DAILY DOSE OF HOPE – BLOG – NAIMA LETT
WHY WE LOVE AVENGERS
We saw Marvel’s “The Avengers” yesterday. In case you haven’t heard, over the weekend, this blockbuster smashed the biggest movie opening weekend record with a $200.3 million domestic debut and $441.5 million worldwide (Article: Avengers Smashes Record).
Distributed by Disney, The Avengers sped past last year’s $169.2 million opening weekend record set by the Harry Potter finale, and took in over $1/2 billion worldwide ($641.8 million) in just 12 days.
So, either the world loves comic book heroes.
Or the world loves avenging.
Or both.
1/2 billion anything is a lot of love.
Our fam in Hollywood are scrambling to assess the data!
* 50% of the audience were over 25. So this wasn’t just for teen boys.
* 40% of the audience were women. Amazing for a superhero movie.
* Anticipation was built over 6 years, beginning with marketing for the first Iron Man movie released in 2008, followed by The Incredible Hulk, Iron Man 2, Thor and Captain America.
* Producing the film for 3D and IMAX allowed Disney to make up to $20 per ticket in comparison to regular movie rates of $7-$13.
On and on. But after all the assessments are done, the truth will still stand that people love this movie. In fact, it’s been proven time and time again that people love films where good trumps evil, especially when they take place with other-worldly type characters. The Box Office Mojo list of the Top 25 biggest opening weekends are all “good conquers bad” blockbusters: Avengers, Batman, Spiderman, Harry Potter, Twilight, Hunger Games, Star Wars.
We love ‘good gets bad’ on TV too. Nielsen reports that a month ago, the top watched network television shows (after reality singing contests American Idol and The Voice) were NCIS, CSI, Criminal Minds and NCIS: Los Angeles. Not only did that make CBS extremely happy, but it proves that folks love shows where there is justice. At the end, the villain who is doing bad things is stopped by the team of unlikely, likable heroes who risk their lives for others.
We love it when wrong is avenged.
We love avengers.
Did you know God’s people had avengers back in the day?
NUMBERS 35: 16-34 talks about them.
16 “‘If anyone strikes someone a fatal blow with an iron object, that person is a murderer; the murderer is to be put to death…19 The avenger of blood shall put the murderer to death… 20 If anyone with malice aforethought shoves another or throws something at them intentionally so that they die 21 …that person is to be put to death; that person is a murderer. The avenger of blood shall put the murderer to death when they meet. 22 “‘But if without enmity someone suddenly pushes another or throws something at them unintentionally 23 … and they die, then since that other person was not an enemy and no harm was intended, 24 the assembly must judge between the accused and the avenger of blood… 25 The assembly must protect the one accused of murder from the avenger of blood and send the accused back to the city of refuge to which they fled…
OLD SCHOOL AVENGERS
Basically, according to the Law, the lives of murdered victims were avenged by the avenger of blood, who put the murderers to death. Classic eye for an eye, tooth for a tooth, life for life. (Leviticus 24: 19-21)
The only way to get away from the avenger of blood was if you had accidentally killed someone and subsequently ran to the city of refuge for those who made such mistakes.
The law was set up to deter people from killing each other. If we knew the consequence to taking a life was losing our own life, that was supposed to make us think twice about taking another life.
NEW SCHOOL AVENGERS
Our own US justice system is set up in the same way. The law and penalties for breaking the law are supposed to deter us from harming each other. How’s that working out?
The problem is that the law cannot stop us from sinning. It can only make us aware of our sin. We have an innate inclination toward doing the wrong thing. We like to believe that we are naturally good people; but if we were completely honest with ourselves, we’d have to admit that we aren’t naturally good, at least compared to a holy, perfect, sinless God. Left to our own devises, we screw up. We sin. We hurt each other, a lot.
And deep down, when we mess up royally, we sense that we deserve consequences from an avenger. We, who love ‘good conquers evil’ films and television, understand that when we have done evil, we deserve to be set right by good. We understand eye for an eye, tooth for a tooth, life for a life.
AVENGERS FLIPPED
What we don’t quite understand is forgiveness; yet we all crave it when we have done wrong. We want our sin to be excused. As Black Widow said in The Avengers, “I have red on my ledger”. We want that red from our past discretion to be wiped clean.
What a relief for us that we have access to that clean slate because we can seek forgiveness in the Ultimate Hero of all Heroes, the real God of the Universe. Thank God that His perfect, sinless Son, Jesus, agreed to stand in our sinful stead and offer His life as an atonement for us. He took on all the red on our ledgers because we could not clear it ourselves.
Where things get flipped upside down is when Jesus starts saying things like Matthew 5:38-48:
38 “You have heard that it was said, ‘Eye for eye, and tooth for tooth.’ 39 But I tell you, do not resist an evil person. If anyone slaps you on the right cheek, turn to them the other cheek also… 43 “You have heard that it was said, ‘Love your neighbor and hate your enemy.’ 44 But I tell you, love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, 45 that you may be children of your Father in heaven. He causes his sun to rise on the evil and the good, and sends rain on the righteous and the unrighteous.
Let me just say the obvious: this is hard.
It goes against everything in us to turn the other cheek, to love our enemies. But how can we ask for forgiveness and not be willing to forgive? Even if we are willing, it’s still hard to actually do it.
I’m convinced that the only way we cannot seek vengeance when we have been wronged is to have faith in the true avenger.
THE TRUE AVENGER
We love the avengers because they avenge, set things right and get the bad guys. They all represent the One True Avenger who, when it’s all said and done, will set things right and get The Bad Guy.
The only way we can release our own need for vengeance is to take God at His word that He is the True Avenger: “Vengeance is Mine, I will repay,” says the Lord. (Romans 12: 18-21) When it’s all said and done, the Lord sees all and knows all and no bad guy will ever get away.
When we believe that God will right our wrongs, then we can do our best, in His power, to forgive those who wrong us.
ENJOY
But let’s be honest. The Avengers would never have made $200 million if the Hulk turns the other cheek! We go to see the Hulk S-M-A-S-H! Nobody wants to see Iron Man love aliens invading our planet. Fry them with lasers, Robert Downey Jr.! We want Captain America, Hawkeye, Black Widow and Thor to take Thor’s brother Loki out! Take the murderer down!
It’s a movie. Go. Enjoy!
Revel in the special effects and 3D stuff flying at the screen.
Sympathize with Sam Jackson’s Nick Fury trying to get this rag tag band of misfits to work together. Get lost in the other world where aliens invade New York City and we have to fight for our freedom. It’s America. We have to save New York.
And after the credits have rolled, and you want to stay to the end, whisper a ‘thank you’ that the True Avenger loved us so much that He gave us a way to escape His vengeance.
Eternally grateful,
Naima