One of the most famous sidekicks is Robin, the sidekick to Batman. Stories have been written and rewritten about Robin, who he was and how he struggled with his position as sidekick to Batman. In some stories, Robin breaks away from Batman’s side and becomes Nighthawk, a solo crime fighter in a different city, away from Gotham, the city where Batman “fights crime”.
Being a sidekick isn’t all that bad, but it gives them the opportunity to learn from an experienced leader. And a sidekick is useful to the main character because they provide support and are able to “watch your back”. Being a sidekick can also provide comic relief like Barney Fife in the Andy Griffith show.
In the Scriptures, Timothy and Titus (T&T) are seen as the apostle Paul’s “sidekicks”. For many years they are the constant companions of Paul, enduring hardship, ridicule, and long days of toil. And it was not easy being under the leadership of a man who was intense and demanding, not only of himself, but of those who traveled with him.
Some sidekicks of the apostle Paul struggled with the demands of this ministry and left. John Mark left for a period of time but eventually returned. Demas, on the other hand, abandoned this ministry and sought what the world had to offer. But T&T stuck with the apostle Paul through thick and thin, eventually taking on leadership rules of their own.
One of the interesting things about the relationship between the apostle Paul and T&T is the comparisons of their backgrounds. The apostle Paul was a devout Jew, a “Hebrew of Hebrews” as he calls himself. Born a Jew, trained and excelling in the religious training of a Pharisee, he rose to the top of his class. Timothy, on the other hand, was a half breed, whose father was a Greek and his mother was a Jew, and who seemed to struggle with his position as a leader. And then there is Titus. Titus was a Greek, a Gentile, the sort of person a Jewish individual did not associate with. Yet these two men were among the most dedicated, most faithful, most loved of Paul’s companions. Paul invested his life and ministry in these men. His last letter was written to Timothy, who he called “my beloved son”. Titus is referred to in the same manner.
These “sidekicks” of the apostle Paul eventually become dynamic leaders in their own right, shepherding and discipling other men, sidekicks if you will, who eventually become leaders of other men.
In the letter to Titus, the apostle Paul stresses this concept of discipleship, of spiritual men investing in other men, of spiritual women investing in the lives of other women. Let us make this a matter of earnest prayer, that we may find another with the goal of raising up strong spiritual leaders to live out the truth of Jesus Christ in a broken and spiritually destitute world.
