Was Jesus a Superhero?

"Look up in the sky! Is it a bird? No, it's...a flying man!" I imagine this is how the first crowds reacted when they saw a man ascend to heaven (Acts 1:9). They were in awe, but not for the first time. Oh, no. The man they saw soar above also performed incredible feats of strength. He walked on water (Mark 6:48), flipped tables (Matthew 21:12) and was impervious to spears (John 20:27). More than this, He had the power to heal any sickness (Matthew 4:23), combat the forces of evil (Luke 8:30-33) and face any challenge (Matthew 4:1-11). Who was this man? By day He worked among the people as Jesus of Nazareth (John 9:4), but when the need arose, He revealed His true form (Matthew 17:1-2). He is the God-Man, and when you describe Him this way, He sounds like a superhero!

Superheroes are modern legends created by authors and artists, capturing people's imaginations with their stories. Many who read these comic tales are also intrigued by the stories of Jesus. It makes sense, since Jesus shares commonalities with superheroes. Jesus tried to have a secret identity (Mark 7:36), but like Iron Man He couldn't keep it for long (John 8:58). Jesus foiled the plots of dastardly villains (Matthew 22:15-22), much how Batman does. Jesus assembled a team in His name (Luke 6:13), which Captain America did. It may sound strange, but Jesus even communicated with fish (Luke 5:4-6) a couple times (Matthew 17:27), and that is uncannily familiar to Aquaman. Of course, anyone could share an amount of qualities with someone else (be they impressive or ordinary attributes). To get the bottom of how our caped crusaders compare to Christ, it would be best to examine Jesus next to the most famous superhero, Superman.

Some have said Jesus is the original Superman, but how is the match-up between the last son of Krypton and the only Son of God? Well, Superman is not from earth. Similarly, the earth is not Jesus' or any of His followers' home (1 Peter 2:11). Superman enjoyed telling people about his home planet, Krypton, and Jesus also told of His beautiful home, heaven (Matthew 13:44). Superman lived on earth and appeared human, but he was an alien. Jesus did not just appear human (John 1:14) but was fully human (Philippians 2:7). Superman had the power to do, essentially, whatever incredible thing he wanted. Jesus, though, could only do what His Father in heaven wanted (John 5:30). Superman had an altar-ego, Clark Kent. Jesus, however, did not wear a costume when He appeared before crowds (Matthew 21:10-11) or when He was at their homes (Luke 7:36). When Superman would pretend to be Clark Kent, he would change his attitude and demeanor, so people would not know who he was. Jesus did not put on an act, and He told people that when they would see Him they would see that He was the fullness of God in flesh (John 14:9). When you start to look at the superhero of heroes versus the King of Kings their differences quickly overshadow whatever they have in common.

Here's the final round between these two mighty men: The way they died. Superman died unexpectedly and suddenly. He stayed dead for a long time and many great men and women mourned at his grave. Eventually, Superman came back to life, thanks to the help of others. This is nothing like Jesus' death. Jesus knew He would die (Luke 9:22) and knew how He would die (Luke 24:7). He stayed dead for a brief time (Matthew 12:40), and the only ones at His grave while His body was there were the guards watching Him (Matthew 27:65-66). On the third day, Jesus came back to life, without help from any man or force (Luke 24:6-7). In fact, Jesus raised Himself to life, for He says, "I lay down My life—only to take it up again. No one takes it from Me, but I lay it down of My own accord," ( John 10:17-18).

If superheroes overcome unforeseen challenges with great power,
then what do you call someone who charged in to defeat
the world's greatest threat by surrendering Himself?

Jesus is more than a silly superhero. Every comic book character was created by an imperfect person, but no one created Jesus (John 1:1-3). Any whacky masked vigilante is a mere work of fiction, but Jesus really lived, and He is still alive, for "He cannot die again; death no longer Has mastery over Him," (Romans 6:9). No person can master Jesus, but He is master over all as "Lord of Lords," (Revelation 19:16). He is not the work of imagination for people's entertainment. He is the fulfillment of all good works (Matthew 5:17), in order to be everyone's savior (1 Timothy 1:15). So bring on the best the world has to offer, and see how they fall before Jesus (Philippians 2:10). He will one day come back to earth (Revelation 1:7), and I imagine everyone will look up on that day and say, "Is it a hero? Is it a warrior? No, it's...God!"

Sources

• The Bible (New International Version)
• The Superman Prayer (for putting this in my head, since summer camp)