This post is written by Jared Bumpers as a companion for Unit 24, Session 2 of The Gospel Project for Adults, Volume 8: From Wonder to Rejection (Summer 2023).
One of the most famous characters in the Star Trek series is Spock, a human-Vulcan figure who serves aboard the USS Enterprise as science officer and first officer. 1 In Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan, Spock, Captain Kirk, and the rest of the crew try to stop Khan Noonien Singh, a super-human tyrant determined to acquire the Genesis device. After acquiring the Genesis device, Khan activated it and endangered everyone aboard the USS Enterprise. The only way to escape was to use the warp drive, but it was inoperable and inaccessible due to radiation in the engine room. To repair the warp drive and rescue the crew, Spock willingly exposed himself to radiation and sacrificed himself to repair the warp drive and save the ship and crew. Captain Kirk and the crew held a space burial for Spock, in which they launched his casket into space. Fans were surely saddened by the death of Spock, but he would eventually return to the world of Star Trek.
In Star Trek III: The Search for Spock, Captain Kirk and crew search for Spock’s body on the new Genesis planet, which is where the casket landed in Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan. They discover that Spock has been resurrected as a child on the planet, but due to the unstable nature of the material used to form the planet, Spock is aging rapidly and the planet will be destroyed within hours. Complicating matters, Spock transferred his spirit to Leonard McCoy in the previous movie, making a reunion of body and mind necessary. After battling Klingons and rescuing Spock and crew members from Genesis, Spock is eventually reunited with his mind and able to recognize Captain Kirk and the crew as friends. The Spock story arc in the first several Star Trek movies highlights the power of human sacrifice and the wonder of a bodily resurrection.
The death and resurrection of Spock is entertaining, but it pales in comparison to the significance of the death and resurrection of Jesus. Jesus died on the cross as our substitute and rose for our salvation. After the resurrection of Lazarus in John 11, the high priest Caiaphas prophesied that Jesus would die for the nation of Israel. When the Pharisees expressed concern about Roman retribution if large crowds began to follow Jesus, Caiaphas responded: “You know nothing at all! You’re not considering that it is to your advantage that one man should die for the people rather than the whole nation perish” (John 11:49-50). Caiaphas did not understand the significance of his words, but Jesus would die rather than the nation. As a matter of fact, He would die for the nation—as their substitute. Jesus died on the cross as the substitute for sinners, which is why John the Baptist declared: “Look, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world” (John 1:29). It is why Peter wrote, “He himself bore our sins in his body on the tree, so that, having died to sins, we might live for righteousness. By his wounds you have been healed” (1 Pet. 2:24). Those who repent and believe the gospel receive Christ’s righteousness. Many theologians call this “the Great Exchange”—Christ takes our sin as a substitute and gives us His righteousness, received by faith. Through faith in His substitutionary death and victorious resurrection, we are given eternal life and will enjoy Him forever. Praise God for Christ, our substitute!
- “Spock,” Wikipedia, www.wikipedia.org/wiki/Spock, accessed September 30, 2022.
Jared Bumpers serves as Assistant Professor of Preaching and Evangelism at Midwestern Baptist Theological Seminary in Kansas City, Missouri. He is also a pastor at Fellowship KC in the Parkville area. He is married to Kim, and together they have four children: McCartnie, Rush, Maverick, and Jett.
