Whose Side Are You On?

One interesting aspect of Australian culture, especially when it comes to sports enthusiasts, is liking one sport means you don't like another.  This applies to similar sports or different forms of the same sport.  If someone is a massive AFL (Australian rules football) supporter, I have not found a person as equally enthralled with NRL (Rugby league).  People who are gridiron (NFL, American football) supporters look at Australian Rules Football with confused smirks, and rugby purists hate how slow gridiron is:  "The game that always stops."  It is the same with cricket.  In Australia there are three common forms of cricket, and those old-school sorts don't consider anything other than "Test Cricket" real cricket at all.  Then there are those who like T-20 cricket and despise the boring pace, unable to see anything thrilling or remotely interesting in those drawn-out tests.

This mentality is not limited to sports, politics, or religion.  It spills into pop culture with the ever-rising current of modern superhero films.  It is the age-old question among youth and old comic collectors:  DC or Marvel?  A DC film which pits Superman against Batman has fans debating without end about who would win in a "real fight."  Yesterday I saw a shirt worn by a young man which placed comic superheros against popular Anime characters which read, "Which side are you on?"  This same slogan has been used extensively in promoting the recent popular Marvel release, "Civil War."  The statement infers one cannot remain neutral but must choose a side.  And what would be the motive for choosing one side over the other?  Perhaps the side which stands for doing what is right.  More likely it is the side which is seen as stronger and will win.

In the ancient world, the mythological "gods" were similar to modern superheros, in that they had a backstory and a particular area of power or expertise.  Zeus as lord of the sky and rain would fire his thunderbolts, Aphrodite was the goddess of love and fertility, Dionysus was the god of the harvest and wine, and Hades was the god of the underworld.  Those these mythical beings were gods, there was a limit to their power and varied versions were adopted by different cultures.  In cultures rife with idolatry, the more gods the better.  The gods through sacrifice or ritual worship could be placated or their power sought for personal gain.  But like Superman or Spiderman, for the most part they had strengths, weaknesses, and at least one nemesis.  Every Superman has his kryptonite and nemesis Lex Luthor.  Without a genuine weakness the human connection is lost.  Immortality makes the fight pointless.

The interesting thing is the Almighty God of the Jews is different than any mythological figure.  He is not like a man with weaknesses or a limit to His power:  He is supreme in authority and power, over and above all.  He has no nemesis, no one who can muster any real challenge to His rule.  All the mythological ancient Gods and all the heroes in the DC, Marvel, and Anime universes cannot mount the smallest attack upon Him.  After God spoke the universe, stars, and our planet into existence, He created man and caused all manner of life to flourish and grow upon the earth.  How would the almighty I AM reveal Himself to men upon the earth?  As a giant of a man, armoured or wearing a flowing cape, slowly descending to the earth and demanding worship?  No:  God came to earth as was supposed the son of a humble carpenter and seemed ordinary in every way.  He retained all power, but instead of using force He preached of the kingdom of God, healed the sick, stilled storms, opened the eyes of the blind, and raised the dead.  When people sought to kill Him he passed through the midst, untouchable and unruffled.  Yet when His time came, He laid down His life on Calvary as an innocent sacrifice for sin.  Jesus became weak and went to the grave so He might rise again the third day in everlasting glory, proving He is the Christ, the Son of the Living God.

The question "Whose side are you on?" is a fitting one when speaking of God.  Every other god, deity, hero, and common man stands opposite and below Him.  If you will be on the side of the Almighty God, then He will be on your side.  If you place your trust or allegiance in anyone else but Him, you take the side against Him.  Debating the hypothetical strength or powers of superheroes is one thing, but God is interested in your allegiance to Him actually affecting the desires and affections of your heart.  It is a decision only you can make, and the life you live will display your decision.  Joshua urged the people of Israel in Joshua 24:14-15, "Now therefore, fear the LORD, serve Him in sincerity and in truth, and put away the gods which your fathers served on the other side of the River and in Egypt. Serve the LORD! ¹⁵ And if it seems evil to you to serve the LORD, choose for yourselves this day whom you will serve, whether the gods which your fathers served that were on the other side of the River, or the gods of the Amorites, in whose land you dwell. But as for me and my house, we will serve the LORD."  The strongest demons and forces of the universe are like empty mythological tales compared to the actual power and love of God.  He kills and makes alive.  As for me, He is my God.  He is immortal, eternal, all-powerful, all-knowing, and has absolute control over all.  Rack you brains how to defeat Him if you like, but the fantasy will never be satisfied logically or practically.  The only way to find satisfaction is to choose to deny self and your own ideas and to follow Jesus Christ, loving Him, and obeying Him.  In Him is truth, righteousness, and victory.