The Ethics of Batman Begins

Suggested Reading: Mark 2:23-3:6

The movie Batman Begins relaunched the adventures of the Dark Knight in a much more compelling fashion than the Batman movies of the previous decade. At one point in the movie, a young Bruce Wayne has missed his chance for revenge against his parents' murderer. A childhood friend, who is also Batman's love interest, shows him a place where everyone knows the city's biggest crime boss hangs out but adds that no one will touch him. She makes this statement (paraphrased), "All it takes for evil to win is for the good people to do nothing."

In Mark chapter three, Jesus finds himself in a setup by the Pharisees. A man with a withered hand is in the synagogue while Jesus is teaching. Jesus had already taught that human life was more important than religious regulation, including the observance of the Sabbath, and now the Pharisees were watching how Jesus would respond to this man's presence. Would Jesus really break the Sabbath in order to heal someone? But Jesus turned the test around on the Pharisees by asking them a question: "Is it lawful on the Sabbath to do good or to do harm? To save a soul or to destroy it?" (Mark 3:4, HCSB). By asking this question, Jesus reminded the Pharisees of their own traditions and interpretations of the law which equated the refusal to do good with doing evil.

We often hear people make the statement, "I'm not that bad," and we agree with them because they don't kill or steal or cheat people. But we cannot judge ourselves by the evil things we avoid doing. Jesus basically said that to choose not to do good when we have the ability to do good is evil. The book of James actually spells it out for us. "So it is a sin for the person who knows to do what is good and doesn’t do it" (James 4:17, HCSB).

We cannot judge ourselves solely by the evil things we don't do. We must also judge ourselves by the number of chances we have to do good and how often we actually take those chances. How often do we see someone stranded on the side of the road and choose to ignore them? How often do we see someone in need and choose not to share what we have? How often do we see the defenseless attacked and do nothing to defend them? How often do we fail to pass on the vital lessons of the faith because we're too tired to bother?

As followers of Christ, it is never enough that we simply avoid committing evil acts. We must never refuse to do the good we are capable of doing. Choosing not to act when we are capable of doing good, Jesus argued, was the same thing as doing evil.

I'm Not Evil, I'm Just Not a Hero

Suggested Reading: Mark 3:1-6

One of the most iconic scenes in comic book history has been played out a dozen different ways, both on the page and on the big screen. Peter Parker, with newly developed spidery super powers finds himself watching a crime in progress. He has the power to stop it. But the person being robbed has ticked him off and has it coming. So, Peter Parker allows the robbery to occur and let's the criminal escape. A little while later, Peter discovers that the man he let get away has killed his uncle Peter. The discovery is tragic and it turns Peter Parker into Spider-Man. The scene is classic, however it plays out, because we have all been tempted at times - not to hurt someone - but to simply not help them. We've all known someone we thought deserved something bad to happen to them and been tempted to let it happen.

Sometimes, we convince ourselves that there is a difference between hurting someone and letting them be hurt, that as long as we are not the ones inflicting pain that we have escaped blame. But Scripture teaches us something very different. In Mark chapter 3, the Pharisees wanted to trap Jesus, to tempt him into breaking the Sabbath so they could discredit him. As such, they watched very closely when Jesus came into contact with a man in need of healing. Jesus, knowing their intentions, said to them, “Is it lawful on the Sabbath to do what is good or to do what is evil, to save life or to kill?” But they were silent (Mark 3:4, HCSB). Jesus didn't simply ask if it was acceptable to do good on the Sabbath, but made them choose between doing good and evil. As far as Jesus was concerned, having the ability to do good and withholding it was evil. James echoed this sentiment in James 4:17, saying, Remember, it is sin to know what you ought to do and then not do it (NLT).

As followers of Christ, we do not have the option of choosing not to help when it is within our power.  We do not have the option of allowing someone to be hurt simply because we think they deserve it. If we have the ability and opportunity to do good, to make a positive difference in someone's life and we choose not to do so, we have chosen to do evil.

The good news is that, like Peter Parker, we can use those failures from the past as lessons and motivation for the future. We serve a merciful and forgiving God who doesn't immediately reject us because we have failed Him. Let us seek God's forgiveness for our failures to do good, and let us move forward. From here on out, let us never skip an opportunity to do good when we have the power and opportunity to do so.