Suffering Heroes vs. The Man of Sorrows

I have noticed a trend in modern culture. We like our heroes to suffer and experience pain. Unfortunately, we also like them fallible. The most popular in the last few years, Frodo Baggins, Anakin Skywalker, Harry Potter all fail in critical areas. Yet many still admire them, even among Christians. How long will we forget that we have the ultimate suffering hero in Jesus, the Man of Sorrows?

Jesus was God who choose to be born as a baby in a stable. He suffered poverty, rejection, and finally a cruel death. But these were nothing compared with the weight of all our sins which made him feel forsaken by his Father. Jesus never failed in love, always spoke against injustice, he never faltered though he was "in all points tempted as we are". No fable has ever dared to go so far as to have God chose to suffer at the hands of men. Only the truth of Christianity would be so bold.

Do I enjoy other heroes more because I have come to feel that he does not really understand me, that he is not really one of us? May I banish that foolish notion! Jesus came to earth to show me that he does understand, that he does care, so that he could be one of us. I do have the ultimate hero. If I really worship him, I will talk of him as others do of their heroes. Let us truly rejoice in this season of remembering our Hero.

Merry Christmas,
Verity