What is a Hero?

F. Scott Fitzgerald said, “Show me a hero and I will write you a tragedy.” (“The Note-Books,” The Crack-Up, 1945).

In mythology a hero is usually a male of great strength and courage, favored by the gods, partly descended from them, often regarded as part god himself, and is worshiped after his death. Other ideas:

• A hero is any person, especially a male, who is admired for his courage, nobility, or exploits, especially in war;
• A hero is any person, especially a male, who is admired for his qualities or achievements and who is regarded as an ideal or a model for others to follow;
• A hero is the central figure in any event or period who is honored for his outstanding qualities.

No matter which definition you use, Jesus is clearly a hero. He became a man, demonstrated great strength and courage, and was passionately loved by the Father God from whom he had descended. He is revealed to be deity in human form and was worshiped during his lifetime as well as now.

His greatest achievement is his military victory over the forces of evil. He stormed the gates of Hell, threw down the strong man, and set the captives free. May he be forever praised!

What a tragedy that he was rejected and destroyed by his own creation. “He was in the world, and though the world was made through him, the world did not recognize him.” (John 1:10, NIV).

What a tragedy that, although he died for every human being that has ever lived or will ever live, very few see him as an ideal. And even fewer choose to model their lives after him.

What a tragedy so few choose to obey him and follow him. What a tragedy so many are still held captive by a world already destroyed.

 

Who or What Killed Jesus?

The Anti-Defamation League (ADL), founded in 1913, is the world’s leading organization fighting anti-Semitism through programs and services that counteract hatred, prejudice and bigotry. According to the ADL, throughout history dramatizations of the passion of Jesus Christ have provoked violence against Jewish people as being “Christ killers.” It came as no surprise then that the ADL was seriously concerned immediately prior to the release of Mel Gibson’s film, The Passion of the Christ.

The ADL was concerned that people viewing the film woukd leave the theater with highly stimulated emotions. That raw emotion can become the breeding ground for the rationalized hatred of or violence against Jewish people. We cannot dismiss these concerns as irrational. They are very much grounded in reality and in history. ADL representatives made it clear that these potential consequences could become reality even though completely unintended by the filmmaker.

Of course it is true that some Jews killed Jesus—2,000 years ago. But so did some Romans. To accuse all the Jews of that generation (or all the Romans) of being responsible for the death of Jesus is preposterous. And in order to hold anyone (Jew, Greek, or other) not living during that generation responsible for the death of Jesus we must move out of the realm of history and into the field of theology.

The theological truth is that we are all responsible for the death of Jesus. He took upon Himself the sins of all human beings—that includes you and it includes me. A related truth is that the evil powers and principalities at work in the spiritual realm also played a role in the death of Jesus.

Therefore, assigning blame for the death of Jesus on one particular race of human beings is an error of the gravest magnitude. Using His crucifixion as a justification for hatred and violence against anyone is in complete violation of what His death means and is as sinful as any human behavior can get.