Captain America: The First Avenger


        In the film Captain America: The First Avenger, Steve Rogers faces both hostility and support in his endeavor in becoming the world’s first super-soldier from those on the same side as him in the fight to take down Hydra. Colonel Phillips displays disinterest in Dr. Erskine’s choice of Rogers as the prime candidate to receive the super serum. Phillips has his own opinion of what the prime candidate should be. He, as a soldier, understandably believes that the prime candidate should be in completely good health, displaying strength in physicality. He tells Rogers sometime after the procedure that he “asked for an army and all I got was you. You are not enough.”  Dr. Erskine has a different perspective. Because of what he learned in his experience with Schmidt, he believes that the prime candidate should be “not a perfect soldier, but a good man.”


Erskine and Phillips have a small exchange before the procedure in which this all plays out. Erskine says that he is “looking for qualities beyond the physical.” The night before the procedure, because of his experience with Schmidt, Erskine tells Rogers "a strong man who has no power all his life will lose respect for that power, but a weak man knows the value of strength and knows compassion.”

This is much like 1 Samuel 16 when God tells Samuel to go to Bethlehem to anoint the next king to replace Saul. He invites Jesse and his sons to join him for a sacrifice. As he looked upon the first son God told Samuel to not look at his appearance or the height of his stature for the Lord does not see as a man sees. Man looks at the outward appearance, but the Lord looks at the heart (verse 7). That is why the Lord directed Samuel to David. David, much like Steve Rogers, had the heart of a Godly leader.

The truth is we as humans have a very limited perspective into who people are, including ourselves. The world may tell us that the person who knows you best is you. But, the truth of the matter is that it is actually God who knows you best. He looks at your heart because He knows your heart. So, we should not be judging others by their appearances, but by their heart. The only way to get to know someone else’s heart is be in community with them.


Is there someone in your life that you are judging based on their physical appearance? How does God view that person? If we are all made in the image of God, how do they reflect it? How do you? How can you more clearly show His image?


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