Jesus: Hero and Truth

What do people think when they hear the phrase, “the Word of God?” Often the Bible is referred to as the Word, and at other times the lines that Jesus spoke are labeled as the Word. As I read the chapter of John, however, I formulated another idea for what this Word might be. If Jesus is regarded as a hero, then perhaps the Word of God is the truth that Jesus was meant to preach (literally) to his people.

Jesus is arguably the ultimate compassionate hero. Going down the list of potential hero attributes – selfless sacrifice, helping others, outstanding courage and bravery – Jesus seems to fulfill them all. He even demonstrates Thomas Carlyle’s theory that a hero is always in some way flawed. Just as Gawain was afraid of death at the hands of the Green Knight, Jesus feared his own demise at the hands of the Romans. But while Gawain accepted a girdle of invincibility in an attempt to save his life, Jesus showed hesitation and begged God to relieve him of his burden. So while he might not be perfect, Jesus is still one of the more perfect heroes. Here I disagree with Brad’s argument over Jesus; I think of Jesus in a much more positive light. In fact, I think of him as “the true Light, which lighteth every man that cometh into the world” (77). His compassion for others seems limitless; the various miracles he performed, such as the feeding of the masses with the minimal fish and bread, demonstrated his devotion to others. He did not know the hungry, the poor, and the afflicted that he dealt with and helped, but he did so nonetheless. Like Gawain, most of Jesus’ story is told with his death looming on the horizon. All his life Jesus knew that he must be God’s sacrifice to the world in order to provide for eternal life for humans. Jesus did so through his acts during life and also after his death, “for God sent not his son into the world to condemn the world; but that the world through him might be saved” (80). But if Jesus is to be seen as this ultimate, compassionate hero, where is the truth that he must resurface to tell? Where are the other aspects of Campbell’s hero that have yet to be addressed? I postulate that these two ideas – the rebirth and the truth – go hand in hand. Jesus says to the Pharisee Nicodemus, “except a man be born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God” (80). The idea of rebirth is key to understanding the truth that Jesus is meant to tell the people. Although he is beforehand aware of the truth, he cannot bring it to light until after his death. He must undergo rebirth, awakening in his tomb after three days of death, before walking again to preach the truth upon the world. This truth appears to be the Word of God, the secret of everlasting life that Jesus mentions in John 6:24 and elsewhere. In verse 51, Jesus says “I am the living bread which came down from heaven: if any man eat of this bread, he shall live for ever: and the bread that I will give is my flesh, which I will give for the life of the world” (87). Here Jesus hints at the possibility that he is the truth, making the truth and hero combine into one entity. This obscure situation is one reason the story and character of Jesus is so controversial; it is one aspect of Christian belief that separates the role of Jesus from those within the Jewish and Muslim faiths. Could the hero be the very truth that he is to preach to the world? Today, where the concepts of faith are just as questionable as ever, we are unable to answer these questions for certain; we must make our own opinions based on what we believe.