I don't know about you but I like Superheroes. When X-men came to the theater, I was there. Same deal with Spider-Man and Daredevil and it will be the same with the Hulk, Iron Man, X-2, the X-Men sequel, and the Spider-Man Sequel. I always love it when Smallville comes on. I love that night of the week and I never miss an episode.

Last night I was watching the special on CBS of "Return to the Batcave." It was with the old Batman and Robin who were played by Adam West and Burt Ward coming to town. Meanwhile, they had some newer people on hand who were playing a new Batman and Robin in the same costumes and filming as corny as ever and showing how corny it was.

The discussion on the show partly was the personal lives of Batman and Robin in the old series. You didn't hear much talk about it and I didn't care for the interpretation in the special but it did bring home a point I'd been thinking about. We've been wanting to make Superheroes a little less super. We've been seeking a way we can relate to them.

This is why when we see Spider-Man we see the internal struggles he faces as he tries to date MJ and seeing how he wants to help but he hates to see the people he loves always being hurt. He wants to reach out to them but can't. If you remember how the movie ended, you know this is so.

When we see X-Men, we see Rogue trying to fit in with the world around. Professor X emphasizes that the school is a place where she will be accepted as a "mutant" The start of the movie is about how mutants aren't accepted by society and the whole of the movie is really about people who are different trying to fit in.

When we see Smallville, we see Clark Kent trying to live like a normal teenager which is a reason I think I and many other young people resonate with the series. Clark Kent is someone like us. He wants to be liked at school. He wants to be accepted by the girl he loves. He wants to be accepted and be able to be open. He hates hiding a secret. Most of all, he wants to make a difference.

Nietzche spoke about a Superman. This Superman wasn't someone we could live with though. The Superman of Nietzche cared not for his emotions and one of Nietzche's relatives told Hitler that she believed he was the best embodiment of Nietzche's Superman.

In this also comes the song from "Five for Fighting" called "Superman." Superman is made far more human than he has ever been before. We can't relate to a Superman who is super in all ways but is human in none. Superman can't be someone totally beyond us to reach us. He needs to be someone like us.

Enter into this the biblical story. When we turn to Hebrews we find over and over that the writer is wanting to show how unique Christ is but yet, in showing how unique he is, he shows how human Christ was as well. As I read through chapters 2-4 last night I saw several instances of this I'd never considered before.

Hebrews 2:9-But we see Jesus, who was made a little lower than the angels, now crowned with glory and honor because he suffered death, so that by the grace of God he might taste death for everyone.

It is amazing that Christ became a little lower than the angels. What is a little lower than the angels but man? That Christ had to become a man is all throughout the Bible.

Hebrews 2:11Both the one who makes men holy and those who are made holy are of the same family. So Jesus is not ashamed to call them brothers. 12He says,

   "I will declare your name to my brothers;

       in the presence of the congregation I will sing your praises."

In this passage, ,we see that the one who makes us holy and those who are made holy are of the same family. Jesus became man so he could make man holy. So much so that we are now called brothers. In fact, Jesus is not ashamed to call us his brothers.

Hebrews 2:17-For this reason he had to be made like his brothers in every way, in order that he might become a merciful and faithful high priest in service to God, and that he might make atonement for the sins of the people. 18 Because he himself suffered when he was tempted, he is able to help those who are being tempted.

Again, the point is emphasized. Jesus had to become a man. Why? So he could help us in our time of need. He came to save Abraham's Descendants who were men. He became like his brothers in every way. The only difference was that which is emphasized in the next and last verse I will present, one most of us know.

Hebrews 4:15-For we do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but we have one who has been tempted in every way, just as we are--yet was without sin.

Jesus became like us except for one thing! Jesus never sinned! Jesus lived the sinless life we never could! Like the superheroes in the comics and the movies, Jesus defeated the villains that we could never defeat. He defeated death, Satan, and sin.

Isn't this a relief? Don't we need a superhero we can relate to? While we cannot subtract from his deity, we can never forget his humanity. The superhero stories are now capturing what the gospel has always said. God became a man and saved us from the enemies we cannot defeat.

Remy Zero plays the theme song to Smallville called "Save Me." I invite people to listen to it sometime. I have the song and I love it. The good news though is that the cry of Remy Zero has been answered. It hasn't been answered in Superman but it has been answered in the super man, the man Christ Jesus.

Could we get a better "Superhero" than that?