Spiderman’s Black Goo and You
Spider-Man, Spider-Man
Does whatever a spider can
Spins a web, sweet surprise
Catches thieves just like flies
Look out
Here comes the Spider-Man…
Here he comes indeed … to the tune of $250-500 million dollars worth of cinematic magic that has more thrills, chills, spills, and even black ills to satisfy our ever increasing eye-candy appetite.
Seriously, when a single movie has a bigger budget than many countries on the planet, you should go in with just a few expectations.
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What kind of expectations? Well, for the girls who just love to see their favorite hunk-o-matics on the larger than life screen, you have Tobey Maguire, Thomas Haden Church, James Franco and Topher Grace all conveniently wrapped into one battle scene so as to satisfy every preference in the pretty boy universe. And for the guys who mainline the adrenaline straight from the action scenes to their bloodstream, there's – oh, I don't know – maybe a few dozen dazzling effects and "intense sequences" that will leave you believing that a boy can fly! Wait, I mean that a man can shoot webs!
But make no mistake, this movie is more than a treat for the eyes. There are thoughtfully developed plot points that strongly parallel divinely developed spiritual truths … and that's where I come in!
I'm pretty sure this isn't a plot spoiler, because if you've caught even a short part of the previews you've probably picked up on the whole "black goo" deal. In Spiderman technical terms, it's essentially an outer space tar baby that Dr. Connors identifies as a symbiote – which is also what we call a bad thing. This mysterious murky mire infests Peter with a serious 'tude that not only leaves him with droopy bangs, but also troll like behavior that cycles through aggression, jealously, and just good old fashioned Spidey – schmuckness.
So I was thinking about how glad I was that this is just a movie … you know – the reel world, not the real world. We don't have to be too concerned about moon droppings falling from the sky and giving us a terrible, horrible, no good, very bad day…*
Or do we?
Well, yes and no. No, we don't need to worry about an outer space substance that attaches to our bodies, but we do need to be aware of a dangerous and deadly entity that is already fastened to our souls. It is called your sin nature: the inherited and ingrained part of you that rebels against God and pulls you towards self-destructive behavior. And make no mistake; it poses a greater threat than anything Marvel Comics could ever dream up. Here's the way the Bible describes the sickness of our soul:
The heart is deceitful above all things and beyond cure. Who can understand it? (Jeremiah 17:9)
The sinful nature wants to do evil, which is just the opposite of what the Spirit wants. And the Spirit gives us desires that are the opposite of what the sinful nature desires. These two forces are constantly fighting each other, so you are not free to carry out your good intentions (Galatians 5:17)
Slithering through the chambers of your spirit is a black goo that sets itself against loving God and loving others. It was passed down to you through a thousand generations from your original parents – Adam and Eve. When they disobeyed God, a chain reaction of disobedience was unleashed on the human race, and we have seen the results of disease, destruction and death ever since.
OK, now you know what's behind the evil inclinations of your heart and the hateful actions of your life … so what are you going to do about it?
Funny I should ask, because it's the same question that one of the greatest Christians in history asked. The man who wrote the majority of the New Testament and helped Christianity spread across the civilized world in the first century was also a person who desperately clawed at the sin nature in his soul which infested and polluted him like a terminal cancer. Feel the intensely furious plea as he penned these words:
Oh, what a miserable person I am! Who will free me from this life that is dominated by sin and death? (Romans 7:24)
Don't you feel the same? Like Spiderman, we would love to defeat the monster inside us by our own efforts, but for the Christian, that is impossible. So impossible, in fact, that only God could make it possible.
And He did. Jesus' death and resurrection is the only cure for our sin nature. That's why Paul wrote these words right after his cry for help:
Thank God! The answer is in Jesus Christ our Lord. (Romans 8:25)
When you trusted Christ as your only hope of salvation, you were given a new power though the Holy Spirit to overcome the rebellious and destructive nature inside you.
The question is … will you? Will you wake up each day and ask God to give you the power to defeat your sin nature? Will you commit to avoiding the people and places where the venom of sin seems to saturate your life the most?
There is one scene in Spiderman 3 I'll leave you with. At one point the black symbiote is trapped under a glass, but when freed it quickly slithers towards Peter. Dr. Connors responds by saying:
"It seems to want you…"
And so does your sin nature. The question is: what are you going to do about it?
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Lane Palmer is the Youth Ministries Specialist for Dare 2 Share Ministries in Arvada, Colo., where he works with to provide resources for youth leaders and students. Dare 2 Share exists to energize and equip teens to know, live, share and own their faith in Jesus. For more information on Dare 2 Share Ministries or the GameDay youth conference tour, please visit www.dare2share.org. Send feedback to lane@dare2share.org.
