Monday, June 7, 2010

Chosen

Green Lantern is different from other superheroes because he wasn't born with superpowers or aspired to become a hero--he was chosen.

Kal-El (a.k.a. Clark Kent, Superman) was born on the planet Krypton shortly before it was to explode, so his parents Jor-El and Lara sent him to Earth where they knew he would have special abilities because of the yellow sun, Sol. They wanted him to be a hero on Earth and carry on their legacy. Because of his powers he knew what he was meant to do. He could be compared to Moses or Elisha, or even as a type of Christ.

Bruce Wayne (a.k.a. Batman) saw his parents killed right before his eyes when he was a young boy, so he devoted himself to bringing justice to Gotham City. He worked hard to make himself a superhero, and he might be compared to a scribe or Pharisee.

Hal Jordan was a test pilot, which was a pretty cool job, but he had no aspirations to be like those "capes." It was the Green Lantern ring that chose him and gave him the power to be a superhero. Now this is just an analogy, so don't take it too seriously, but those of us who have accepted Jesus Christ as our Savior were also chosen in God's eternal plan and foreknowledge to live for Him, and we have the Holy Spirit to empower us to carry out God's will for us.

"They stumble because they do not obey God’s word, and so they meet the fate that was planned for them. But you are not like that, for you are a chosen people. You are royal priests, a holy nation, God’s very own possession. As a result, you can show others the goodness of God, for he called you out of the darkness into his wonderful light." (1 Peter 2:8b-9 NLT)