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.

Suffering from Excessive Adoration

Suggested Reading: Proverbs 27:17-21

In Spider-Man 3, starring Toby Maguire, Spider-Man finds himself in an unusual place for a movie screen superhero: everything is going really well for him. New York has come to love him and, as Peter Parker, he is considering proposing to the love of his life. They are happy in love and life is wonderful. But that is when and why things begin to unravel. Everything is going so well for Peter, and he is so enthralled with the fact that people love him as Spider-Man, that he lets it go to his head. He misses signs that his girlfriend is going through a difficult set of circumstances. Thinking only of how much more people will love him, he allows an attractive young woman to kiss his masked alter ego right in front of his girlfriend. People love his work as Spider-Man so much that he begins to think he is great at everything else too. But the whole time, he is messing up his life and is incapable of seeing it because the praise for Spider-Man has blinded him.

The author of the book of Proverbs knew well the risk that comes with praise and he labeled praise a place of testing and purification. Proverbs 27:21 reads, "A crucible for silver, and a smelter for gold, and a man for the words of his praise" (HCSB). One of the toughest tests for a person to face is learning how to respond to praise. Sometimes praise is something that motivates us to keep going. But sometimes we allow praise to define who we are. We can begin to define ourselves by whether or not people praise us. We can become addicted to the praise we receive and begin actively doing things which will draw us praise. We can become accustomed to praise and grow angry if we don't receive it or even begin to believe it and start thinking of ourselves as better than other people.

Tough times can test your will. Good times test your character. Do you have an issue with pride? Do you forget to rely on God when you seem to have things handled? Do you let praise go to your head or do you remember that the only praise that matters comes from your Heavenly Father. Peter Parker had to learn the hard way not to believe his own hype. How will you fare when you face the test of praise?