Heroes (MM)
HEROES
Of the many young people who tell me that Jim Elliot’s life has inspired their lives, it is surprising how many carefully preface their remarks with disclaimers such as, “I don’t mean he’s a hero or anything.”
Well, what is a hero, anyway? “Any man admired for his courage, nobility, or exploits, the central figure in any important event, honored for outstanding qualities.” Wasn’t Jim a hero? We badly need heroes. How else shall we grasp the meaning of courage or strength or holiness? We need to see such truth made visible in the lives of human beings, and Jim did that, it seems to me.
Heroes are paradigms. They show us what strength or courage or purity actually looks like. Jesus was a hero in that sense. Consider His last night before the Crucifixion. After praying the great prayer of John 17 He had gone with the disciples to the garden. Judas arrived with the guard and officers. They came with lanterns and torches and weapons. A man’s natural instinct would be to flee.
“Jesus, fully realizing all that was going to happen to him, went forward and said to them, ‘Who are you looking for?’” (John 18:4 PHILLIPS). It was a demonstration of quiet courage, born of the knowledge that He was held by the sovereign will of His Father.