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Not Super, Just Heroes
Terry Dashner
At his request, each morning 3-year-old Ray's mother pinned a bath towel to the back shoulders of his size two T-shirt. Immediately in his young imaginative mind, the towel became a magic red and blue cape. At that moment he became Superman.
Outfitted each day in his "cape," Ray's days were packed with adventure and daring escapades. He was Superman.
Last fall when his mother enrolled him in kindergarten class—during the course of the interview, the teacher asked Ray his name.
"Superman," he answered politely and without hesitation.
The teacher smiled, cast an appreciative glance at his mother, and asked again, "Your real name, please."
With a little more volume Ray answered, "Superman!"
Realizing the situation demanded more authority, or maybe to hide amusement, the teacher closed her eyes for a moment, then in a stern voice said, "I need your real name for my records." Sensing he'd have to play straight with the teacher, Ray slid his eyes around the room, hunched closer to her, and answered in a voice hushed with conspiracy, "Clark Kent." http://sermoncentral.com/sermon.asp?SermonID=97486
Heroes and heroines are still known among men. Several years ago, an anonymous blogger posted these comments: "Over thousands of years, the conflicts that heroes face and the manner in which they overcome them have changed significantly, yet the basic concept of the hero has remained. This is due to a deeply-rooted desire in human beings to have before them an example of strength and courage. The hero fills this need and also provides a sense of hope—if the hero can overcome adversity, then there is hope for the rest of society. A society without heroes, therefore, is often a society lacking a medium through which it can face adversity…" http://giltrubsoff.blogspot.com/2007/09/on-heroes.html
Hebrews 11 is a chapter about heroes - but not superheroes. There is only one Superhero in the book of Hebrews and that is Jesus who really does save the world. Hebrews 11 is about heroes - people who overcame great adversity by the power of faith. They are truly heroes.
Hebrews is a book that underscores the importance of Jesus Christ as the fulfillment of the Old Testament and a book to encourage believers to persevere. In the time of Hebrews some believers were weary and on the verge of turning away from Christianity. Because of persecution, they were ready to give up their Christian faith and return to the synagogue to be Jews again.
Christianity is not for Wimps
Being a Christian in the ancient Roman world was more difficult than it is in America today. In the Roman world, you were considered an atheist if you believed in one God only. The Romans believed in many gods. Therefore, a Christian was considered and atheist because he rejected the entire pantheon of Roman gods.
When the Roman Legions dispersed the Jews from their homeland in 70 AD, Christians lost the protection that Roman law offered the Jews. The Romans did not accept nor respect the monotheism of the Christians. This opened the door to all manner of social and political oppression of Christians throughout the Roman Empire. It made it difficult for Christians to find employment and to take part in public affairs.
Christians were persecuted - public abuse, imprisonment, looting of their property, but martyrdom was not yet apparent, according to Hebrews 12:4. But, the point is that their faith was being put to the test. They were ridiculed and ostracized. Old friends and even family who were not Christians rejected them. All this was making the "good old days" prior to their conversion look appealing. They missed the acceptance they had among the Jews previously.
Which leads to this:
Sometimes being a Christian is harder than not being one.
Their enthusiasm waned, and their energy dried up. The temptation to give up was mounting. Is it any different today? Faith is difficult when we face persecution, when we face hard choices like:
Do I pursue a relationship with someone who is not a Christian?
Do I tithe when I could do something other with my money?
Do I practice honesty and integrity in a situation even though it will cost me?
Do I forgive someone who has hurt me?
When we face persecution, our faith is challenged. There are many situations in life when hiding faith is easier than proclaiming faith.
In these times we need heroes.
Hebrews 11 provides us with spiritual role models. They are heroes and heroines of faith. They did not have an easy time of it, but neither are we promised an easy time in this life. When you want to ask, "Why should my family go through this trial?" The real question is "Why not?" Jesus leveled with us, "In this world you will have trouble" (Jn. 16:33, NIV). The Bible says, "In fact, everyone who wants to live a godly life in Christ Jesus will be persecuted, while evil men and impostors will go from bad to worse, deceiving and being deceived" (2 Tim. 3:12-13, NIV).
Christianity is often seen as a religion for weak people. That is a travesty - following the crowd is for wimps! Following Jesus means taking up a cross, it means a harder life in some ways than not following him.
He was drafted into the Army during World War II. The Seventh-day Adventist was opposed to bearing arms. He believed the Ten Commandments, literally. He observed the Sabbath on Saturdays. And he said he would never kill another human being. These strong and unwavering beliefs got him into hot water immediately with enlisted men and officers alike.
He was ridiculed and scorned by officers and enlisted men for refusing to work on Saturdays—his Sabbath day. Some threw shoes at him while he prayed at his bunk and one told him, "Doss, if we ever get into combat, I am going to kill you."
He became a medic and did not carry a weapon into combat. His heroics on the island of Okinawa are the stuff that legends are made of. Later the Army cited him for repeated acts of bravery from April 29 to May 21, 1945.
His work began on April 29, the skinny medic used a rope-supported stretcher to lower dozens of wounded men to safety down a 400-foot cliff.
On May 2, he subjected himself to heavy fire to rescue five more men.
On May 5, a Saturday—his Sabbath day of rest, Doss ignored heavy shelling to treat a wounded artillery officer. Later that day, he crawled to a wounded soldier just yards from an enemy position and carried him 100 yards to safety, again amid gunfire.
On May 21, he was seriously wounded in the legs by a grenade and waited five hours for others to carry him to cover. But after seeing a critically injured soldier, he crawled off his own stretcher and directed medics to the man. He was later shot in the arm, fracturing it.
Later, one lung was removed due to his injuries sustained on Okinawa.
President Harry S. Truman awarded him the Medal of Honor on Oct. 12, 1945. Truman said at the time, "I consider this a greater honor then being president."
The man I am referring to is Desmond T. Doss. He was a non-combatant in the Second World War because of his faith—ridiculed and despised for refusing to carry a rifle into combat the men who cursed him later praised and revered him for his bravery.
Doss certainly knew the humiliation associated with faith in Christ. The next time you are ridiculed for serving Jesus, call to mind Desmond T. Doss. Desmond died on March 23, 2006, in Piedmont, Ala., where he and his wife, Frances, had been living with family. "He wanted to serve. He just didn't want to kill anybody," said a veteran who attended the service, Fred Headrick. "Most all of them [Medal of Honor recipients] received their medal for killing someone. He received his by saving lives."
Jesus Really Is Our Only Hope
Hebrews was written out of concern for Christians who were tempted to return to their former way of lives, prior to their conversions. Hebrews was written not merely to encourage them but also to warn them of the serious consequences in forsaking Christ and His church. Hebrews speaks to us today. It tells us that Jesus is better; He is superior, He is God's Son, He is our way, truth and life, He is our hope. He is the answer! This is very relevant to us, especially in an age when the idea that Jesus is one answer among many is considered absurd.
Hebrews 1: 1-3 states, "In the past God spoke to our forefathers through the prophets at many times and in various ways, (2) but in these last days he has spoken to us by his Son, whom he appointed heir of all things, and through whom he made the universe. (3) The Son is the radiance of God's glory and the exact representation of his being, sustaining all things by his powerful word. After he had provided purification for sins, he sat down at the right hand of the Majesty in heaven.
Jesus Christ is God's final Word. He is God's final authority. Those who claim to have come after him with a final word—Mohammed, Joseph Smith, etc.—are false prophets. Jesus Christ is the final Word, period.
Hebrews establishes his superiority and his fulfillment of the Old Testament.
In April 1988 a skydiver jumped from a plane along with numerous other skydivers, filming the group as they fell. On the film as the final skydiver opened his chute, the picture went off course. The announcer reporting the incident said that the camera man had fallen to his death, having jumped out of the plane without his parachute. I am sure that it wasn't until he reached for the ripcord that he realized he was freefalling without a parachute. Until that point, the jump probably seemed exciting and fun. But tragically, he had acted with thoughtless haste and deadly foolishness. Nothing could save him, for his faith was in a parachute he failed to put on.
Faith in anyone or anything except Jesus is as tragic spiritually as jumping out an airplane without a parachute.
However, with Jesus all things are possible. Jesus is everything we need.
He began His ministry by being hungry, yet He is the Bread of Life.
Jesus ended His earthly ministry by being thirsty, yet He is the Living Water.
Jesus was weary, yet He is our rest. Jesus paid tribute, yet He is the King.
Jesus was accused of having a demon, yet He cast out demons.
Jesus wept, yet He wipes away our tears.
Jesus was sold for thirty pieces of silver, yet He redeemed the world.
Jesus was brought as a lamb to the slaughter, yet He is the Good Shepherd.
Jesus died, yet by His death He destroyed the power of death. Gregory of Nazianzus, A.D. 381.
D.M. Stearns an evangelist of years past, was preaching in Philadelphia. At the close of the service a stranger came up to him and said, "I don't like the way you spoke about the cross. I think that instead of emphasizing the death of Christ, it would be far better to preach Jesus, the teacher and example." Stearns replied, "If I presented Christ in that way, would you be willing to follow Him?" "I certainly would," said the stranger without hesitation. "All right then," said the preacher, "let's take the first step. He did no sin. Can you claim that for yourself?" The man looked confused and somewhat surprised. "Why, no," he said. "I acknowledge that I do sin." Stearns replied, "Then your greatest need is to have a Savior, not an example!"
Now let me bring this message full circle.
Babe Ruth hit 714 home runs during his baseball career and was playing one of his last major league games. It was the Braves versus the Reds in Cincinnati. But the great Ruth was no longer as agile as he had once been. He fumbled the ball and threw badly, and in one inning alone his errors were responsible for most of the five runs scored by Cincinnati.
As the Babe walked off the field after the third out and headed toward the dugout, a crescendo of yelling and booing reached his ears. Just then a boy jumped over the railing onto the playing field. With tears streaming down his face, he threw his arms around the legs of his hero. Ruth didn't hesitate for one second. He picked up the boy, hugged him, and set him down on his feet, patting his head gently. The noise from the stands came to an abrupt halt.
Suddenly there was no more booing. In fact, hush fell over the entire park. In those brief moments, the fans saw two heroes: Ruth, who in spite of his dismal day on the field could still care about a little boy; and the small lad, who cared about the feelings of another human being. Both had melted the hearts of the crowd. The Pursuit of Excellence, Ted W. Engstrom, 1982, Zondervan, pp. 66-67.
In a world where heroes still inspire, should not we model a life of virtue, a life immersed in Jesus Christ? People need heroes. We are saved to be heroes of faith. We are not super heroes, just heroes who model the life of our Super Hero—Jesus Christ.
Jesus is the Super Hero.
Keep the faith, stay the course, Jesus is coming soon.
Pastor T.