Musings: What Is A Hero?

“Hero:  n.  a person, typically a man, who is admired or idealized for courage,  outstanding achievements, or noble qualities: a war hero” (Oxford Dictionary of English).

Grace unto you, Saints, and peace, from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.

I don’t know about you, but it always makes me smile when I read or think about the above salutation that Paul most always used in his epistles.  We have a Father and He just happens to be God, and we have a Lord, and His name is Jesus Christ.  When you reflect on what that really means–I mean, on what that really means–you can’t help but smile.  We are so, so blessed!  But, I digress…

You know, I was surfing YouTube a couple of days ago, and I found an interview between Pierce Morgan and the very bizarre (but deceptively intelligent and disarmingly articulate) Russell Brandt.  Now, I’m no fan of either of these people.  But when they talk, you had better listen, because their views represent the views of those who are making a bid for the world.

Well, Brandt is pontificating on gun control (which he is for), when he makes a very revealing statement.  Brandt say,

“That’s the definition of a hero, one who sacrifices himself for others.”

I had to rewind the interview to make sure I heard correctly–and I had.  I thought, “This guy just told the absolute truth.  He doesn’t know what he said, but he told the absolute truth.”

You see, the media classifies anyone who survives any ordeal as a hero:  13 miners, trapped a mile underground for days, are rescued, and are hailed as heroes.  A person is brutally attacked and lives to tell about it, and is declared a hero.  An abuse survivor writes a book detailing the ordeal and is declared a hero.  A cancer survivor writes a book about dealing with the daily challenges of living with the disease, and is declared a hero.

Don’t get me wrong.  I sincerely and greatly admire anyone who has been through any life-changing experience and emerged from it alive and wiser for the experience.  But just going through something terrible, hazardous, and/or tragic does not make you a hero: it makes you a survivor.  It is the element of sacrificing one’s life for another that makes one a hero.  

Two thousand years ago, a Man gave His life not just for one person, but for the entire world.  Jesus, by Brandt’s definition, is a Hero.  In fact, He is the very epitome of heroism.  Yet, today He is the single most hated Man in the history of the world. 

This is not strange.  Ask any good cop, fireman, doctor, paramedic, soldier, or anyone else who risks his life daily for people who, in most cases, they don’t even know, and you will quickly discover that they are some of the most under-appreciated people on the planet.  We would rather worship athletes and entertainers than appreciate those without whom our lives would be radically different.  Even more tragic is that we choose to forget Him without Whom our very souls would be consigned to the flames of Hell.  How tragic!

Jesus gave His life for our sinful hides.  The very least we can do is say, “Thank You.”

The Still Man