If you listen carefully, you’ll hear the whisper of God coming through the stories that his children are writing. This is because Jesus still loves to speak through stories, just as he did 2000 years ago when he walked the streets and fields of Israel.
Today, one of the biggest stories being told is through the “Marvel Universe,” which is a cinematic phenomenon bringing together an assortment of superheroes from the Marvel Comics series. All the tales of these individual superheroes culminated into one massive film last year: The Avengers: Infinity War. Next week, its final part comes out: Endgame.
Infinity War involves a villain named Thanos who is pursuing six “infinity stones.” These stones will give him the power to destroy half the population of the universe. There is indeed a message hidden here; one that is breaking box office records and blasting out a fresh parable to the world. It is speaking of things to come (though perhaps not in the way you’d expect).
If this perplexes you, listen in as we unpack the mystery of this parable together. You’ll find that this is more than a whisper from the Lord. It is a SHOUT!
(Warning: Some spoilers for Infinity War are ahead)
. . . According to the Bible, six is the number of man (see Gen. 1 & Rev. 13:18). When Thanos uses these six stones, it has much to teach us about the ways of man, including man’s ways of justice and how he goes about solving the problem of evil.
Thanos is recognized as one of the most complex and likeable villains to ever hit the superhero screen. This is mostly due to the depth of his character. Unlike many other villains, Thanos isn’t hellishly bent on destroying things for the sake of destruction itself. Rather, his ultimate goal is to create “balance” and harmony throughout the universe. We see this in one particular scene from Infinity War, where Thanos explains how wiping out half the population of an impoverished planet resulted in prosperity and health for those who remained. So he’s justifying mass murder by the ultimate good that it produces.
This kind of thinking is not far from the mass genocides of history. Whether it was communist China or Nazi Germany, massive amounts of systemic executions were justified under a greater plan for national (and even global) well-being. This is obviously a heinous and disgusting mindset, yet it has infiltrated the thinking of so many people over the centuries that we can’t discount the fact that, like Thanos, it also carries a complex and likeable quality to it.
But more than world wars and genocide, this character points us to something even deeper in the history of humanity. Ultimately, it points us to the way that man views God, including the God of Christendom.
Thanos and his six stones are an image of omnipotent power and strength. His very name means “immortal”, which is evokes a godlike connection as well. In the movie, Thanos has a type of prophet who goes before him. He prepares the way, you could say. His name is Ebony Maw, and he say this in the beginning of the film:
Hear me and rejoice. You have had the privilege of being saved by the great Thanos. You may think this is suffering, no. It is salvation. The universal scale tips toward balance because of your sacrifice. Smile. For even in death, you have become children of Thanos.
This word “balance” comes up a lot in the movie, and it comes up in many Christian teachings as well. Often, this is in regard to the balance between God’s justice and his love. Or his holiness and his mercy. Because of this, there is a disclaimer that comes with discussions about the extravagant and unconditional grace of God. It usually goes something like this:
Yes, God is love, BUT!
He is also just! He is holy! Do not forget that…
This is often said in a way that unintentionally pits God’s love and against his justice: Yes, he wants to show mercy, but because of his holiness, God still has to kill people because of their sin.
That then brings us to the issue of Jesus’s death. Many presumed “prophets” and messengers of God talk about Jesus’s suffering as bringing about a balance between the two. They will acknowledge that Jesus died for us, because he loves us; but really, the bigger motivation was God’s justice and his need to punish transgressors. So the traditional line of thinking goes something like this:
God is merciful and loving, but because of his holy and righteous justice, he must balance this out with punishment for all who have sinned. Such ones will be executed (then tortured in hell) unless they accept Jesus’s sacrifice in their place.
Thus saith the Immortal One.
~
Some people would put it in nicer and more eloquent terms, but these are the raw insinuations of how the “Gospel” is often presented. And ironically, this is the same kind of thinking behind the gods of many world religions! The gods have always needed their wrath appeased by blood sacrifice. The only caveat with Christianity is that God was also loving, so he vents out his wrath by torturing his Son in our place. This is presented like it’s a great act of love, but in reality, it sounds quite psychotic.
So here’s something to ponder . . . Speaking on behalf of God, the prophet Isaiah once said this: “For My thoughts are not your thoughts, nor are your ways My ways.”
People love to quote this verse and use it to say that God can do whatever He wants, because He’s God! He can kill and torture people for an eternity because his ways are not our ways.
But wait a minute…
That does sound a lot like our ways. Like man’s ways.
You see, man’s ways are full of retribution and death. They turn up the furnaces and put the unqualified (the unbelievers, the un-chosen) into the cleansing fire. Now of course, when Hitler does this, he’s recognized as a maniac. But when Yahweh does it to people who don’t fit into a certain category, it’s holy and just. In fact, it is a perfect “balance” between his love and justice. (Can I get an “amen” from the demi-god villains of the universe!)
Thankfully, the context of Isaiah’s statement gives us more clarity as to what’s really being suggested here. This passage is from Isaiah 55. If you haven’t read that before, or if it’s been a while, you should look at it with fresh eyes. The entire passage is about the wild, radical, and overflowing mercy of God.
In reality, it’s his mercy that is unlike man’s ways.
So back to this parable being whispered to humanity through The Avengers . . . In the end of Infinity War, Thanos snaps his fingers with the “six stones” around his arm and fist (symbols of strength and power) and instantly wipes out half the universe—for the sake of the “greater good.” Herein lies the underlying philosophy of Communist China, Nazi Germany, and even many religious views on the coming and mighty Kingdom of God.
Yet all of these views are rooted in six-ish humanistic thinking . . .
The Endgame
So I can imagine some of the responses to this. Does this mean God lets evil go unpunished? What about the biblical realities of hell!? We can’t ignore the “harder” passages of Scripture!
Interestingly enough, all these concerns can be answered by re-looking at the word “avenge” (as in Avengers 😉).
In our world, this is a term that is obviously connected to revenge. Man needs to shed blood in order to avenge and release justice. This idea then carries over to God. He would be unjust NOT to infinitely kill and torture people because they have transgressed against his infinite holiness.
But what if the way God avenges is different?
What if his avenging involves shedding his own blood?
And what if his definition of justice is not retribution, but restoration?
What if there’s a seventh stone – a cornerstone – that builds a different structure than the bloody retributions of man?
Obviously, we’re talking about the cross now. The true meaning of the cross has been polluted over the centuries. Countless Christians see it as this act of just and holy punishment (which was done in our place, thus making it “loving” as well). But what if this is a gross and six-ish interpretation of the Bible? Let’s not forget, people have a long track record of misinterpreting the big Book. (It’s kind of what got Jesus crucified by Bible scholars.)
The word “holy” means set-apart. God is absolutely and totally holy: He is wholly set-apart from the “gods” of mankind who require blood sacrifice and retribution for sin. In actuality, God is holy because he is a Father . . . and because of how infinitely good he is!
The idea that God needed to beat up Jesus in order to vent out his anger is a humanistic thought that is disconnected from the thinking of the early church. In reality, sin itself is the punisher. Sin brings death, not God. (You may have heard it put this way before: “The wages of sin is death.”) That’s why if someone chooses to stay under the power of sin, hell and destruction is the only result. But this is the fruit of sin; not something God is doing because he has an offended ego that needs to be satisfied.
This is why Jesus came. He came not to condemn the world, but to save the world from destruction (see John 3:17)! He died to show us the love of God, who had already forgiven us from the foundation of the world.
He also died to destroy the very power of death itself.
God is not the author of death. He is the author of life, and he has come to release healing and restoration. The enemy comes to steal, kill, and destroy, but God in the flesh came to give us life and life abundantly (see John 10:10).
Zero in on that image of Iron Man. This is a powerful picture. His arms are spread wide, which is a wonderful picture of the cross. Notice Thanos behind him, who truly represents what the Bible calls the “god of this world” (Satan). He is the false god who has inspired genocides, inquisitions, and bad evangelical theology. Jesus came to put an end to this false god. He came and spread out his arms in order to reveal the true face of God. The face of our Father.
Thankfully, there is a reformation happening, and it has only just begun. Jesus is assembling his true team, his holy Avengers, who will follow the way of the cross, not the way of man. Together, with the Spirit of Christ, they will see this false Thanos-like god of Christendom come down. The Endgame is approaching and it’s a fire burning through the church while preserving the message of His death.
As of this writing, I don’t know what’s going to happen in the final Avengers film. But I would suspect it will have something to do with sacrifice and resurrection. In some way, it will point to the love of Jesus who laid down His life to set humanity free from our own self-destruction.