A Matter of Perception or Reality?

Sometimes the gap between who we see as a hero and who we see as a villain can be very narrow. It can be a very fine line between a fall from grace or being exalted, or for one to switch places with another. 

In some cases once you reach hero status you are there forever, you become the thing of legends and go down in folklore. Parents tell their kids about you during bedtime stories, and others hang pictures of you on their walls. On the other hand if you are “villainized,” you are banished from communities and people burn effigies of you and cry out for your death. Your very image can make people sick to their stomachs, and they would rather let “Barabbas” go than have you freely walking the streets (Mark 15:11). 

Two movies come to mind when I think about heroes and villains.
 
From the movie 300, there is a dialogue between King Xerxes and King Leonidas just before they go to war with each other, and these two lines stand out:

King Xerxes: “Imagine what horrible fate awaits my enemies when I would gladly kill any of my own men for victory.”
King Leonidas: “And I would die for any one of mine."

One king will do anything for his own gain including killing all his men, the other willing to lay his own life down to save all of his.
 
Or possibly one of my favorite scenes in any movie is from Schindler’s List. Oskar Schindler had spent much of the Second World War trying to save Jews from death camps by employing them in his business ventures. Schindler saved thousands of Jewish lives, and generations live on today because of his exploits. As the war was entering its closing scene, he found himself surrounded by Jewish people gathered to thank him. But all he could think about was how many more Jews he could have saved by selling his car or his wedding ring.
 
We all have our own favorite heroes and villains. Who they are is a matter of perception and reality. It is so hard now to reach a common ground on many issues because of the blurring of truth globally. Biblical truth has been replaced with compromise or any comfortable concept that will please the majority. The plumb line has well and truly been ignored. 

We live in an age when it is hard to know what is truly good and what is evil. People cry out for human “rights” such as the right to kill living human beings in the womb. There seems nothing heroic in that, and yet to others it is heroic. When being able to kill another life legally in abortion is seen as good for mankind, something has gone terribly wrong. Many seem to think that being concerned with saving whales, trees, cats, and dogs is really crucial, and children are not really as important. How out of balance do things have to get before Christians will stand up and speak for TRUTH? For them to rise up and be the heroes in these situations? Christians are tempted to put aside biblical truth and act on their own desires. Whatever the reasons, this is not the kind of heroism that Christ would stand for or condone. 

We live in a generation of truth relativity, where there is not one truth but many. Whatever truth fits into your situation is okay, yet this is not what a hero is. Heroes of the faith throughout history have stood strong and firm on their core beliefs, even if it has cost them their reputations and even their lives. It can be very confusing as to who is a hero and a villain. For Christ, it is clear – those who are saved, standing strong in His word, persevering in this life through the highs and lows, and being faithful to His calling. The heroes of the faith are those who consider themselves dead once they accepted Christ, knowing He is the life within them (2 Corinthians 4:8-12), and with His Lordship reigning, and not the things of this earth and all its seductive and destructive desires. 

It is interesting that throughout history Jesus was, and is still, seen by some as a hero and by others as a villain. To some He was a hero, someone we now follow and tell stories of His greatness and majesty, from generation to generation. To others He was a work of fiction, a man people hated and wanted to kill and did kill. He is the ultimate Hero and Villain in the eyes of humanity. In the eyes of heaven – the unequalled Hero. To believers, He is the Hero, the one that will bring them through this life and into eternal glory. To many who are not saved and to Satan and his satanic horde, He truly is a villain, or someone to fear meeting at the end of this age, when they will bow before Him as King of Kings, Lord of Lords, Hero of Heroes. 

Although perceived as hero and villain, He is always abounding in love and goodness, crying out for those who are lost to Him. It is the sin He hates, and that is why He is what He is. A hero to those in the light, and a villain to those still living in darkness. 

We must search our hearts and minds and make sure the only One dwelling there is Christ and Christ alone. There is only room for ONE HERO in there, as the saying goes, “There’s only room in this town for one of us.” Jesus loves people, He just hates the sin and the sinful things that harm us, but He died to offer us a way to the Father and eternal life in glory. What other Hero can do that for us? What government system or education can bring us eternal life? 

He is my Hero and my Savior. That is why I will stand for biblical truth and heroes – in a world where truth seems to be disappearing and is being replaced with acceptance of everything that will elevate man. If we stand for Him, He will stand for us (Matthew 10:32), our hero will see us as heroes, too. What more is there for us to REALLY want in this life? To be exalted and praised by man? Pick your heroes carefully, and follow those that can say like Paul, “Follow my example, as I follow the example of Christ” (1 Corinthians 11:1). 

To emulate others is okay, as long as it is Christ we are ultimately copying. Heroes reflect their beliefs and convictions, but do their beliefs and convictions lead them to Jesus and throw the spotlight onto Him? Will our perception and views of reality, of heroes and villains, lead us to become more like Jesus? Do we live our lives looking at the heroes of this life or the reality of heroes of eternity? Choose well, live unashamed, and move with purpose – your Hero is worth it.