The little known (and thought of) characters of the Bible

I've been thinking some over the past few days about the "little guy" in the biblical narrative. I read Variety in Biblical Preaching (see previous post), and was struck by the things that were said about the narrative and dramatic monologue sermon. I had always come from the approach at looking at the "star of the show" and his/her perspective.

For example, I've been intrigued about the narrative of Elijah and the widow in 1 Kings 17 (the picture is one I found on the Internet depicting the scene). In the past, I would have looked at this from the viewpoint of Elijah, who was the "star of the show." We encounter Elijah at numerous points in the following chapters. He is a revered prophet in Jewish history. He stands out as a giant in the landscape.

But, what of the widow? Or, what of the son? Here is a boy who is being raised by a single mother. Widows at that time were destitute beyond anything we could imagine. We don't know the mother's name, much less the son's name. (Was it Bill? Or, Fred?) They were suffering from a drought, ready to eat their last meal and wait for starvation to overtake their bodies when Elijah walks into their life. He asks the mother for a drink and a biscuit.

From there the mother's flour and oil are endless in supply. This is a miracle from God. Then the boy gets sick and dies. (Who was this boy?) The mother blames Elijah for the calamity. All this after she had given up. Elijah prays for the boy and carries him back to his mother.

Who was the boy? I imagine (this is all speculation) he was a boy like any other boy. I sure he like to run and play (I know I did, when I was younger). I wonder how old his was. I can't imagine he was more than ten or so. The Bible says that Elijah carried him, so he couldn't have been too old, unless Elijah was a really strong man.

After this we hear nothing about the woman or the boy. Jesus made a reference to Elijah and the woman, but not the son. There is a passing reference to this episode in Hebrews. Beyond that? Nothing. Not a word. What happened to the boy later? Was he the talk of the town? You know, the boy that was dead then alive.

I think I'm going to work up a dramatic monologue sermon on this passage from the perspective of the boy.