https://youtu.be/vKdSaunduTE (animated history of the Robins)
Throughout the years Batman has taken on many child partners. Some of these have gone on to become perfect upholders of Batman’s legacy, whereas others have rebelled against their mentor and went down a darker route.
This is very similar to Jesus’ relationship with his disciples.
“Discipleship is walking together in the way of Christ, learning to die, learning how to leave who you were, and learning who you now are. Learning to follow Jesus, becoming his disciple, means walking alongside someone further in the Christian faith for a significant period.” (https://www.ibelieve.com/faith/what-is-discipleship-and-why-is-it-important-for-christians.html)
This description of what discipleship is certainly sounds similar to the ways in which the Robins and Batgirls ‘walk’ alongside Batman.
By working with the Dark Knight these young heroes are very much learning how to die (often literally) for the cause in which they believe.
They come to understand that there is a reason that they have all experienced tragedy, and that the way for them to overcome their trauma is to place their faith into Batman and the mission. An argument that is commonly used by Christians as to why it is they find solace in God.
The real question is why do these children turn to Bruce as this saviour figure? What about a man dressed in a giant bat costume compels these people to put their blind trust and faith into his arms?
This can all come back to the way in which Batman leads his team of orphans, and that is through the concept of ‘knowing and being known.’
Bruce makes himself accessible to these kids. He opens up his world to them and shares his own troubles. He allows them to understand why it is that he does what he does, and in turn they trust him with their problems.
This relates to Jesus’ form of leadership; “Within the context of leadership, Jesus draws two striking conclusions: leadership involves a leader knowing his sheep and being known by his sheep. On the one hand, good leaders know well those within their community; this knowledge, coupled with care and concern, empowers leaders to effectively move the organization forward. On the other hand, truly effective leaders must allow themselves to be known by those within their organization.” (https://gbr.pepperdine.edu/2017/12/leadership-jesus-style/)
Bruce knows his sheep, or more accurately birds, and because of this it gives him an advantage in the field when it comes to getting them to follow his orders; since his sidekicks know him they have absolutely no problem complying with his demands (at least during their younger years, but I’ll touch on this later).