James 1:1-4 (Achilles)

Achilles; Do you know who he was? Do you know what he was famous for? There is no evidence that Achilles was a real person, but he was the central character of Homer’s Iliad. You’ll understand why I want to make that disclaimer in a moment. Achilles was one of the greatest warriors and heroes in Greek Mythology. He was considered a hero because he was the most successful soldier in the Greek army during the Trojan War. But to be clear, Achilles was a literary character, not a literal character. I make that clear because, as the story goes, after Achilles was born, his mother wanted to protect him from harm. She held him by the heel and dipped him into the river Styx. In Greek Mythology, the river Styx was located in the Underworld and had special powers. Achilles became invulnerable everywhere but at his heel, where his mother held him. Which is also where he was hit by an arrow and subsequently died. So the term 'Achilles' heel' refers to a weakness or vulnerable point in someone. Even someone very strong. So what we’re going to talk about over the next six weeks are areas of our lives that can be an Achilles’ heel for those of us who are disciples of Jesus.