The Smallville of Nazareth
Between the child rocketed from the doomed planet Krypton and the symbol of truth and justice Superman is destined to become, lies a vitally important aspect of Superman mythology—Smallville.
Catching fire upon entering Earth’s atmosphere, the baby Kal-El’s spaceship looked more like a meteorite streaking across the Midwestern sky. Swerving off the road in their Ford pickup truck, Jonathan and Martha Kent are the only witnesses to the mysterious spacecraft’s crash landing. Both fascinated and afraid, Jonathan and Martha climb out of their overturned truck and into the impact crater created by Kal-El’s arrival. But, both their fear and their hearts melted when the ship revealed it’s tiny infant occupant.
Jonathan and Martha had been trying for eight years to have a baby, but, so far, had been unsuccessful. In fact, in Superman: The Movie, while coddling her precious boy, Martha explains, “All these years, as happy as we’ve been, how I’ve prayed and prayed the good Lord see fit to give us a child.” Although Jonathan was hesitant at first, Martha persuaded him to take Kal-El into their home and raise him as their own son, giving him the name Clark Joseph Kent.
Jonathan and Martha are farmers on a modest piece of land just outside of Smallville, Kansas. The farm has been in Jonathan’s family since 1871 when Nathaniel Kent first settled there shortly after the Civil War. Although, his Kryptonian heritage would provide Clark with “powers and abilities far beyond those of mortal men,” it was his upbringing in Smallville that would help define who he was to become. In the first issue of Superman, Jerry Siegel writes, “The love and guidance of his kindly foster-parents was to become an important factor in the shaping of the boy’s future.”
Nowhere in Superman lore is this seen more prevalent than in the television series Smallville. David Nutter, who directed the pilot episode of Smallville, said in his commentary, “I though there were a lot of metaphors between Clark and Jesus actually—and I tried to throw in as many of them as I could.”
In one of the coolest episodes to date, Rosetta, Clark discovers his heritage. He learns about Krypton and receives a message from his father, Jor-El: “On this third planet from the star Sol,” the message reads, “you will be God among men...”
As Clark struggles to come to grips with his destiny, Jonathan takes him by the shoulders and looking him in the eye, says, “Clark Kent, you’re here to be a force for good, not for evil.”
“How can you be so sure?” Clark replies.
“Because I am your father,” Jonathan answers. “Because I raised you, and I know you better than anyone.”
It may have been Clark’s Kryptonian parents that made him Super, but it was his earthly parents that made him a Man. Sadly, in Superman: The Movie as well as in Smallville, Jonathan would die from a heartache while Clark was still in his teenage years. But his mother and the lessons he learned from his earthly father would continue to influence him all the days of his life.
Jonathan and Martha are the quintessential Mary and Joseph. Believe it or not, Martha was originally named Mary in the first Superman comic book (the name was later changed without explanation) and Jonathan’s middle name was (and still is) Joseph. So, the young couple who would raise a Superman, was named Mary and Joseph.
Like Jonathan and Martha, the earthly parents of Jesus came from humble beginnings. Joseph was a carpenter who, like a farmer, would work primarily with his hands in a small town called Nazareth. He too was hesitant to accept the child God had sent at first. Because Joseph and Mary had not yet had sex, he believed that Mary had been unfaithful to him. So, Joseph “planned to divorce her secretly” (Matthew 1:19). It took direct intervention on God’s part to convince Joseph to accept Mary’s pregnancy and their unborn baby.
John Byrne would add an important element to Superman’s story in his 1986 revision of the comic book legend. In his telling, children on Krypton are all born by means of genetic birthing matrices—basically they are all test tube babies. Jor-El sends Kal-El to Earth while still in his Kryptonian birthing matrix, and Kal-El is technically “born” when the matrix opens on Earth. Superman is, therefore, born of a virgin.
Scott Beatty describes Jonathan and Martha as “God-fearing folks.” The Bible also tells us that “Mary’s husband, Joseph, was a good man” (Matthew 1:19). Unfortunately, the last time we seen him is when Jesus is about twelve years old. Most Biblical scholars surmise that Joseph, like Jonathan, died when Jesus was still in his teenage years. But, just a the Clark’s upbringing would forever influence his life, Jesus’ earthly parents played an important role in his makeup. You see, Jesus’ humanity is just as important as his divinity.
Clark would live and work on his parent’s farm until he graduates from high-school. Even then, it would be several years after that before he makes his first public appearance as Superman. Once he begins his public service (ministry?), Superman retains his secret identity as Clark Kent. One mistake that people often make is thinking that Kal-El is really Superman, and that he only disguises himself as Clark Kent. The Man of Steel is just as much Clark Kent as he is Superman, and he is just as much Superman as he is Clark Kent—the two are really inseparable. He is fully Superman and fully Clark.
As you know, the same can be said for our Savior. Jesus Christ is just as human as he is divine, and just as divine as he is human. Before Jesus would become the Savior of the world he was a carpenter in his father’s shop in Nazareth. Jesus’ humanity is important, because it sets him apart from the ancient gods of Greek and Roman mythology (Zeus, Hera, Hermes, Apollo, etc.), who sat up on Mount Olympus playing dirty tricks on the ignorant humans down below. Jesus isn’t like the gods of Islam, Buddhism, Hinduism, or even Judaism, who have never experienced humanity.
All across the country people have formed support groups for everything from alcoholism to divorce; cancer survivors to depression. Why? Because we want the comfort and wisdom of those who have been there—who have walked in our shoes.
As we come to know Jesus, we can look to him for sympathy and understanding. When we are tired, it is great to know that our Lord Jesus also got tired and had to rest (John 4:6). When we are hungry, it feels good to know that Jesus also knows what it is like to be hungry (Matt 4:2). We know that when Jesus was hanging on the cross, He became thirsty and he cried out for water. We know that Jesus had to sleep each night just like we do. There were a number of occasions when Jesus prayed to his Father for strength. We too, when we are weak, can pray to our Father for strength. Jesus knows what it is like to lose a loved one, he wept when Lazarus died. When we feel as if we have been betrayed by our friends, we know that Jesus can identify.
He was beaten and bruised. He was despised by men. He was poor. He spent many nights with a rock as his pillow. When we experience the worst life has to offer, we can remember that we have a Savoir who has been there!
Unfortunately, because Jesus is so human, many people reject the idea that he is also God. In Superman/Batman #9, Kara, Clark’s cousin who also escaped form Krypton, stumbles upon an astonishing insight. As Clark and Kara stroll through Centennial Park in Metropolis, they come across an imposing monument to Superman—a towering bronze statue of the hero with a bald eagle perched upon his extended arm.
“Oh, my...” Kara gazes in awe. “This is how they see you?”
“I guess...” Clark replies, “It’s very flattering, but I don’t really think about it.”
“You’re their champion,” she continues in amazement, “Bigger than life. No wonder the eyeglasses work—nobody would look for you dressed like them!”
It’s true. Time and time again, Clark suffered rejection from Lois Lane—the woman of his dreams—because she thought of him as nothing more than a mild mannered reporter, with geeky glasses and a meek personality. In Superman: The Animated Series, Lois actually takes to calling him “Smallville,” defining him by his modest upbringing. She almost never realized that beneath the glasses and mild mannered exterior, was a Man of Steel—a hero to all.
How many people do the same with Jesus? How many people claim that Jesus was certainly a moral man, but far from divine. Just as Lois mocked Clark’s small town origins, wasn’t it Nathaniel who said, “Can anything good come out of Nazareth?” Who would think to look for a God, dressed like a man? But that’s precisely who Jesus is—God cloaked in humanity.
A select few are able to see through Christ’s meekness and discover his majesty. When Clark finally revealed himself to Lois, in Superman #53, her first reaction was utter disbelief, but after taking a moment to think she says, “It’s not that I’m shocked—actually I’m kind of relieved… I mean, it’s like a puzzle that suddenly makes sense because the missing piece is finally in place... In my heart I think I’ve known for a long time, but my brain would always dismiss the notion.”
Lois’ words eco the feelings of so many people when they finally see Jesus for who he is. Mary and Joseph, Jonathan and Martha, Smallville, Nazareth, Clark Kent, and the humanity of Christ work together to help us see Jesus for who he is—fully God and fully man. Jesus’ dual nature reveals one inconceivable reality—God loved us enough to become one of us.
Our infinite God confined himself within human flesh, because he loves us. Our limitless Lord limited himself to the stretch of an arm, because he cared for you and me. The hands that created the universe were blistered by a carpenter’s hammer, because he loved us enough to become one of us. As a young man he became very familiar with the tools of his father’s trade. How fitting then that those very tools would be used to secure our salvation. With a hammer and nails, he was a carpenter. With a hammer and nails, he was our Savoir.
