Jesus Christ, Superman

WARNING:  If you have not yet seen Man of Steel, stop right now, bookmark this post and come back after you've seen the movie. There are spoilers below. 

Our Saturday morning local paper had an article about the allegory between Jesus and Superman.  It was intriguing. I would post a link to this story, but it was picked up from another newspaper, so it wasn't on the newspaper website.  I did find some other articles, and I'll post the links at the end of this blog post. 

Our family went to see Man of Steel over the weekend. I decided to see if I saw the allegories that the article mentioned.  I found even more allegories than those mentioned in the article.

The Kryptonian surname "El" means God in Hebrew.  Clark's Kryptonian name, Kal-El, means "voice of God" or "vessel of God" in Hebrew.  As Moses' mother sends Moses down the Nile in a basket made of reeds to save him, Jor-El (God the Father) sends Kal-El (God the Son) to Earth in a spaceship so that he will live. Jor-El even says about Kal-El, "He will be as a god to them."  Interestingly, Jerry Siegel and Joe Shuster, the creators of Superman, were Jewish. 

Like Jesus, Clark had two fathers, a heavenly father and an earthly father. While roaming in Alaska, Clark ends up in the Fortress of Solitude, which is not referred to as such, but those familiar with the Superman story will recognize it.  Jor-El appears to his son as a ghost (Holy Spirit) and tells his son of his destiny. Lois Lane follows Clark into the Fortress and a Kryptonian robot attacks Lois.  Clark heals her with his laser vision, and Jesus healed the sick in the Gospels. 

Zod shows up with his minions and wants to conquer Earth.  Clark is unsure as to what to do. He goes into a church to talk to a priest.  During this scene, Clark is standing next to a stained glass window depicting Jesus as the Good Shepherd. That was an allegory that couldn't be missed!

Superman gave himself up to Zod to save mankind.  Jesus died on the cross to save the world from sin. Superman was 33 years old and Jesus was 33 when He was crucified. And the epic battle between Zod and Superman reminded me of the battle of good and evil. And of course, good always wins. 

Did you see the movie and see any Superman-Jesus references I missed?  Please post them below.  As promised, here are the links to the articles:

From Breibart.com:  http://www.breitbart.com/Big-Hollywood/2013/06/15/Man-of-steelfilled-with-christ-references
From Fox News:  http://www.foxnews.com/entertainment/2013/06/14/man-steel-filled-with-jesus-christianity-references/
From Metro (warning: some language here):  http://metro.co.uk/2013/06/11/man-of-steel-the-top-20-reasons-why-superman-is-jesus-3837465/
From First Post:  http://www.firstpost.com/bollywood/movie-review-man-of-steel-an-attempt-to-create-a-modern-jesus-christ-873371.html

Thanks for reading!  See you next time!

Diane 

Grow in the Son light

Our family recently returned from a vacation in Branson, Missouri, which is located in the Ozark Mountains. "Mountains" is a misnomer, since none of the large hills are the height of mountains.  These hills are covered with tall, lovely trees.  From a distance, the hills look like they're carpeted with trees, and I half expect to see Paul Bunyan and the Big Blue Ox to come strolling through.   They are beautiful and I love to see them every year. 

The two major highways that take you to Branson from St. Louis, Hwy. 44 and Hwy. 65, were made by carving through several of these tree covered hills.  As we drove through these hills, I looked at the trees up close and noticed that the trees were only green at the tops.  The trunks were mostly bare, and the ground was rocky without much vegetation. There isn't much vegetation on the ground of the balds because the trees are so crowded together that not much sunlight or water reaches the ground.  As you may remember from biology class, plants need sunlight and water to grow. 

The hills that look great from a distance reminds me of many megachurches today.  They look great from the outside and on the surface - large, fancy buildings, entertaining music, sermons with fancy PowerPoint presentations, but these churches are so large that there isn't a lot of fellowship or encouragement to grow in Christ.

The trees with the leaves only at the top reminded me of some Christians who are only Christians on the surface.  They go to church on Sunday and talk the talk, but don't walk the walk.  They act good in church on Sunday, but live for the world the rest of the week. When these "surface Christians" are in churches where pastors exhort them to read their Bibles more and have a deeper relationship with the Lord, what do they do?  They leave those churches and find churches that preach what they want to hear, to satisfy their itching ears.

Jesus had those kinds of folks to deal with too - the scribes and the Pharisees. On the outside, they were all good and followed the Law to the nth degree. But on the inside, they were full of darkness.  Jesus called them hypocrites, as in the following passage from Matthew 23:27:  "Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you are like whitewashed tombs which indeed appear beautiful outwardly, but inside are full of dead men’s bones and all uncleanness." The Pharisees didn't like being called hypocrites. 

Jesus is not satisfied with us just spending time with Him on Sunday morning and not during the rest of the week.  He wants us to spend time with Him by immersing ourselves in His Word and spending time in prayer. That's how we get to know Jesus.  Jesus wants a close, personal relationship with us.  We need the water of the Word to help us grow.  We need the light of the Son to help us grow. We need to be rooted in love, as in Ephesians 3:17: "that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith; that you, being rooted and grounded in love. . ."

So dear reader, examine yourself.  Do you have a deep, growing relationship with Christ?  Do you spend time reading your Bible daily and immersing yourself in His Word?  Do you spend time in prayer?  It's not too late to start.  Don't be a "surface Christian."

If you're reading this and you haven't repented of your sins and received Jesus as your Savior, it's not too late.  Jesus wants to have a personal relationship with you, but you have to reach out to Him.  All you have to do is ask. “…if you confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus and believe in your heart that God has raised Him from the dead, you will be saved. For with the heart one believes unto righteousness, and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation.” - Romans 10:9-10, NKJV

That's all for now! Thanks for reading.  See you next time!

Diane

Garbage in, garbage out

In Matthew 15, the Pharisees asked Jesus why His disciples didn't wash their hands before they ate.  Now the Pharisees weren't talking about normal hand washing, like we do today before we eat.  The Pharisees had a ceremonial way to wash their hands and evidently the disciples' method of hand washing wasn't the "right way."

After answering their question with a question about parental support, Jesus called the Pharisees hypocrites.  The Pharisees criticized the disciples for not following tradition, but they encouraged people to break one of the Ten Commandments by not honoring their parents.  Jesus gathered all the people to Him and told them that the food they ate did not defile them (thereby making all food clean), but what came out of their mouth did defile them.

Peter asked Jesus what He meant.  Here's what it says in Matthew 15:16-20 (all Scriptures NJKV unless otherwise referenced): "So Jesus said, 'Are you also still without understanding? Do you not yet understand that whatever enters the mouth goes into the stomach and is eliminated? But those things which proceed out of the mouth come from the heart, and they defile a man.  For out of the heart proceed evil thoughts, murders, adulteries, fornications, thefts, false witness,  blasphemies. These are the things which defile a man, but to eat with unwashed hands does not defile a man.'"

Things haven't changed since Jesus' time - people still have evil thoughts; they still commit murder, adultery, and fornication (i.e., sex outside the marital relationship); they still steal and lie; and they still use the Lord's name as a swear word.  Jesus used food as a way to explain what He meant since that was the easiest way for the people to understand, but I believe if He were walking the earth now, He would use TV shows, movies, books, popular music and magazines to make His point.

Just look at what TV shows, books, etc. the world follows.  They have lots of violence, sex, curse words, homosexual relationships, sexual relationships outside of marriage, etc. When people watch or read this stuff, it influences their behavior.  Take a look at the behavior of the world around us - there is lots of violence, crime, and bad behavior.  In more modern terminology, garbage in, garbage out. 

One of the first things I noticed about my husband after he got saved is that he stopped watching certain shows on TV because they were too raunchy.  When we get saved, our tastes in music, TV shows, books, magazines, etc. should change.  The desire to follow what the world follows should disappear. Paul gives us excellent instruction in Philippians 4:8 - "Finally, brethren, whatever things are true, whatever things are noble, whatever things are just, whatever things are pure, whatever things are lovely, whatever things are of good report, if there is any virtue and if there is anything praiseworthy—meditate on these things." If we meditate and think about only good things, the bad things will hold no appeal for us and they will leave our mind.


Are born again Christians supposed to do what the world does?  The Bible says no.  We are to be separate from the world. Look at the book of Leviticus for an example.  God gave His people rules and statutes before they entered the Promised Land so that they would not behave like the pagan nations around them.  He wanted them to be holy and set apart for Him. In the New Testament, Paul instructs us in Romans 12:2, "And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what is that good and acceptable and perfect will of God." As to those who are in the world, Paul writes in Philippians 3:19, "whose end is destruction, whose god is their belly, and whose glory is in their shame—who set their mind on earthly things."

Are we Christians to curse or use bad language?  Of course not!  Ephesians 4:29 (NLT) says: "Don't use foul or abusive language. Let everything you say be good and helpful, so that your words will be an encouragement to those who hear them." James 3:10 says: "Out of the same mouth proceed blessing and cursing. My brethren, these things ought not to be so." We should also not use God's name as a curse word.  In Exodus 20, which lists the Ten Commandments, God tells us in verse 7 (NLT), “You must not misuse the name of the Lord your God. The Lord will not let you go unpunished if you misuse his name." Psalm 139:20 (NLT) speaks of those who are worldly:  "They blaspheme you; your enemies misuse your name.."


We should do our very best not to put all this bad stuff into our minds.  However, sometimes our flesh wins out over our spirit and we watch or do things we're not supposed to. If we do mess up, we know that if we confess our sin to the Father, we will be forgiven. 

That's all for now.  Thanks for reading!  See you next time!

Diane

Of God and mammon

What’s that funny word at the end of the title, you ask?  It’s the King James Version word for money, God has a lot to say about money in His Word, and I will expound on some of it below.

My mother used to say, “Money is the root of all evil,” but she, along with many others, have misquoted the verse.  It actually reads, “For the love of money is the root of all evil.” (emphasis mine) (1 Tim. 6:10) Money in and of itself is not evil, since we need money to purchase food, clothing, housing and other necessary items, but loving money is evil.  Another verse that relates to this is “You cannot serve God and mammon.” (Matt. 6:24(b), Luke 16:13(b)) So here's the bottom line - what’s more important to you, God or money?  Jesus said that where your treasure is, there your heart is also. (Matt. 6:21, Luke 12:34) We should love God more than we love money.  If we love money more than we love God, then our heart is in our wallet and in our bank accounts and not focused on God. Jesus says to seek God first, then all these things will be added to you. (Matt 6:33, Luke 12:31)

Jesus says that we should not store up treasures on earth, but in heaven, where things do not rust or rot.(Luke 12:33(b)) So you ask, “How am I supposed to store up treasures in heaven?”  Jesus told the young man who wanted to know how to be perfect and have eternal life that he should sell what he had and give it to the poor.  (Matt. 19:21, Mark 10:21, Luke 12:33). As you may recall, the young man walked away sadly, for he had great  possessions.  In Luke 12:16-22, Jesus tells a parable about a man who had so many crops, he had no room to store them, so he tore all his barns down and built a bigger one. He thought he could lay back and take it easy, since he had enough to last for years.  However, God came that night for that man's soul, and all his goods went to others.  If we share our treasures with those who need them, we are storing up treasures in heaven. 

We see from Scripture that God does not bestow great wealth on all those who believe in Him, contrary to what the wealth and prosperity preachers teach; otherwise, all believers would be rich, and people would get saved because they wanted to be rich. Paul supported himself by working as a a tentmaker.  He didn’t make a living from his preaching.  A study of Scripture reveals that Job and Abraham were rich men.  But what about those believers who are blessed with monetary gain?  Paul instructs that those people should give to the poor (1 Tim. 6:17-19), and Job and Abraham shared their fortunes, Job with widows and orphans, (Job 31:38) and Abraham with his employees.  Paul says that we should be content with what we have. (1 Tim. 6:6)

 

For those of us (myself included) who worry about how the bills are going to get paid, let alone purchase needed items or take care of repairs, Jesus has some words of wisdom for us.  He tells us not to worry, or in some Bible translations, not to be anxious. (Matt. 6:25, 31) Jesus tells us that we are worth more than the lilies or the grass that God clothes. (Matt. 6:28-30) The Father knows we need clothes and food, and that He cares for us more than for the sparrows or the grass.  (Matt. 6:31-32) Paul writes that God will supply all our needs according to His riches in glory by Christ Jesus. (Phil. 4:19)

Our family, like many others, has had a hard row to hoe financially this year.  My husband is only working part time and we have been having a difficult time paying our bills. He is looking for another job, but when you’re over 40, it’s hard to get hired.  I thought the Lord was leading me to start my own Thirty-One Gifts business, but when I paid for the kit, our mortgage check bounced.  I have not had much success with the business. I think that this is God’s way of telling me, “No, this is not for you.” Then in September, my husband had to have shoulder surgery, and he was off work for 8 weeks.  He didn’t qualify for workers’ compensation, nor was he eligible for short-term disability.  He is now back to work, but is getting grief from some of his co-workers about not being able to perform the job duties that they were used to having him perform. Back in October, I almost lost my job at the law firm I work at when the partner I was assigned to left the firm and took one of the associates that I was assigned to with him, leaving me with only one associate to work for.  The law firm was going to terminate me, but the partner persuaded them to let me keep my job.

We also have home repairs that need to be taken care of.  Instead of whining to the Lord for money to get this stuff fixed, I have decided to take a different tack.  Thank you, Lord, that although the tree in the front yard has been dead for a year and a half, the tree has not fallen down.  Thank you, Lord, that although the gutter on the back of the house is coming off, it hasn’t fallen off yet.  Even though we can’t drive hubby’s truck because we can’t afford to purchase the annual license plate sticker and get the driver’s side door repaired, we live close enough to the Metrolink station so that I can walk there on the days that hubby works so that I can take the Metrolink to work.  I am thankful that we could sell some jewelry to help replenish the checking account last month when a check bounced.  I am thankful that I still have a job and that my husband has a job.  I am thankful for a couple of Internet friends who I have never met who have assisted us financially in our time of need.  Please bless them, Lord.  I write these paragraphs not to beg for assistance, but to show what we are going through. I'm sure we're not the only folks going through financial difficulties. 

God has been after me to write this blog post for a long time, but I kept putting it off.  I can find a hundred and one excuses not to do something, can’t you?  I was reading in Haggai the other night about how the people were slacking off on rebuilding the Temple after the return from Babylon and God withheld the rain and the crops until they had done what He told them to do. I realized that God was speaking to me – get that blog post done I want you to write!  Could it be He is withholding financial blessings from us until I get this blog post done and published?  I don’t want to speak for God as far as that (as mentioned above, I should be content with what I have and I don’t want to sound like the “name it and claim it folks”), but I should be listening and obeying when He tells me to do something, regardless of whether I get any rewards or not.  Please forgive me, Lord.

Sorry it's been so long since I've posted last!  I hope this post was edifying.  Thanks for reading and see you next time!

Diane

It's like a heat wave - a poem

It’s soooo hot

The thermometer exploded

The mercury slithered out and left

For cooler climes.

I wish I could leave too

But it’s hot and dry everywhere

And not just here.

No relief in sight,

Say the weathercasters in the comfort of

Their air conditioned newsrooms.

The children play in the fountains

And the water from the fire hydrants

Finding only temporary relief.

The grass in my yard dies

From lack of rain

But the weeds grow just fine.

It’s much too hot

To expend the effort

To get rid of them.

Is it fall yet?

I check my calendar.

It’s only August 1.

Still closer to fall

Than on June 1.

Always and for all times

This blog post was inspired by my reading of 1 Thessalonians 5:16-18 this morning. These three short verses have a lot of instruction for us as Christians.  They’re short but packed with power.

1 Thessalonians 5:16-18 (ESV):  Rejoice always, pray without ceasing, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you.

Rejoice always.  Paul didn’t say rejoice when you feel like it, or only when everything’s going well.  “Always” means all the time. The thesaurus in the Microsoft Word software I’m typing this with (Word 2010) lists adverbs for “always” as continuously, continually, constantly, at all times, or for all time.  It means rejoice when things aren’t going well, or when a loved one is sick or has died.  It means rejoice when you’re going through a relationship breakup, or when you’re estranged from your children or other family members.  It means rejoice when your financial situation is going south, either from job loss or other circumstances.  I know from personal experience that it’s really hard to rejoice when you’re in physical or emotional pain, but we’re told to do it, so we need to suck it up and rejoice. Rejoicing in the midst of pain takes our minds off of ourselves and our problems and turns them to God, our Father and our Comforter. For a good primer on rejoicing in the midst of pain, listen to the lyrics of the song “Praise You in This Storm” by Casting Crowns.  If you’re really down and can’t think about a single thing to rejoice about, you can always rejoice that God saved you that and Jesus died on the Cross to save you from your sins. That should be enough right there to lift your spirits.

Pray without ceasing.  Again, Paul didn’t say to pray when you feel like it, or when there’s a major crisis in your life and you need to be rescued.  “Without ceasing” means all the time, just like “always” means all the time.  A friend of mine has a keychain with a little tag on it that reads, "Pray."  That's a good reminder. You may ask, “Pray even when I’m in the bathroom?” Sure - what a perfect place to pray!  The bathroom door is shut and you have privacy – I hope. LOL!  I can’t tell you how many times I’ve gone into the bathroom stall at work, shut the door, and started praying for work situations that are going awry.  Praying without ceasing keeps the line of communication going between you and God.  Sure, God knows what you’re going to say before you say it, and He knows what you need before you ask for it, but He wants to hear it from you anyway.  This ties into the previous verse – when you rejoice when you don’t feel like it, the praise will calm your soul and then you will be calm enough to pray.    

Give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you.  Give thanks when my heart is breaking because my spouse is leaving me?  Give thanks when my child is not living according to God’s will?  Give thanks when I’ve lost my job and my financial situation is dire and I don’t know how I’m going to get my next meal?  Yes, in all these and more, we are to give thanks to God.  Is your child giving you fits?  Thank the Lord that you do have a child – there are folks who would love to be parents but can’t.  Didn’t get the raise you were hoping for?  Be thankful you have a job – there are many that don’t.  Again, if you can’t think of what to give thanks for, you can always give thanks that God saved you and that Jesus died on the Cross to save you from your sins.

These instructions are from God Himself through Paul and this is what He wants us to do - He wants us to rejoice always, pray without ceasing, and give thanks in all circumstances, because it’s His will in Jesus for us.  It’s hard for me to remember these things because after all, I’m human and God made me with feelings and emotions.  That’s the fleshly side of us, which rears its ugly head when we’re faced with difficulties.  But I’m going to keep reminding myself of these instructions, and hopefully, someday I’ll remember to do these things without thinking about it. 

That’s all for now!  Thanks for reading – see you next time!

Diane

That book on the shelf

(With apologies to David Lee Murphy, the songwriter of "Dust on the Bottle")

Sittin' on the shelf, all lost and lonesome,
Is a Book with all you need to know,
How to live your life and love Jesus,
If you read it, your faith will grow.

It's got what you need, son, it's between those covers
(Why dontcha) Take it down and take a look inside?

There shouldn't be any dust on your Bible,
It has everything you need to survive,
There shouldn't be any dust on your Bible,
The more you read it, it gets sweeter with time.

It's sittin' on the bookshelf wanting you to read it,
There's wisdom and great things inside,
When life is hard and you are seeking,
Let God's Word be your guide.

Reach up on the bookshelf and dust off the cover,
It's just been waiting for you to see the Light.

There shouldn't be any dust on your Bible,
It has everything you need to survive,
There shouldn't be any dust on your Bible,
The more you read it, it gets sweeter with time.

God's Word is so sweet and I've learned some great things,
After all these years, there's one thing I've found
I say the good Book, well, it's like a fine wine
The message keeps getting better as the days go by.

There shouldn't be any dust on your Bible,
It has everything you need to survive,
There shouldn't be any dust on your Bible,
The more you read it, it gets sweeter with time.