Let’s face it. Jesus Christ was not what any person would
first choose as a Messiah. Instead of being the type of savior who took down the people
we deem the “bad guys” and gave them what they deserve, he chose to endure
suffering and a humiliating death on the cross. When we look for a Messiah, we
want someone like a Hollywood hero who will defeat the people that are ‘oppressing’
us. Even the Jews back in Jesus’s day wanted a savior who would conquer the
Roman Empire and not someone who would save them from their sins, causing many
of them to completely overlook Jesus.
The demand for this “conquering” type of Messiah is very
evident in media today. There are plenty of heroes in films and tv who save the
world only because they were strong enough to overcome the enemy and not
because they were willing to suffer or even die to save people. The first
character I think about as an example of this is the current version of
Superman on film (the one in Man of Steel and Batman v Superman). Unlike most
of his previous incarnations, this current version of Superman is viewed as a savior
to the human race only because he’s able to punch the enemies really hard, not
because he has good morals or an upright character. It's ironic because Man of Steel uses lot of Jesus imagery, implying Superman is a savior like Jesus, but he's the exact opposite kind of savior and acts almost nothing like Jesus.
Anyways, moving on… while Jesus was not the Messiah people
wanted, he was definitely the Messiah people needed. People are too short-sighted
to realize that where their hearts are spiritually is more important than living
comfortably right now. Thankfully, Jesus knew a lot better than us and, instead
of going to beat up the “bad guys,” he chose to do the hard thing that would
make a lasting difference in the world. He chose to die for us. And I think
that is what makes him stand out and be a much better Messiah than any other.
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