A True Hero

Bible Reading: John 15:12-15; Romans 5:6-8

Ethan was so excited. He and his dad were at a basketball game, and Ethan hoped to get close enough to his hero—Jordan Williams—to speak with him. In Ethan’s mind, Jordan was the greatest basketball player of all time. Ethan knew all the stats about Jordan. He hadn’t missed a single televised game. He had sent Jordan scores of messages on his website, but he hadn’t received a reply…yet. Jordan is a very busy guy, Ethan told himself. I’m sure he’ll answer me after the season is over.

“Dad, can I go stand over there?” asked Ethan, pointing to a group of people standing close to the place where the players would enter. Dad nodded, and Ethan not only joined the group, but squeezed to the front of the crowd. Suddenly, they cheered as the team ran out. One by one the players ran by, waving.

Jordan is going to run right past here, Ethan realized. “Jordan!” he called. “Hey, Jordan! It’s me, Ethan!” Ethan thrust his hand up for a high five, but Jordan ran past, not even noticing him. “He ran right by! He didn’t even look at me!” exclaimed Ethan, feeling crushed.

A teenager standing behind him snorted. “What did you expect, kid? He’s a celebrity. He doesn’t know you.” The teenager continued to chuckle as Ethan slowly walked back to his dad.

“Hey, buddy, what’s wrong?” Dad asked. “You did see your hero run by, didn’t you?”

“Yeah,” said Ethan. “But even after all the messages I sent, he doesn’t know who I am.”

“Well, he’s only human,” said Dad. “He can’t possibly know all his fans, even though they feel like they know him. But if he did know you, I’m sure he’d want to be your friend.” He patted Ethan’s shoulder. “That’s the trouble with human heroes.”

“What other kind is there?” Ethan asked, looking sad.

“There’s Jesus!” replied Dad. “He’s the greatest hero and the best friend anyone could ever have. And He knows you, buddy! He knows everything about you—and the best part of all is that He loves you. He loves you so much He became human and died on the cross to save you. He’s the hero who will never let you down because He’s not only human—He’s also God.”

-Beverly J. Porter

How About You?

Who do you admire? Do you think talent or lots of money or a big online following make a person great? The world is full of all sorts of heroes and celebrities, but there is only one person who is truly worthy of your praise—Jesus. He cares about you, and He died and rose again so you could live with Him forever! He is a true hero and a true friend.

Today’s Key Verse: John 15:13 No one can have greater love than to give his life for his friends. (NLV)

Today’s Key Thought:

Make Jesus your hero