Hero or Herod? 🎄 🦸‍♂️ 🦹‍♂️ ✝️ 🙏🏼

In the movie Spider Man 2 Aunt May told Peter Parker “I believe there’s a hero in all of us.” That’s an encouraging sentiment! Not encouraging at all is the reality that there’s a little bit of HEROD in all of us.

Do you remember Herod from the Christmas story? He was the brilliant, but also evil, narcissistic, murdering king who tried to trick the Wise Men and wanted to kill Jesus (Matthew 2). You and I wont do anything to that level, but probably more like Herod than we’d like to admit. We’re acting in keeping with Herod’s character when we trust our plan over God’s, when we hurt others to make things go our way, when we live paranoid fear, when we care to much about what people think, when we worry, when don’t use our gifts for the glory of God. These are all signs and symptoms of a Herod-like spirit in all of us.

Aunt May was explaining to Peter Parker about our need for heroes. She said:

“Lord knows kids…need a hero. Courageous, self-sacrificing…Setting examples for all of us. Everybody loves a hero. People line up for them, cheer them, scream their names. And years later, they’ll tell…of the one who taught them how to hold on a second longer. I believe there’s a hero in all of us, that keeps us honest, gives us strength, makes us noble, and finally allows us to die with pride…”

I’m not convinced that there’s a hero in all of us. But I am fully convinced that there can be. Jesus Christ is the real and ultimate hero. He’s courageous, self-sacrificing, and brings salvation. People still gather to praise his name. He’s taught us how to hold on a second longer. He can make us strive for honesty, give us strength, make us noble, and allow us to one day die with confidence and honor, knowing we are going to Heaven. Jesus is the real hero. And if we’ll put our faith in Him His spirit will live in us—a HERO in all of us that we can pattern our life after. But if we choose to go our own way, we’ll live more like Herod than a Hero.

You know, the name Herod means “hero’s song” but he was no hero at all. He was coward of the highest order. Who are you and I becoming more like? Our self-sacrificing, loving hero Jesus? Or the selfish coward Herod?