Do we value heroes?

Real-life heroes are not in style in contemporary Western culture.

Ours has become a culture of cynicism and shaming, one in which heroes have no place. Even the traditional comic-book heroes like Batman and Captain America (two of my personal favourites when I was a young teenager!) have become troubled, deeply-flawed individuals.

What shall we make of this from a Biblical standpoint? How do we evaluate such a trend from the point of the Scriptures? Are there no heroes in the Bible? How does God’s holy word deal with this subject?

Gritty realism

Well, first of all, there is a gritty realism with which the Bible approaches this whole matter. Great men of God like Abraham and David and Peter and Timothy are shown to be what we all are: flawed and bent people, wounded and ever prone to wounding others – in a word, sinners.

Abraham got entangled with his wife’s maidservant at her sinful behest and later lied to the Egyptian Pharaoh about his wife Sarah. David committed adultery, and then murdered to cover it up. Peter was a coward and lied to save his skin, and later yielded to peer pressure when he refused to eat with Gentiles. Timothy let his fears control his actions.

A call to emulate

But that is not the end of the story by any means. Hebrews 11 has a long list of people of faith whom the author clearly wants his readers then (and now) to emulate. In fact, in Hebrews 13:7, we read these words: ‘Remember them which have the rule over you, who have spoken unto you the word of God: whose faith follow, considering the end of their conversation.’ In a word, this is a call to emulate the lives and faith of those who had preached the word of God in the first century.

And then we have the huge amounts of biography in the historical portions of God’s word: the life of Joseph, for instance, in Genesis; the large amount of space given to the life of David in the historical books of the Old Testament; and the two-thirds of Acts devoted to telling the story of Paul’s life. The Holy Spirit, who inspired these passages and indeed all of God’s word, must deem it important for us to know something about the lives and faith of those who have gone before. Not only their flaws are important for us to know, but also their triumphs, that we might take heart and be courageous for God.

The great hero of history

One final, vital word is needed about this subject of heroes. There is a great hero in the history of the world that God points us to. One who has no flaws, not even a speck. And that is Jesus of Nazareth, the Lord Christ.

In every story in the Bible, where God’s heroes do great things, they ultimately reflect the Lord Jesus: His perfect faith in God, His courage and zeal, His kindness and humility. Ultimately, the great hero of the history of the Christian faith is Jesus.