Now I don't want to get off on a rant here...

Super Savior?

“The world doesn’t need a savior”, a sentiment that is shared by more people than just Lois Lane. So why do bands like Stabbing Westward and Unwritten Law continue to write songs acknowledging that, in fact, we do need a savior? They, like the people of Metropolis, cry out for one everyday.

Movie reviews across the country of Superman Returns are picking up on this messianic message that has been woven into the fabric of the latest comic book movie. We saw the movie last night and couldn’t help walking away from this film being struck by the same message.

The Fling Journal – Michigan
The filmmakers play up the idea of Superman as a Messianic figure - sent, as Jor-El states, to Earth as my "only son." A scene of the hero being tortured recalls the brutality against Jesus in "The Passion of the Christ." "You wrote that the world doesn't need a savior," Superman tells Lois in response to her writings, "but every day I hear people crying for one."

Orlando Sentinel – Florida
Singer has made Routh our most messianic Superman, a figure posed on a cross of kryptonite prepared to die for our sins, awakening the better angels of our nature.

The world does indeed cry out for a savior, and while stories like this offer only a glimpse into the deep narrative of the Cross – it is a powerful glimpse. The comparisons between any messianic figures to that of Jesus Christ will always be lacking and always fall short of the glory that is found in the truths of Scripture. That doesn’t have to take away from our enjoyment and albeit dim reflection of His glory.

Superman embodies the sentiment found in Proverbs 21: 21, “He who follows righteousness and mercy finds life, righteousness, and honor.” I am not a comic book fan, but this is a character from the movies of the past to the TV series of the present that has always been seeking truth and justice.

The review from the Orlando Sentinel goes on to say, “Every generation is given the Superman it needs, or deserves. Created as a Great Depression and World War II-era hero who could vanquish the great evil in the world, he came back on TV as the square reminder of "The American Way" in Eisenhower's Cold War America.

The Reeve Superman of the late '70s seemed to signal a disillusioned nation's search for a simpler, uncomplicated sense of our own virtue. Ronald Reagan wasn't far behind. The more recent TV Superman incarnations are more uncertain of themselves, their powers or their responsibilities.”

What do messages like the “messianic Superman” and “Save Me”/”Save Yourself” songs of today tell us about our generation and generations of the past? That we do cry out for something greater, something true and something noble. Where we seek the answer to our cries determines whether we actually find it or not. Seek the face of God, the face of Jesus Christ and you will see the “original Superman”.

Posted by price at June 29, 2006 05:26 PM | TrackBack