When Ordinary Becomes Legendary

Our Fascination With Heroes
Batman, Wonder Woman, the Avengers, the Incredibles, X-Men…Our culture today simply loves stories about superheroes. Perhaps it’s the suspense of overcoming insurmountable odds, the intriguing origin stories of becoming “super,” or simply fighting for justice, survival, and standing against evil that makes stories about superheroes so entertaining. It’s fun to follow along with characters having amazing powers, supernatural abilities, and unique personalities as they journey across the cosmos, jump through time, or explore alternate dimensions in their quest to save humanity from certain doom and destruction. Such comical accounts may certainly be amusing and stir the imagination, but in the end, each of these heroic characters remain a fictional fabrication. But does that mean we live in a world devoid of heroes? Certainly not!

Defining True Heroism
This begs the question, what is it that really makes someone heroic? Sure, being able to sling webs, call down lightning, or fly through the air in an iron suit would be an awesome asset towards combating evil in the world, but it’s not reality. Real heroes bleed. Real heroes sweat. Real heroes sacrifice and serve often at the expense of having to endure hardship, suffer loss, and face persecution. It is common for true heroes to go unnoticed and be unappreciated, sometimes even being viewed as failures in their generation.

There is a great passage of Scripture that I think does an awesome job of capturing some of the qualities and characteristics of true heroes from a Biblical perspective. The passage is found in Hebrews 10:32-34, where the author counsels Jewish Christians to reflect and remember how they’ve conducted themselves in the past to exhort them to continue living by faith with their eyes set on the heavenly reward that awaits them. The author of Hebrews writes:

“But remember the former days, when, after being enlightened, you endured a great conflict of sufferings, partly by being made a public spectacle through reproaches and tribulations, and partly by becoming sharers with those who were so treated. For you showed sympathy to the prisoners and accepted joyfully the seizure of your property, knowing that you have for yourselves a better possession and a lasting one (He. 10:32-34).”

Heroic Traits Found in Hebrews 10
Several important observations stand out when reading this section of Biblical text that convey qualities of what a hero looks like in God’s eyes. The first thing we see is that this group of Christians were “enlightened” at some point in the past. Considering the context of Hebrews 10 that highlights the supremacy of Jesus’ sacrifice of His own life compared to the animal sacrifices required in the Mosaic Law (He. 10:8-18), and because He forged a way for sinners to draw near to God (He. 10:19-23), this is quite certainly a reference to when these Jewish believers embraced the Gospel of Christ and placed their faith in Jesus as Lord and Savior. The “origin story” of these Christians began with coming to the knowledge of the truth, that is, becoming “enlightened,” to the fact that it’s only because of Christ that anything they do matters or makes a difference in the world. Biblical heroes understand that ultimately, all glory belongs to Jesus.

The second heroic characteristic found in this passage is that this group of believers willingly endured suffering for the sake of Christ and did so in a number of ways. We see that they were made a “public spectacle,” meaning that there were others who witnessed the circumstances pertaining to these followers of Christ. These Christians were reproached and endured tribulations. In other words, because this group of Jesus-followers publicly and courageously lived out their faith, it caused some people in their community to rise up against them. Whether it was mocking, scoffing, or being falsely accused, clearly these believers faced adversaries who didn’t like or agree with their manner of living or speaking. This didn’t merely include verbal condemnation, things happened that actually caused distress and hardship in the lives of these believers. And yet, they endured it. They understood that it was worth it to live for Jesus as did the author of Hebrews who wrote to encourage them to press on in the same manner.

Yet, the attributes of heroism seen in the lives of these Christians aren’t limited to endurance of reproaches and tribulations, they also stood together with fellow believers who also suffered the same. They united together with their brothers and sisters in Christ and shared together in the hardships faced by their fellow Christians. What we see from their example is that a Biblical hero demonstrates a willingness to walk through the fire together with other believes who are suffering. They don’t abandon the wounded. They don’t forget those who are weak or injured. Instead, they come alongside their companions in the faith and endure the hardship together. It reminds me of the idiom, “no man left behind.” True Christian heroes share in the pains, the criticisms, and the afflictions for the cause of Christ. This is exactly what the believers described in this passage did. They showed sympathy to other prisoners of the faith, which could have very well included the Apostle Paul. Whether it was through their prayers, written encouragement, offering tangible goods, or sending financial assistance, these Christians supported other believers who were struggling.

The final heroic trait expressed in this passage from Hebrews is enduring loss with a positive and even joyful attitude. In the text above, we read that this community of believers literally experienced the seizure of their property resulting from their decision to follow Jesus. I don’t know about you, but it’s hard to imagine losing my house, my car, and my possessions for simply being a Christian, all while maintaining a joyful attitude no less! Yet, this is what happened to the people that we read about. While the specific details of loss aren’t articulated, it’s clear that these believers actually experienced tangible loss in one form or another, but they were willing to endure it because they understood that something better awaited them in the future. They knew that there was a better reward and a lasting possession awaiting them in heaven. They understood that God was not blind to the injustice being inflicted upon them. They knew that God recognized the sacrifice that they were willing to make to follow Jesus, and that gave them the courage and fortitude to press on and stand for Christ no matter the cost.

Historical Models of Faithful Heroism
Reflecting on these character traits reminds me of the famous Scottish missionary to Africa from the 1800s, David Livingston. Widely known for his evangelistic heart toward the peoples of the African continent, Livingstone pursued both a theological and medical education as a means enablement to advance the Gospel in regions where it had never been before while also having hopes to combat the African slave trade. Though never being viewed as a student of excellence, Livingstone was undaunted in his studies eventually succeeding in his endeavor to become a missionary in Africa. During his missionary travels throughout the continent, he faced countless struggles including language barriers, illness, limited financial support, and even a struggle with a lion that broke his arm which despite healing, gave him trouble throughout the remainder of his life. Unflinching in the face of such hardships, Livingstone devoted his life to developing avenues for trade and commerce in Africa as an alternative to the slave trade and shared the Good News of Jesus wherever he went. In the end, David tends to only be credited with having just one real convert to Christianity, Chief Sechele of the Kwena people in Botswana. Even still, Livingstone’s impact in Africa left a legacy that extended beyond his own life. Chief Sechele ultimately ended up leading his entire tribe to trust in Jesus and many other missionaries were inspired by Livingstone’s example to advance the cause of Christ in Africa.

Countless examples exist throughout history of heroic men and women of the Christian faith who demonstrated vigilance, persistence, selflessness, sacrifice, and endurance through countless hardships in order to help advance the kingdom of God. There’s William Carey, Corrie Ten Boom, Hudson Taylor, Amy Carmichael, and Jim and Elisabeth Elliot, just to name a few. None of these possessed any supernatural abilities or space age technology that made them heroic; rather, they used their God-given gifts coupled with dauntless determination to utilize the time God gave them to make a difference in the world in the service of and for the glory of Christ. They were no different than you or me. But as their lives show, God can do extraordinary things using ordinary people who make themselves available.

A Call to Become Heroes for Christ
So, let me ask whom do you view and esteem as a hero? Perhaps you, too, have found inspiration from the life of Livingstone or one of these other legendary and heroic Christians. Maybe there have been people in your own lifetime that have modeled tremendous faith in Jesus, willingness to suffer, endurance through trials, and unity with other persecuted believers that has caused you to view them as a hero. Whomever you look up to as an exemplar of the faith, I challenge you to not only reflect on why you esteem them as such, but also how you can follow in their footsteps. What is stopping you from being willing to suffer for Jesus? How can you embody the same willingness to sacrifice as seen in the lives of the believers spoken about in Hebrews? How can you embody the same traits seen in the lives of the believers spoken about in Hebrews? A little effort can make a big difference even if you don’t immediately see it, if ever. God can still produce fruit from your efforts even after you are long gone. For all we know, you or I could potentially lead the next Charles Spurgeon to faith by simply being obedient to share the Gospel.

Just as the believers described in Hebrews understood, there is a heavenly reward awaiting in the future for those who are willing to live for Jesus in the present. So, dare to be heroic and allow God to use you as part of His legendary tale of saving humanity through Christ!