Superman

Welcome

Well, good morning friends! If we haven’t met before, my name is Dan and I serve here alongside Jason Phillips as the Teaching pastor. We’re really grateful you’re here with us today!

If you are new with us—or if you are just wondering why the lobby smells like a movie theater—welcome to the start of a series we call Now Playing.

For the next few weeks, we are talking about some of the most popular movies of the last year. And, yes. It’s a whole vibe. We’ve got popcorn, candy, the trailers.

But, from my perspective - entertainment is not goal. We aren't doing this just to have a 'movie day.' We do this because we believe these stories actually do something to us.

Series Introduction

Maybe think about it this way:

We all know stories are powerful. We love to get lost in them. But there is a difference between getting lost in a story and understanding what that story is actually doing to us.

[Share how I imagine this conversation around the couch - with coffee / tea - a lots of conversation.]

Movie Recap

Alright, let’s talk about Superman. How many of you saw it?

Honestly, I wasn’t particularly excited about this movie - I feel like I’m a little done with the “super hero” trope. We have been inundated with the Marvel Cinematic Universe over the last 15 years and, while there has been good story-telling along the way, most of these movies follow a similar arch.

Some ruggedly hansom guy finds out he’s got a special power - feels unsure about how to use it - a bad guy shows up, and wouldn’t you know, the would-be hero is perfectly suited to combat him. There’s a two and half to three hour fight (depending on how self absorbed the director is) and things come to nice resolution (despite an unfathomable amount of death and destruction all over New York City.

The good guy always wins.

And Superman is like the super hero of Super Heroes! Especially for those who’ve grown up in a cultural dominated a Western, American ideology over the last (almost) 90 years!

Superman, In popular imagination, he’s this incorruptible icon of Truth, Justice and the American way...that’s been his tagline!

More than that, his story is dripping in all kinds of Christian imagery. I mean, the grand-narrative is that he is sent to earth by a benevolent god, his “father” so that he can show people way of truth and justice.

He is sent here to serve. To guide. To save.

PAUSE

But this new iteration is different - it’s not the normal super-hero. He’s not the normal Superman.

In fact, in the opening sequence, the “invincible” Superman loses a fight...and we find him laying in a heap, beat up and bloody.

But more than that, in this version Superman finds (along with the rest of the world), that despite what he’s always believed about himself - that his father sent him to serve and to save - something else entirely was going on.

A recording of his parents is released to the public...and rather being given a mandate to serve and guide humanity, Superman’s father tells him he’s actually there to conquer and subdue. That humanity is a weak species and can easily be ruled by Him, thus expanding and restoring Superman’s ancestral kingdom!

And he is paralyzed by this!

Think about it this way: Biologically, he’s a god. He’s got a mandate from the one’s who sent him to conquer. And...he can do it! But there’s this other part of him...Experientially, he’s lived the last 27 as a farm kid from Kansas - he’s son, a friend, a neighbor and this mandate...it’s not only that it doesn’t fit what he’s always thought about himself, it’s the antithesis of everything he believes about himself!

And for the rest of the movie, almost everyone else sees him, not as the hero they wanted, but the villain.

He’s not the protector...he’s the one they need to be protected from.

And the tension for Superman isn't just, "Who am I?" The real tension is: "How do I know who I am?"

PAUSE

Am I the Conqueror my biology says I am? Or am I the Protector my experience tells me I am?

How does he know?

When the “script” you’ve been handed completely contradicts the life you thought you were living…how do you verify what is true? Which voice do you listen to? How do you prove it?

PAUSE

And, you see, I think there is something really profound about that tension.

'How do I know who I am?' isn't just movie drama.

That’s the haunting question that wakes you up at 3:00 AM.

It’s the question we ask when the script we’ve been handed stops making sense. When the job title is stripped away... When the marriage ends... When the kids leave... When the thing that made you feel 'Super' and 'Secure' is gone... who are you then?

Are you a conqueror who has to keep winning to matter? Or is there a different way to be human?

Bridge to Luke 10

And friends, if you resonate with that, then I think you’re ready to join me in the story we’re looking at today. This is going to feel like a hard pivot at first, but I promise I’m going somewhere with this.

If you have a bible with you, meet me in the New Testament book of Luke. Luke 10, starting in v. 25.

Jesus and the Lawyer

Just to set the scene a little bit, Jesus has been traveling around with this small, but growing, band of followers and a long the way, he has developed the reputation of an unconventional thinker. And so from time to time, he would have people approach him with questions. And that’s what happens here in Luke 10.

Luke 10:25–37 ESV

And behold, a lawyer stood up to put him to the test, saying, “Teacher, what shall I do to inherit eternal life?” He said to him, “What is written in the Law? How do you read it?” And he answered, “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength and with all your mind, and your neighbor as yourself.” And he said to him, “You have answered correctly; do this, and you will live.”

Pause here for a moment. What is he actually asking Jesus?

When we hear the phrase, 'What shall I do to inherit eternal life?', our modern ears immediately think about the afterlife. We hear: 'How do I go to heaven when I die?'

But we have to remember we are reading a first-century Jewish document. And they weren't asking about floating on clouds.

In the first century, the Jewish people believed history was divided into two eras. There was the Present Age—which was dark, broken, and ruled by their enemies. And there was the Age to Come—the moment when God would return, kick out the darkness, and establish His Kingdom right here on earth.

Interestingly enough, the Greek phrase used for 'Age to Come' is the exact phrase this lawyer uses in his question. He is literally asking: 'Teacher, when God brings the Life of the Age to Come, how do I make sure I am included?'

And notice the specific word he uses: Inherit. You don’t 'earn' an inheritance. You don't buy it. You receive an inheritance based on who you are. You receive it because of your family name.

He is asking a question about Identity. He wants to know: 'When that kingdom comes, will I have a seat at the table? Will I get to join in subduing God’s enemies?' Because in Jesus’ day, the expectation was that God would initiate this kingdom not with peace, but with a sword. They were waiting for a Messiah to slay their enemies and invite God’s people to rule.

And interestingly enough, that is the exact same expectation set up in the Superman movie.

Think back to the recording of Superman’s father. He wasn't just offering him power. He was offering him an Inheritance. He said, 'You are the heir to the Kingdom of Krypton. Conquer them, and you will restore our glory.'

Superman’s 'Inheritance' was a mandate to rule. And friends, that is exactly what this Lawyer thinks his 'Inheritance' is. He believes that because he is a Son of Abraham, he is the heir. He believes his 'Eternal Life' is a mandate to rule over God’s enemies.

This is a very different question, isn’t it? It’s not “How do I get saved?” It’s “How do I secure my position?”

And that brings us to the Lawyer's follow-up. Because when Jesus tells him, 'Love God and love your neighbor,' the Lawyer isn't satisfied. Look at verse 29:

Luke 10:29 ESV

29 But he, desiring to justify himself, said to Jesus, “And who is my neighbor?”

Do you hear the Superman tension in that verse? He wants to justify himself. He wants to verify his identity. He is asking: "How do I know I am in?

Don’t miss the strategy here. He is asking for a map. He’s asking for clear lines. He’s asking for certainty.

He is saying, 'Jesus, draw me a line. Tell me who else is IN so I can figure out who’s OUT .'

Who specifically is my neighbor?

Now, we have to feel the weight here - remember - this lawyers question is ultimately an IDENTITY question...how do I know who I am?

How do I know I’m on the right team?

What does that person do how do they act ...what are they like?

And to answer that question, Jesus tells a story...but more than a story, he give this lawyer an Identity test.

Look with me starting at v. 30. Luke 10:30-32

Luke 10:30–32 ESV

30 Jesus replied, “A man was going down from Jerusalem to Jericho, and he fell among robbers, who stripped him and beat him and departed, leaving him half dead. 31 Now by chance a priest was going down that road, and when he saw him he passed by on the other side. 32 So likewise a Levite, when he came to the place and saw him, passed by on the other side.

Now, I’m willing to be that there’s some level of familiarity with the details of this story…but again, I want us to hear this the way a first century audiance would have heard it…there’s some insider knowledge and once we know what they knew, I think more of these details will pop in ways we aren’t as accustomed to.

The Rule of Three

Here’s the first thing. To the original audiance, this was a very familiar story, with a predictable pattern. It was a trope. Even as Jesus begins, the Lawyer and anyone listening would have been able to finish the story - at least they would have thought they could finish it.

Jewish story telling often relied on literary critics and scholars to day call the Rule of Three. In the Jewish world, society was divided into a clear, three-part hierarchy:

The Priests (The Spiritual Elite)

The Levites (The Religious Assistants)

The Israelites (The Common People)

Now, remember, in Luke 10, a Lawyer is talking Jesus…and we don’t have time to get into all the socio-political reasons why, but he would not have been in the top tier, but actually in the bottom - the Common Israelites.

The Expectation

So when Jesus starts the story: 'A Priest comes by... and passes on the other side.' The Lawyer thinks: 'Of….course! Typical priest. Too holy to help.’

And when he says, ‘A Levite comes by... and passes on the other side.' The Lawyer thinks: 'Figures. He’s just following the Priest.'

But now, the Lawyer is leaning in.

He knows who is coming next. He is waiting for the Israelite. He is waiting for the regular man to step in, save the day, and shame the corrupt leadership. He is waiting for a hero who looks like him.

But look at v. 33.

Luke 10:33–35 ESV

33 But a Samaritan, as he journeyed, came to where he was, and when he saw him, he had compassion. 34 He went to him and bound up his wounds, pouring on oil and wine. Then he set him on his own animal and brought him to an inn and took care of him. 35 And the next day he took out two denarii and gave them to the innkeeper, saying, ‘Take care of him, and whatever more you spend, I will repay you when I come back.’

Not an Israelite…a Samaritan.

And listen, this doesn’t hit very hard for us. But to the lawyer, a Samaritan isn’t a ‘neutral’ character.

To the original listeners, the Samaritans weren't just the people who lived one town over. There was deep, centuries-old racial, political, and religious hostility between Jews and Samaritans. They viewed each other as entirely corrupt. To the Lawyer, a Samaritan was the absolute last person on earth who could ever be considered 'righteous.' He was the ultimate outsider.

A Samaritan is a villain. He’s a heretic. An enemy.

I mean, this is like watching a World War II movie where the American soldiers run away, and the guy who steps in to save the day is wearing a German uniform.

Or maybe for you this will help it click. Overlook the historical chronology for a second, but this would be like if Jesus talked about a Priest, a Levite…and a Muslim walked by.

PAUSE

That “twinge” or whatever you just felt…that’s something like what the lawyer was feeling. And that’s why this story is actually far more provocative than the cute, “Be-a-nice-person” spin it often gets.

This “Samaritan” doesn’t just feel bad for the person on the side of the road. He goes to him. Which, by the way, is just as jarring for him to do because Samaritans felt the same way towards Jews. He reaches out his hand to touch this half-dead stranger…to Binds his wounds…tend to him at the Inn and cover

And you end up with this story of the outsider, the heretic, the enemy, not playing by the script! He doesn’t take advantage, he doesn’t ignore, he doesn’t just move on with his life, but he uses what he has to serve.

And Jesus knows exactly what he’s doing here. By design, there is something so backwards about this story! And it’s hard for us to feel it, but there’s something offensive about this story.

And the Lawyer is paralyzed. He wanted a story about the Israelite Hero - just like him...And instead he got a story about radical compassion from the wrong person!

And it’s no surprise that, over the last two thousand years, this has become one of the most well known stories of Jesus, right? I mean, we look at this I think it’s really hard not to see something beautiful and compelling and powerful and deeply troubling about the way this man shows up - the extent to which he goes to care for someone he doesn’t even know!

Even the way the whole thing wraps up with this powerful mic-drop moment as Jesus asks the Lawyer:

Luke 10:36–37 ESV

Which of these three, do you think, proved to be a neighbor to the man who fell among the robbers?” He said, “The one who showed him mercy.”

It’s a masterful question. “Who became the neighbor?” First of all, the lawyer doesn’t even want use the word “Samaritan,” but that aside, the answer is the outsider. The one with the wrong biology...the wrong theology…the one without the inheritance...the true neighbor was the one who acted like a neighbor.

Now, pause here for a moment.

I’m going to guess that for the last few minutes, many of you have been thinking something along the lines of...what does this story about a first century Samaritan have to do with Superman?

I promise I’ve been going somewhere with this!

You see, I think in a lot of ways, both these stories expose the exact same temptation we tell ourselves about Identity - they expose a false way of answering the question, “How do I know who I am?”

You see, the Lawyer believed - and, I think if we’re honest, many of us believe—that identity is a noun. It’s a label we wear to feel safe - it’s the label we look for to see who else is.

In fact labels are all over this story, right? -A lawyer. -A Priest. -A Levite. -A Samaritan.

And if we are honest, we do the exact same thing today. We love labels. We cling to them because they make us feel safe, and they tell us who we are without us having to actually do anything. We say: 'I’m a Conservative.' 'I’m a Progressive.' 'I’m White-collar.' 'I’m Blue-collar.' These aren't just descriptions for us; they are fortresses. We hide inside them. We use them to draw the circle of who is 'In' and who is 'Out.' We use them to decide who deserves our mercy and who we can comfortably walk past.

See, the lawyer thought his identity was defined by his ancestry. That was his Label. He believed that because he was a Son of Abraham, his 'Inheritance'—his seat at the table—was guaranteed. He just wanted Jesus to give him the specific boxes to check to make sure his position was secure.

Superman was told his identity was defined by his biology...his family of origin!

Both of them were handed a script that said: ‘You are defined by what you are!”

But Jesus is saying something else...something that I think is far more radical.

You see, he’s saying your identity is not just this static noun - it’s just a label that you can throw around and wear like a badge. But that somehow, caught up in who we are is a verb.

Identity is not just status, background, ideology. Identity, at least a critical component of it, is about how I live.

And we’re walking a fine line here. I’m very aware of that.

And I will be perfectly honest, Jesus teaching that Identity is about how we live is actually deeply challenging to us...this is deeply challenging to me.

And I think it’s especially challenge for those of us who would say that we are followers of Jesus.

In our current cultural moment, in the modern, western American church, there is something about the way we understand a relationship with God that tends to make us allergic to anything that sounds like, “we are what we do.”

And you have to admit, that that’s kind of what Jesus is saying, right?

For those of us who have grown up in the church, this can sound a little dangerous. It triggers our theological alarms. We hear this and think, "Wait, are you saying I have to earn my salvation? Are you saying I have to work my way into God's family by helping enough people in the ditch?

Let me be clear: No.

The full arch of the Christian story is that we are invited into the family of God not because of what we accomplish...not because of what we do...not because of how many people we help on the side of the road...but by virtue of our relationship…our allegiance to Jesus!

Which means, anyone is welcomed in!

But - I think a lot of times, that’s where things slow down. We’re in. We’re done.

Modern Christianity tends to treat the Gospel like a Ticket. We think: 'Okay, I said the prayer. I believed the right things. I have my ticket to Heaven. Now I just need to sit in the waiting room and try not to lose my ticket until the bus comes.'

But Jesus isn't inviting us into a Waiting Room. He is inviting us into a Way of Life.

He isn't just giving us a new status; He is giving us a new nature for how we live and move and be in the world in which He’s placed us.

See, the danger isn't thinking that 'we are what we do.' The danger is thinking we can 'BE' something without ever 'DOING' anything at all.

One of my favorite authors and thinkers, Dallas Willard, a philospher out at USC said it this way:

“Grace is not opposed to effort; it is opposed to earning.”

PAUSE

Maybe it’s helpful to think about it this way.

Think about the question: 'Are you married?'

This works if your married or single.

Technically, that is a Noun. It is a Status. You have a license. You have a ring. You have a wedding date. You don't have to earn your marriage every morning. You wake up married. You are a spouse.

But... can you really separate the Noun from the Verb? If you have the ring and the license, but you never speak to your spouse, never serve them, never sacrifice for them, never love them... do you really have a marriage? Or do you just have a piece of paper?

[Applying to the Text]

Marriage is a Status defined by Action. You can't have one without the other. And this is exactly where the Lawyer was lost.

He was standing there waving his 'Certificate' at Jesus. He was saying: 'Look! I’m a Son of Abraham! I have the circumcision! I have the theology! I have the Ring!'He thought the Status...the label…was enough. He thought the paper proved who he was.

But Jesus tells him a story about a Priest who had the 'Ring'—he had the robes, the title, the position. But when the moment of truth came—the moment to actually live out that identity—he walked away. He had the Title, but he didn't have the Love.

And then Jesus tells him about a Samaritan. This man didn't have the Ring. He didn't have the Certificate. He didn't have the right Status. But he stopped. He served. He sacrificed. He didn't have the Title, but he did the Work.

And Jesus looks at this Lawyer and says: “Go and do likewise.”

Notice what Jesus doesn't do here. He doesn't give the Lawyer a checklist. He doesn't give him a new label to hide behind. He leaves the tension completely unresolved.

And I want to be honest with you: I am intentionally leaving that tension unresolved for us today, too.

Because we started this morning with a heavy question: 'How do I know who I am?'When the scripts conflict, when the labels fall away... how do you verify your identity?

It is so tempting to just point to our certificates.

We say, 'I am a generous person.' But if we look at the calendar and the bank account... does the verb match the noun?

We say, 'I am a forgiving person.' But are we actually doing the grueling work of releasing the debts of the people who hurt us?

We say, 'I am a follower of Jesus.' But does our reflex look like the Priest walking away, or the Samaritan crossing the street?

We say, 'I am a follower of Jesus.' But does our reflex look like the Priest walking away, or the Samaritan crossing the street?

And I have to confess to you, I do this too. It is so incredibly easy for me to let my titles do the heavy lifting for my identity. I put on the uniform of an Air Force officer, or I stand up here as a pastor, and those labels carry weight. They command a certain kind of respect. But if I'm honest, I can use those 'nouns' to hide from the messy 'verbs' of actually loving my neighbor. I can easily fall into the trap of thinking I need to project constant strength and always have the right answer, when the reality of following Jesus right now is requiring me to be slow to speak and simply sit with people in their pain. The temptation to hide in the fortress of a respected label is universal, and it is a battle I fight every single week.

Jesus is holding up a mirror today. And looking in that mirror is weighty. It is uncomfortable to realize how often we claim the inheritance of the Father, but refuse to do the work of the Father.

The Superman Bookend

And this is actually where the movie lands so beautifully. At the end of the film, Superman doesn't just punch the bad guy, strike a heroic pose, and declare that he has everything figured out.

He has this reflective moment where he essentially admits that being a hero—rejecting the 'Conqueror' script and choosing to actually be Human—isn't a one-time decision… and it’s not this easy or effortless reality.

He says it this way: “I’m as human as anyone. I love, I get scared, I wake up every morning and despite not knowing what to do I put one foot in front of the other and try to make the best choices I can. I screw up all the time, but that is what makes me human.”

I love that quote. It is so incredibly honest. The movie perfectly captures the reality of the human experience. It is a daily struggle. It is putting one foot in front of the other.

But if that is the end of the story—if all we have is our own effort to make the best choices, and our own strength to carry the weight of our screw-ups—we are eventually going to be crushed. The movie gives us a beautiful picture of the effort, but it leaves us to carry the burden alone.

And this is where the message of Jesus steps in to complete the picture.

The Gospel Reality & Application

Dallas Willard was right: 'Grace is not opposed to effort; it is opposed to earning.'

You see, the lawyer thought his effort was the currency he used to earn his label. He thought if he just checked the right boxes, his inheritance would be secure.

But the Gospel flips that completely upside down. The Gospel doesn't say, 'Jesus did the work for you, so now you don't have to.' The Gospel says, 'Jesus did the work for you, so now you can.'

Think about the man in the ditch in Jesus's story. He is beaten, broken, and completely incapable of saving himself. Friends, the central claim of the Christian story is that at our core, we are the ones in the ditch. We are the ones who couldn't keep the vows, who couldn't live up to the labels, who are broken by our own choices and the sheer weight of the world.

And Jesus didn't just shout instructions down to us from the safe side of the road. He became the ultimate Samaritan. He crossed the street. He allowed Himself to be crushed to pay your debt and bind your wounds.

But here is the critical piece the modern church often misses: Jesus doesn't heal you and pull you out of the ditch just so you can sit safely on the curb holding a new ticket called 'Forgiven.'

He heals you so you can get back on your feet and walk the road with Him.

His grace doesn't replace your effort; it is the engine that drives it. When you realize the lengths to which God went to rescue you—when you realize your status is secure not because of your flawless resume, but because of His radical love—it fundamentally changes your nature.

You no longer have to frantically love your neighbor to earn your spot in the kingdom. The anxiety of proving yourself is gone. Instead, you are finally free to love your neighbor because you are operating out of the love you have already received. We can cross the street for others because He first crossed the street for us.

Living out that identity? Actually keeping the vows? That still takes tremendous effort. It is a daily work in progress. You will wake up tomorrow morning, just like Superman, getting scared and not always knowing what to do. And you will have to choose, all over again, whether you are going to hide in the fortress of your labels, or step out onto the road.

I don't have an easy answer for you today. I just have the same invitation Jesus gave the Lawyer.

Look at your life. Look at the people in your path. You can hide behind the safety of your labels, or you can look at the One who crossed the street for you. Look at the true Samaritan, and go do likewise.

Let's pray.