Congratulations.  God Only Knows Why, But You’re About to Become the Gray Champion the People Need Right Now

The Mask of Zorro is set in early 19th century California. Don de la Vega, otherwise known as the masked swordsman Zorro (Anthony Hopkins), was a “Gray Champion” of the people standing against the tyranny of Spanish rule.  Captured and imprisoned, by his nemesis, Governor Montero (Stuart Wilson), he spends the next twenty years in a dungeon before finally escaping.  Walking into a bar, he encounters a man named Alejandro Murrieta (Antonio Banderas), a drunk who wishes to sell a special medallion for a drink of whiskey.  Made of pure silver, the aged Zorro recognizes the medallion as the one he gave to Alejandro and his brother for assisting him on the day of his last battle.  Alejandro, now distraught and eager for revenge against the man who murdered his brother, agrees to take on the mask once worn by Zorro.  Don de la Vega promises to teach him the art of fighting with honor and grace, and most importantly, to take a stand for the people who once again need a leader to arise and defend them against tyranny.  To see a video clip from the movie, click here.

Digging Deeper

 During the time of the Judges, Israel repeatedly did evil, worshiping the gods of the Canaanites and forsaking the Lord.  As a result, God allowed them to be conquered.  They would cry out to God, and He would send a Judge, a champion, who would lead them to victory over their oppressors.  Then, the Judge would die, and the people would again fall into sin, leading to subjugation by their enemies.  This pattern of Sin, Subjucation, Supplication and Salvation was repeated every four generations, as God would call forth a “Gray Champion” to arise and deliver His people.  In Judges 6:2-3, and 6, we read:

For whenever the Israelites put in seed the Mid'ianites and the Amal'ekites and the people of the East would come up and attack them; they would encamp against them and destroy the produce of the land, as far as the neighborhood of Gaza, and leave no sustenance in Israel, and no sheep or ox or ass.  … And Israel was brought very low because of Midian; and the people of Israel cried for help to the LORD.

And then, one day, God approached a man whom He had called to arise and take a stand for the Israelites.  Appearing to the man, Gideon, the Angel of the Lord approached him while he was down in the hole of a wine press, threshing wheat so that the Mid'ianites wouldn’t see him and come take it from him.  In Judges 6:12, 15-16, we read:

And the Angel of the LORD appeared to him and said to him, "The LORD is with you, you mighty man of valor."  And he said to him, "Pray, Lord, how can I deliver Israel? Behold, my clan is the weakest in Manas'seh, and I am the least in my family."  And the LORD said to him, "But I will be with you, and you shall smite the Mid'ianites as one man."

While Gideon was busily beating out wheat in a winepress so that the Mid'ianites wouldn’t see him and come take it from him, the Angel of the Lord appeared, saying:  “The Lord is with you, O valiant warrior!” (Judges 6:12).  Gideon was incredulous – he could hardly believe this was happening to him.  We can easily identify with his response:  “Who are you talking to?  I’m not a valiant warrior – in fact, I’m a nobody.  You’ve go the wrong man.”

There must have been someone else in Israel who was not only an accomplished warrior, but would have jumped at the chance to lead Israel against the Mid'ianites.  However, instead of this unknown warrior, God chose Gideon, a man who would have preferred not to get involved.  Why?  Because God sees us not simply for who we are, but also for what we can become.  By choosing Gideon, God wanted a man who knew that in order to be a successful leader, he would have to rely on God, not himself, for victory.  Recognizing our reliance on God is the most important quality a leader must possess.

The Gray Champion

 In the 1830s and 1840s, the author Nathaniel Hawthorne published a series of short stories titled Twice Told Tales.  One of those short stories was called The Gray Champion.  I first became aware of this short story in a book titled Generations: The History of America’s Future.  Published in 1991 by William Strauss and Neil Howe, they share a synopsis of the tale of The Gray Champion.  In their book, Strauss and Howe provide this quote from Hawthorne’s story:

I have heard that, whenever the descendants of the Puritans are to show the spirit of their sires, the old man appears again.  When eighty years had passed, he walked once more in King-street.  Five years later, in the twilight of an April morning, he stood on the green, beside the meeting-house, at Lexington, where now the obelisk of granite, with a slab of slate inlaid, commemorates the first fallen of the Revolution.  And when our fathers were toiling at the breast-work on Bunker's Hill, all through that night, the old warrior walked his rounds.  Long, long may it be, ere he comes again! His hour is one of darkness, and adversity, and peril.  But should domestic tyranny oppress us, or the invader's step pollute our soil, still may the Gray Champion come. (emphasis added)

As in the time of the Judges, so in our day. God is calling those who trust in Him to rise up and become the Gray Champions in their communities.  I’ve written a book, Think Like Jesus, Lead Like Moses: Leadership Lessons from the Wilderness Crucible in which I present ten principles of a Godly leader.  The last chapter deals with this topic of the Gray Champion, and how God is calling forth men in women in our day who, like Gideon, arise from the grassroots of their communities to become the “valiant warriors” God has called them to be. 

If you’re interested in learning more about the book, please visit my website by clicking here.