Warning: Spoilers Ahead | The Avengers: Infinity War movie, released last week, has smashed global box office records earning over £450m in its opening weekend. For Marvel fans, this film is the culmination of 18 movies and 10 years of the Marvel Cinematic Universe. It’s an engaging story, full of funny one-liners and, of course, it’s action-packed.

The stakes are high in this gigantic showdown between the villain Thanos and most of the Marvel superheroes. The concept of salvation through sacrifice is woven throughout the movie.

The movie explains Thanos’ backstory – his home planet, Titan, came to ruin due to overpopulation. In the movie, Thanos goes on a quest to bring salvation by balancing the universe. His aim is to wipe out half of all life. For Thanos, it’s just simple maths – this universe’s resources are finite. If life is left unchecked, then it will cease to exist.

As the only one who has the will to act, he’s been dispensing his form of so-called mercy on planet after planet, enforcing his twisted salvation plan. He claims the salvation he’s brought ushers in full bellies, clear skies, and paradise.

Ebony Maw, one of Thanos’ accomplices, calls his victims to see their death not as suffering but instead as salvation. He informs them that because of their sacrifice, the universal scales tip towards being balanced. What makes this mad Titan such a well-crafted and believable villain is his conviction that he’s doing the right thing and his belief that his motivations are noble.

Not surprisingly, others don’t see it that way. The Hulk calls Thanos ‘a plague’ and Gomora calls him out for killing people in these wide-spread genocides.

There’s also a number of subplots that feature sacrifice. Doctor Strange sacrifices the Time Stone in exchange for sparing Iron Man. Then also Thanos, teary-eyed, sacrifices Gomorra, the one he loves, to gain the Soul Stone. And later, Vision convinces Scarlet Witch to sacrifice his life instead of the possibility of half the universe dying.

Clearly salvation stories are compelling. What is it about them that holds our attention? What is it that grabs our interest? Maybe it’s because we sense that we ourselves are in a similar need of rescue. Just like in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, the story of salvation through sacrifice is written into the fabric of our universe.

We often see ourselves as the saviour in our story. But actually, if we take a moment in the daily frustrations, in the trials, in the sicknesses, in the unkind thoughts about others, or in the envy we can’t shake off then we’ll soon be very aware of our lack of power. Far from showing our strength, actually the daily realities that we face remind us of our weakness. Rather than being Peter Parker we are more like those in the bus who are petrified. Rather than being superheroes we are the ones that need rescuing. We aren’t the superheroes who are able to battle the elements of evil – we need a superhero to fight on our behalf. We need salvation, not from Thanos, but from a greater enemy – from the hurt, the mess, the sin, and ultimately from death and hell.

Those are the realities in our story, from which Jesus offers a won-derful salvation. God’s son really did become man, not in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, but more importantly, in our own universe. He walked and talked and he lived amongst us, he wasn’t a fictional character but a person grounded in history.

Jesus’ salvation couldn’t be more different to that so-called salvation ushered in by Thanos. Thanos’ sacrifice is forced on others, but Jesus’ sacrifice was voluntary. Thanos sacrifices the lives of others, but Jesus sacrifices his own life. Thanos’ salvation ends in destruction, but Jesus’ salvation brings new life. Thanos’ salvation is a temporary solution, but Jesus’ salvation gives hope permanently – both now and in eternity.

God knew there would be a costly sacrifice needed for the salvation of the world he loved… It was a price that Jesus was prepared to pay. It was costly, more costly than we’ll ever know, but God was willing to sacrifice that which he most dearly loved. His own son died in order to win back our souls. The empty tomb is the proof it worked, one massive super-hero like event – Jesus rising from the dead!

Now that is real mercy from God, real sacrifice, and a salvation you can trust in.

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