Watch/Listen
The Godly Humanitarianism of Ebed-Melech
Brian Mashburn
June 11, 2017
Audio Player
The Major Impact of Minor Characters
For those familiar with the Bible, it is easy to recall the major players that God uses to tell the story of His great love for the world. Jesus tops the list, of course, but we also know the likes of Abraham, Moses, David, Elijah, Mary, John, Peter, and Paul. My hope is that we see them as friends, people just like us, and therefore examples of what we can also be in God's story. But, I fear that we sometimes do a Christian version of hero-worship, unintentionally concluding that these major characters are exceptions among humanity, not examples. I fear that too many diminish themselves and the impact they can have because "we" are not like "them".
But have you considered Bezalel, Shiphrah, or Jethro? How about Joanna, Manasseh, or Priscilla? Have you heard of Tryphena, Fortunatus, or Tychicus? These are a few of the countless "minor characters" in the Bible. In the movies, we call them "supporting actors" or "extras". They are minor, not because they are unimportant, or even less impactful, but because they get less "press" or "screen time".
If we are honest, we do this with each other, too. Personally, I'll hear what you have done for Christ, and in no time flat, I lift you up as a "super-Christian", instantly and effortlessly diminishing myself as "less than" and "not good enough", falsely concluding that I could never make a Kingdom impact because I'm not like you.
This summer, let's consider some folks who get less "press" and "screen time". Because the truth is, in both the Bible and the church, everyone gets to be a heroic minor character in the grand story of the True Hero: Jesus.