengers to save
them.
The people who were
thankful for the Avengers were, like that woman in the final scene, people who
were in immediate danger of death and serious injury.
The people that didn’t
know the reality of the situation were the ones who were trying to control the
Avengers.
It’s kind of like the
people who Jesus came to save. There were two types of people who Jesus
encountered, the religious elite, and the sinners. The religious elite (i.e.
the Pharisees and Sadducees) followed the law so diligently that they thought
they would be saved by their actions. They were so angry with Jesus when he ate
dinner with sinners and tax collectors (Matt 9:10) because the sinners did
nothing to deserve a Rabbis company.
The sinners on the
other hand were so open to Jesus that they came from miles around to see Him.
They were in need and knew it.
Those that saw their
need for healing, that saw their need for saving, came to Jesus.
The people who
thought they were righteous were the ones who hated Jesus and wanted him to
answer for what commotion He had raised among the people. Jesus had turned the
country upside down because of his great love; He destroyed the social dynamics
of the country, He gave the sinners confidence and comfort. And the religious
were uncomfortable and afraid, so they had Him killed.
The problem with the
religious elite (the problem with me) is that they don’t realize that their
self-righteousness is an attempt to barter with God, to control Him.
Self-righteous people think they earn the approval of God. Self-righteous
people think they deserve something in return for their good works. But why
should God give us anything? Psalm 8 verse 4 frames that question in this way, “What
is mankind that you are mindful of them, human beings that you care for them?” While I was meditating on that question
a couple of years ago on a cold winter night in Texas I had a disturbing
thought. As I was looking up into the sky admiring the stars this thought hit
me: the universe is so big and humans are so small. Why do we go about our
daily lives as if nothing could ever happen to us? Meteors and planets are flying through the space around us
at thousands of miles per hour and I think God owes me a good life because I
believe in Him?
That thought brought
despair into my soul; my religious to-do list can’t protect me from a meteor
much less a car crash or a hurricane. How can I be certain that I have done
enough to be saved? I need a superhero to save me because I can’t do it on my
own.
The only hope on this
earth is Jesus Christ. There is a passage in the Gospel of Mark chapter 4 that
outlines this truth perfectly:
On that day, when
evening came, He said to them, “Let us go over to the other side.” 36 Leaving
the crowd, they took Him along with them in the boat, just as He was; and other
boats were with Him. 37 And there arose a fierce gale of wind, and the waves
were breaking over the boat so much that the boat was already filling up.38
Jesus Himself was in the stern, asleep on the cushion; and they woke Him and
said to Him, “Teacher, do You not care that we are perishing?” 39 And He got up
and rebuked the wind and said to the sea, “Hush, be still.” And the wind died
down and it became perfectly calm. 40 And He said to them, “Why are you afraid?
Do you still have no faith?” 41 They became very much afraid and said to one
another, “Who then is this, that even the wind and the sea obey Him?”
The disciples were
about to die; the uncontrollably powerful sea was about to swallow them up. What’s
more is that in what they thought were their final moments they accused their
teacher of not caring about them. But Jesus was demonstrating his care as their
teacher so that he could demonstrate His power over the uncontrollable sea.
This terrified the disciples because they were trained fisherman with a vast
knowledge of the unpredictable nature of the sea, but with 3 words their
teacher calmed that raging sea. Jesus showed himself to be more powerful and
more uncontrollable than the sea. In that moment everything the disciples ever
thought was impossible became possible, their world was shifted, and they
finally realized that Jesus was the only hero they every needed.
Jesus Christ is more
powerful and more caring than we ever thought possible.
The night sky and
that passage in Mark terrify me. I’m terrified because all the good works I’ve
done and all the money I spent on College bring no security against death. I
constantly seek comfort but the God I believe in never promised comfort.
As much as I know the
truth about Jesus I still find myself trying to accumulate good works so that I
can control my own destiny. That’s exactly why I find Jesus’ words in Mark 2
offensive, “It is not the healthy who need a doctor, but the sick. I have not
come to call the righteous, but sinners.”(Mark 2:17b). I can identify with the
religious elite and the people who wanted the Avengers to answer for the damage
because I often am just like them. I get caught up in doing all the right
things so that Jesus will accept me. But it is not by my work that I am
accepted.
Jesus isn’t the soft,
tame, or safe God we sometimes hope He was. But “who said anything about safe? ‘Course
he isn’t safe. But he’s good. He’s the King, I tell you.” (C.S. Lewis, The
Lion, The Witch, and the Wardrobe).
May the realization
of His power allow us to stop trying to earn salvation
May we open our
hearts to His powerful love.
May we realize that
we cannot control Jesus.
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