"After him Baruch the son of Zabbai zealously repaired another section, from the Angle to the doorway of the house of Eliashib the high priest." -- Nehemiah 3:20 New American Standard
In this time of tragedy you are probably wondering why I chose this obscure verse. I guess it’s because a lot has changed in me in the past week. In particular what has changed is the way I view heroes now.
Baruch, the son of Zabbai, is so obscure that his name would stump most seminary graduates and possibly professors. So what does this obscure mason have to say to us during what is probably one of the most tragic times of our history?
Our friend Baruch, in fact, has much in common with many of those who we revere in New York. You see Baruch was laboring to help rebuild a broken city. If you were to read all of Nehemiah chapter three you would find that Baruch is the only one mentioned who "zealously" repaired his section of the wall.
During the month of September, I’ve been mesmerized in front of my television set like so many millions across the nation. Though I have seen countless times the destruction of the World Trade Center replayed on television, I have also seen heroic acts that have brought me to tears.
I have watched firemen courageously dig through the mountain of rubble of what was the World Trade Center. I watched as a tearful fireman, who had worked almost non-stop since the accident, told a reporter that he wasn’t going to give up until he recovered his missing comrades. I don’t even know his name, but he has become a hero to me now, as have the rest of the New York fire and police departments.
I watched a New York mayor that I previously had known little about arrive at the scene and muster a city behind him. Even his critics were inspired by him. The day of the tragedy the mayor frequented Ground Zero numerous times, donning a white mask and a hard hat. Throughout the crisis, Giuliani served as a supreme example of leadership that gave courage to us all! Mayor Giuliani is definitely my hero now!
I saw how our President rose to the occasion and unified Congress. What impressed me the most, however, is that he called for a day of prayer and made it politically correct! I don’t even remember hearing any noise from the American Civil Liberties Union. President Bush is my hero now.
Before the accident, I had always assumed New Yorkers to be pushy and gruff. Since the accident, I have seen them unify. They have a memorial wall in New York City where the pictures and names of those who have perished have been posted. I watched on television as a woman who did not even know any of the perished came to the wall and wept. I don’t know her name, but she is my hero now, as are the countless New Yorkers who have visited that wall to pay their respects. They have inspired me.
I have watched on television as doctors, professors, and business executives have donned tee shirts and jeans to do menial volunteer work to help with the tragedy. I may not know their names, but they are all my heroes now.
I think of the nurses, medics, and doctors in the hospitals of New York who have worked overtime in the emergency rooms. They are all my heroes now. I can also mention the countless men and women of our armed services who preparing to sacrifice their lives in this new war. They, too, are all my heroes now!
On television I watched as New Yorkers lined the streets holding signs to cheer firemen and EMS workers as they were rushing to Ground Zero. All of these anonymous people who inspired me so much, are my heroes now!
On the day of the Tragedy, Jeremy Glick, on board United Airlines Flight 93, called his wife on his cell phone to tell her he was about to die, but pledged to go down fighting. Jeremy Glick and all of those on United Airlines Flight 93 are my heroes now!
Finally, I want to remember all the perished firemen, policemen, and servicemen in the Pentagon. In particular, I am moved by the story of Father Mychal Judge, a chaplain of the New York Fire Department who put himself in harms way to minister to those in the collapsing twin towers. He was killed while comforting the dying. Father Judge and all of the rescue workers who perished that day are my heroes now and also those of millions!
So in the midst of this drama why choose a verse about such an obscure character from the Bible? I chose this verse about Baruch because I believe that it highlights the spirit of so many in our nation who are "zealously" doing their part to help in the reconstruction since the tragedy.
Baruch represents an ordinary man who did a work with all of his heart for the Lord. He worked to rebuild God’s broken city. This was his act of worship. I chose this verse because Baruch is the unsung hero and this tragedy has been one that has caused us to finally recognize those we have often overlooked.
In the Christian world, we so often recognize the big names--the names of famous evangelists. While many of these men and women deserve recognition, we often make the mistake of taking the common man in the body of Christ for granted. Many in New York I am sure took their policemen and firefighters for granted, but will never do that again.
I chose this verse because it is obscure and many of you do feel insignificant in the Body of Christ. You have to remember, however, that Nehemiah didn’t rebuild Jerusalem by himself. He needed everyone that could to pitch a hand in rebuilding the city of Jerusalem. You have to realize that the Kingdom of God can’t be built by just pastors, missionaries, and big name evangelists. You are needed! You are desperately needed!
How do we, potential "Baruchs" in the body of Christ, respond to this tragedy? We labor hard to build up the broken spiritual walls of our nation where we are at. We may watch the scenes of firemen digging in the rubble and wish we were there, but we don’t have to go all the way to New York to find brokeness in our country! All we have to do in many cases is just go down the street or next door.
Baruch and all of those called to rebuild the walls of Jerusalem worked to rebuild the walls where they were at--where they lived. That is exactly what God has called you to do in your home, neighborhood, community, and place of work.
The way to become a Baruch is by making ourselves available to serve zealously with the talents we do have. We don’t have to be a great singer or preacher to serve in the Kingdom of God. All we have to do is be willing to offer a helping hand whenever needed.
I have recently renamed my youth group "Ginosko Fellowship." Now you might be asking what does Ginosko mean? It is the Greek word for know that means to know something by experience. It is this word for know that is used in John 8:32: "You will know the Truth, and the Truth will set you free."
In this verse, Jesus is literally calling His disciples to experience the Truth. Ginosko goes beyond mere head knowledge. When it comes to being a disciple, God doesn’t merely want us to go through a study on what it means to be a disciple--He wants us to experience it!
To ginosko what being a disciple is means joining in the effort of building in the Kingdom of God. We need to activate our Christianity. We need to take what we know about discipleship and move it from our cognitive experience into our life experience!
As I reflect on the tragedy, I see how so many of the heroes seemed to automatically step in wherever they were needed. We as believers need to respond to the suffering in our world in the same immediate way the New York firefighters responded to the tragedy at the World Trade Center.
As I think about all of the heroes of this crisis, I realize that most of them were just ordinary people who became extraordinary simply because they responded to the need of the hour. Though my heroes now include some big names, they mostly consist of people I can’t name. Some are now dead and some are alive. I learned the most from these people--people who had no glory to gain, people who gave their blood, sweat, tears, and most importantly, their love.
I have learned, too, from Baruch, a mason whose name is buried in obscurity in Scripture. Baruch may not have had a great title or written a book of the Bible, but he was extradordinary! He was extraordinary because he gave his best at a time when his God and people needed him. Baruch may be obscure, but he isn’t obscure to God who saw fit to include him in His Book, and neither are we!
We who have given our hearts to Christ therefore have an obligation to serve God and our country with all of our hearts. The spiritual walls of America are broken and God desperately needs those of us who are "unknown" to "zealously" repair our sections of the wall.
This is the greatest testiment that we can give to so many who have fallen in this tragedy. This is the greatest testiment that we can give to the greatest hero of them all--Jesus Christ, One who gave Himself for all of us. Though some of my heroes have changed in the past week, He is still number One! It is out of gratitude to Him that I seek to evermore "zealously" make repairs in the Kingdom.
So grab some brick and mortar, and pitch a hand this week. Somewhere in the world you live in someone desperately needs what you can give them. The spiritual walls of America may be broken, but if we all work together we might in fact see many come to a saving knowledge of Christ as a result of this crisis!
God Bless You!
