#180 – 5 Biblical Sidekicks

Batman had Robin.

Han had Chewie.

Frodo had Sam.

Donkey had Diddy (as did Biggie).

Some of the greatest heroes don’t do it on their own. Whether they’re protecting Gotham, taking on the Empire, destroying the one ring or collecting bananas, heroes sometimes need a sidekick. Even though sidekicks can be useful, they can also be pretty lame. Here are five biblical sidekicks who just couldn’t live up to their heroic counterparts. 

Lot

Sidekick to: Abraham

Special abilities: Protecting angels from a violent and sadistic horde.

Why just a sidekick: Lot was Abraham’s nephew and wanted to make it big time. They agreed to separate and Lot settled on some really nice land. Like a true sidekick, though, Lot got into trouble and needed Abraham to rescue him. Lot also got drunk and impregnated his daughters, which is rather unheroic and terribly icky.

Aaron

Sidekick to: Moses

Special abilities: Public speaking, sculpting, bovine worship

Why just a sidekick: Aaron was Moses’ brother and the first priest of Israel. He did some amazing things for God’s people but also made a lot of boneheaded mistakes. He complained against Moses and led the people to abandon God for a golden cow. I really love Chick-fil-A and even I’m not about to worship a cow.

Barak

Sidekick to: Deborah

Special abilities: Taking directions from women.

Why just a sidekick: God wanted to deliver the Canaanite general, Sisera, into Barak’s hands but Barak doubted. The opportunity to defeat his nation’s enemy was beforeBarak and he shied away, so the glory went to a woman. Barak was a fierce warrior but Sisera was ultimately killed by a woman. And not a woman like Lara Croft or Jillian Michaels, but an old lady, like Aunt May or Bettie White.

John the Baptist

Sidekick to: Jesus

Special abilities: Dealing with darn dirty Romans the same way he dealt with darn dirty apes.

Why just a sidekick: Jesus and John were cousins and had a special bond that began in the womb. John had everything he needed to be the main hero but understood his role in relation to Jesus. John said that “Jesus must become more and I must become less.” With anyone else, John would have been the main attraction, but he knew his place; we can learn a lot from his example.

Barnabas

Sidekick to: Paul

Special abilities: Encouragement, mentoring, impersonating Zeus.

Why just a sidekick: Again, like JTB to Jesus, almost anyone would have been a sidekick to Paul. Paul was a great communicator, an amazing debater and a freaking genius. Like Obi-Wan brought Anakin to the Jedi Council, Barnabas brought Paul to the church in Jerusalem. Barnabas watched his padawan grow and was happy to accompany Paul on his missionary journey. Barnabas and Paul did have a falling out but fortunately it ended better than the fallout between Obi-Wan and Anakin. They went their separate ways and Barnabas became a hero of his own, like a first century Nightwing.

It doesn’t matter if we’re the hero or the sidekick, as long as we’re obedient to God’s call on our lives. In the end, we’re all sidekicks to God; he’s the real hero and we’re just helping him in his redemptive work.

What other biblical sidekicks do you like?