Cape Not Required

Everyday heroes surround us. They walk among us and we don’t often get a chance to recognize them for who they are, nor do we often witness what they do. This week, in the aftermath of the Las Vegas terror shooting, some of the stories coming from “off Broadway” media outlets have detailed the acts of those everyday heroes.

Heroes like Matthew Cobos. His friends, family, and those in his Cavalry unit know of his everyday heroism. This week the world learned not all superheroes wear capes. Cobos is the man in the photo (captured by Getty photographer David Becker). As the story goes, Cobos shielded the victim with his own body, telling her the bullets would have to “go through him to get to her,” and shielded her eyes from the carnage around her. When the shooter paused, Cobos whisked the lady away from the killing field and returned numerous times to aid others.

Jesus Campos is another hero. Like his namesake, he placed others before himself by clearing rooms to get people safely out of the vicinity of the shooter on the 32nd floor. Again, as the story goes, Campos was shot in the leg when he approached the shooter’s room as the shooter emptied nearly 200 bullets into the corridor, but Campos notified police of the shooter’s exact room and continued to help police clear rooms and get people to safety even after sustaining the injury. Unbeknownst to Campos, when he triggered the shooter's security system and drew fire, he gave others below the chance to escape the killing fields. Campos was unarmed, on duty as a security guard. He also doesn’t wear a cape.

Police present in the Mandalay Bay hotel reacted within 3 minutes by clearing floors, escorting people to safety, and honing in on the shooter’s location while also verifying no other threats existed. Within seven minutes, police had cleared the first 31 floors of the hotel. They cleared the remaining guests from the floor and cornered the shooter in his room, number 135, before calling in SWAT and waiting on the official response unit. As with Cobos and Campos, capes weren’t issued with the police uniforms.

Even though Satan is the god of this world and has blinded the minds of unbelievers (2 Corinthians 4:4), good people surround us.

Good people followed God’s precept as written in Philippians 2:3-4 “Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit. Rather, in humility value others above yourselves, not looking to your own interests but each of you to the interests of others.” (NIV)

Romans 15:1-6 also calls for us to bear the weight for those who are weak.

“We who are strong ought to bear with the failings of the weak and not to please ourselves. Each of us should please our neighbors for their good, to build them up. For even Christ did not please himself but, as it is written: ‘The insults of those who insult you have fallen on me.’ For everything that was written in the past was written to teach us, so that through the endurance taught in the Scriptures and the encouragement they provide we might have hope. May the God who gives endurance and encouragement give you the same attitude of mind toward each other that Christ Jesus had, so that with one mind and one voice you may glorify the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ.” (NIV)

Jesus also didn’t wear a cape, but he did carry a cross. My challenge to you today is to take up your cross (Luke 9:23) and follow Christ. Put others before yourself and look for the heroes among us. And if the chance arises for you to be a hero, don’t hesitate. Be the Christian our God has called you to be.

Cape not required.