PODCAST
The Almost Hero
October 6th, 2010
Genesis 37:25-36
Hardly anyone remembers Rueben. People remember Joseph the dreamer and his brothers who sold him into slavery. But Rueben’s little plan to rescue Joseph is swallowed up by the larger story of betrayal and injustice. Rueben was the almost-hero. He almost saved Joseph. His plan half-worked. The brothers agreed to a lesser evil for the time being.
But what happened? Where did Rueben go? Was he off tending the sheep? Why didn’t he challenge his brothers directly? Why did he wait to help his little brother? We don’t know. All we know for sure is he waited too long.
Most of us are almost-heroes. We have good intentions. When we see someone in need, we want to help. But what happens? Maybe we get too busy. Maybe we are afraid. Maybe we just procrastinate. For every day we wait, there is a child being bullied . . . a single mom needing a baby-sitter . . . a poor father trying to feed his family . . . a kid on the streets looking for love . . . a Joseph being sold into slavery. Don’t be an almost-hero. Act.
