The World is Calling

Like most boys growing up, Superman was one of my favorite superheroes. I saw the movies with Christopher Reeves. when they came out and was a definite fan. I even watched reruns of the original TV show. Of course, I had to catch Justice League cartoons on Saturdays.

It's no surprise that I have seen the more modern version “Superman Returns.” I was reminded of something from the movie recently. Without reviewing the movie or really making any comment on the movie itself, I want to focus on a line that caught my attention.

Superman meets up with Lois Lane on the roof of the Daily Planet. He had been gone for 5 years exploring space trying to find remnants of his home planet Krypton. During his absence, Lois wrote an article entitled “Why the World Doesn’t Need Superman” for which she received a pulitzer prize. After an awkward exchange, Superman invites Lois to go with him so he can show her something. In the conversation, she makes the comment, “The world doesn’t need a savior...”

As they fly high above overlooking not just the city, but most of the Eastern Seaboard, Superman stops and asks Lois what she hears. Her answer is nothing. He replies, (I may be slightly paraphrasing as I did not write down word for word what he said) “I hear everything. The cries, the terror, the violence. You say the world doesn’t need a savior, then why do I hear them calling for one?”

In the midst of writing a Hollywood film, the writers of this movie got something profoundly right. There are many in society today that would espouse the idea that the world doesn’t need a savior. Everywhere we turn, the voices are clamoring that human ingenuity, intelligence, science, entertainment, success, achievement, or any number of other things will solve our problems. The political parties are constantly blaming the other for the woes of the world and desperately hoping we will believe they have the answers. Many are saying, no, many are screaming that the world doesn’t need a savior. Like a child throwing a temper tantrum that they don’t need their parents, stomping their feet, and slamming their door, there are those that want us to believe we can do this on our own.

Calmly, quietly, Jesus asks us what we hear and what we see. Then He reminds us that He sees and hears it all. He lets us know the world is calling out for a savior. If we will just listen and if we will open our eyes and look, we, too, will see the fields are white unto harvest. The world is calling and He is trying to answer and show up, but He has to wait on us to go and pray that God will raise up laborers for the harvest and then be willing to go ourselves.

While Superman can fly fast and get around quickly, almost seeming to be everywhere, he can be only one place at a time. Superman cannot save a soul. Most importantly, Superman does not exist.

Jesus, however, is everywhere and He is right here all at once. Jesus died to bring true salvation, eternal salvation for all. Jesus is real.

The world is calling. The world needs a savior. It is our privilege to introduce the world to Him.