"Greater love has no one than this..."

It was back in 1993 when a comic book storyline was introduced where Superman had to fight a formidable opponent by the name of Doomsday.  Everywhere Doomsday went, chaos and destruction followed him.  He attacked anyone and everyone in his path.  As the saying goes, "This looks like a job for Superman!"  But the most unbelievable thing happened as Superman's fight with this creature unfolded: Doomsday actually appeared to be winning.  Sure, Superman got in some good shots, but Doomsday was relentless in his attacks, Superman was essentially being beaten to a pulp. 

The fight was long and hard (most of the comic book was devoted to it).  In the end, the unthinkable happened: even though Superman thankfully delivered a decisive blow to end Doomsday's reign of terror, the hero collapsed and moments later, in the arms of his beloved Lois, he died!  To hold you in suspense, I purposely withheld the title of the comic book until now, it was called "The Death of Superman."

H. Michael Brewer in his book "Who Needs a Superhero? Finding Virtue, Vice, and What's Holy in the Comics" writes, "Behind the slumped figure of the dead Superman, an upright piece of broken lumber juts from the wreckage.  The tattered cape of the Man of Steel hangs on the board and flutters in the wind.  In my eyes, that heaven-reaching timber casts the shadow of the cross over the scene.  [To see Superman] dying to rescue Metropolis points our hearts toward the true Savior who died for the world."

I've confused some of you.  You are thinking, "wait, we were talking about Superman.  Why are we talking about Jesus now?"  Fair question.  There's actually a notion that Superman is a type and a picture of the Lord Jesus Christ.  Personally, I agree with this concept; I think it's a good comparison.  For those of you interested in learning more about this idea, I would recommend "The Gospel According to the World's Greatest Superhero" by Stephen Skelton.  The whole book is devoted to explaining the various ways Superman is like Christ.

By the way, if you are unfamiliar with this Doomsday saga, here's what happened: Superman did literally die, but he doesn't stay dead; he is resurrected!  But a part of me didn't want to reveal that information, because I didn't want to move so quickly from a scene of vicarious death to resurrection.  Or to put it another way, I didn't want to move from Good Friday to Easter.  Yes, the resurrection is vitally important, but it's not Easter yet.  So for now, let's all try to remain focused on the death of Superman.  As Brewer puts it, contemplating Superman's death reminds us of how Jesus Christ gave His life for us on the cross.

Kevin Bauer

(John 15:13)