I didn't really watch "superhero" movies until I started dating my wife. It just wasn't "cool enough." But I was allured to Thor. We went to see his movie back in 2012 (I think that's the year at least). The God of Thunder! Jock superhero with muscles? I'm in. Of course over the past decade (or so) the Marvel universe has become acceptable for the average Joe to watch. I never got some deep into it to understand some of the inside jokes but was devastated when Thanos seemed to win at the end of Infinity War (Spoiler Alert?). Wait, that can't be the end!
Captain America is cool and I like Spiderman too but the gateway superhero of Thor remains my favorite. I am captivated by the central question of the character: "Who is worthy to life the hammer?" This question blows my mind because its never been about the hammer. It's about what makes Thor worthy. Thor is a god. Demi-god I guess. But divine. Holy. Worth worshipping. He didn't get bite my a spider or just have a lot of money to build technology, he was worthy from birth.
But Dad challenges him. Sends him to earth. Prove you are worthy. The struggle. I can't help but see Jesus. Brought to earth and emptied himself of his divinity. Yes. Still God but Philippians 2 says he humbled himself by becoming man. Jesus was tempted by the devil. But he overcame. He showed that he is worthy. He always was.
So is Thor worthy? That's for you to determine. Stan Lee says "Yes!"
This newest Thor movie we are introduced to Gorr, the God Butcher. Which, by the way, is the most badass supervillain name. He doesn't like gods. He doesn't feel they are worthy to be worshipped. He sees them only concerned with Heavenly affairs and not with humankind. And so he goes around and he murders theses gods. And you know what? I think we could learn something from this Butcher of gods.
Some gods are not worthy of our worship and worth crucifying. If our god looks more like a politician than a refugee, he is not worthy of our affection. If our god looks Uncle Sam and not loving our neighbor, he is not worthy of our affection. If our god looks like you or me, he NEEDS to be crucify. Take him to the chopping block, now. Power, sex, drugs, money, and nationalism are all false gods that we need Gorr to come in and Butcher them like there is no tomorrow.
There is one God than is worthy of our affection. He loved the world so much he became human. He fought injustice from the ground floor. He challenged their oppression systems and they killed him. They even mocked him, saying, "Here is the King of the Jews." When we crucified our deity he will either lay dead in the ground OR he will rise again. And he did. He said hate will not have the last day. But neither will all the injustice of their day or our day.
Yet we continue to run to the golden calf of the day. We would never say, "this is my god" but when they are killed we mourn. So let them die. Let them go. Let Gorr kill them. And let him try your version of Jesus. Because some versions of Jesus needs to die. Blue Eyed, White Skin Republican Jesus, needs to die. The word deconstruction is the buzz word of our subculture right now. So I won't use it. I will use a more powerful phrase, "Death & Resurrection."
Jesus said it this way, "If anyone desires to come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow me. For whoever desires to save his life will lose it, and whoever loses his life for my sake will find it."- Matthew 16
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