In this week’s episode of The Ministry Growth Show, we’re continuing a series where we are sharing our thoughts and insights on all things brand, marketing, and storytelling. Today, we’ll be showing how The Hero’s Journey story structure pops up in many of the most recognizable stories throughout scripture.
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Welcome back to the Ministry Growth Show. If you’re just joining us, we’ve been going through a series discussing all things brand, and specifically how we think about brand from a ministry and agency perspective. For the last couple of episodes we’ve been exploring storytelling and throughout the storytelling episodes you’ve heard me mention the Hero’s Journey a lot. I’ve even made statements that the primary story structure tool used throughout scripture is the Hero’s Journey. In today’s episode, I want to spend some time walking through some of the most recognizable stories in scripture and show how these iconic stories all follow the Hero’s Journey story structure.
This episode will probably be shorter than most of the previous episodes, and honestly there’s not much regarding brand in this episode, but I’ve made multiple statements about the value in the Hero’s Journey throughout this series, so I wanted to take an episode and dedicate some time to support why I think this story structure is so important based on what we see in scripture.
I’m going to show you how Noah, Moses, David and Jesus’ own ministry all follow the Hero’s Journey or monomyth story structure. If we weren’t pressed with time constraints, we could also show how Adam and Eve, Abraham, Job, Joshua, Joseph, Jonah, Samson, Saul, and Daniel’s stories also all follow this structure. The Bible is filled with stories using this story structure. At the end of today’s episode I’ll share my own testimony and show you how we can use this structure to share testimonies or interview others with the right prompts to pull a testimony out of someone using the right questions.
To start things off, let’s quickly walk through the Hero’s Journey. Here’s a breakdown of the Hero’s Journey. Think of it like a circle or a cycle. We’ll be introduced to a character who lives in an ordinary world, they’ll pass through into a special world where they’ll learn something about themselves and return to their ordinary world having changed. Along the quest or cycle, there are some reoccurring events that take place in all stories, and the overall structure follows a traditional 3 act template. Act 1 – Departure, Act 2 – Initiation, Act 3 – Return. Alright, here we go. Act 1 – We’re introduced to a character living in an ordinary world. There’s a call to adventure but the character refuses the call. They meet a mentor who encourages them on their journey and the character crosses the first threshold. This is the end of Act 1. Act 2 – the character finds himself on the road to trials or as Christopher Vogler puts it, test, allies, and enemies. The character approaches the innermost cave where they experience the big ordeal and they come away with a reward. We we arrive at the end of Act 2. Act 3 – Return. The character starts their road back to the ordinary world. They have a resurrection experience and they return with the elixir to their ordinary world having changed.
Now, much of that might not mean anything to you, but let’s look at how Luke SkyWalker’s journey follows the structure. I want to use a story we all should know fairly well, so you can see how all of these steps play out in a story we’re all familiar with.
We find Luke SkyWalker on the planet Tatooine in his ordinary world. This is our hero. Luke is called to adventure when he receives a message from Princess Leia, a message meant for Obi-Wan. After meeting Obi-Wan, he is encouraged to go on the adventure. Luke refuses the call and says he can’t leave his aunt and uncle for some space adventure. Luke crosses the threshold when he discovers that the empire has killed his family and burned his farm. He accepts the call and tells Obi-Wan he wants to go with him to Alderaan and learn the ways of the force. End of Act 1. Act 2 – Luke experiences the tests, allies, and enemies stage when he meets Han and Chewbacca and they agree to take them to Alderaan. He experiences tests on the flight when he learns how to use the lightsaber with Obi-Wan on the Millennium Falcon. The next stage is the approach, and when they arrive at their destination the planet is destroyed. The tractor beam catches them and they are trapped in what Jospeh Campbell called the Belly of the Whale. We’ve arrived at the Ordeal, and Obi-Wan goes off to deactivate the tractor beam while Luke discovers Princess Leia. They rescue her and escape to the Millennium Falcon. Obi-Wan sacrifices himself and Luke hits his lowest point in the story, but he has come away with the Reward, which is saving princess Leia and he has access to Obi-Wan’s teachings through the force. Act 2 ends and we start act 3 with the resurrection. The Rebels and Luke prepare to attack the death star and there’s an epic space battle scene. This is the part of the film where the story follows a few of Joseph Cambell’s steps not included in Christopher Vogler’s version. Luke has a Magic Flight where he approaches the exhaust port, but Darth Vader is right on his tail and as he’s about to destroy Luke, Han Solo comes flying in saving Luke, which is the Rescue from Without stage in Campbell’s version. Luke is able to fire his missile and destroy the death star. In the final stage of the structure, they return to the rebel base, having one the day and they receive medals for their heroic actions.
Sound familiar? This structure plays out in a long list of the most popular myths and films throughout history, but lets spend some time showing how this structure is used in scripture. Keep in mind, not all stories follow every single step, but they do all follow the same basic structure, and as we work through the stories of scripture we’ll focus on the main three acts, departure, initiation, and return.
We’ll start with Noah’s Hero’s Journey. In Genesis 6, we’re introduced to Noah. Noah is called to adventure when he is told by God to build an ark. Noah accepts the call to adventure. Noah has a supernatural aid in God who in verse 7:16 shut the door for Noah and his family. Noah ends the departure act of the story being obedient to God and setting sail on the ark while the rest of the world drowns and is destroyed. With that we enter the initiation act, and the tests, allies, and enemies stage. Outside of Noah and his family, the entire world is enemies of God, Noah’s allies are God and his family, and we see Noah experience multiple trials. He’s experiencing the eradication of the entire human race, all life on earth has been destroyed, his home, and everything he’s ever known. Everyone he ever knew outside of his family is wiped out. We come to the Ordeal stage of the journey where Noah is experiencing a terrifying and seemingly unending storm that went on for over a month. This is the most difficult thing Noah has probably ever experienced. A storm that caused a complete submersion of the earth would’ve been a terrifying storm, and that experience would’ve been exasperated by the fact that Noah had just witnessed the eradication of all life on earth. Noah approaches the innermost cave as we read that he is stuck in an ark with animals and his family for a year with nothing to look at but water. The work to keep the stalls clean, and animals healthy would’ve been difficult, and we can assume that the smell would’ve been awful. And with that, we come to the end of the second act with the reward. The storm subsides and Noah and his family are safe, rescued from the destruction of the world. In act 3, we see Noah’s story progress through the Return. In the road back, the waters slowly recede and the land dries out. Noah sends out birds to search for signs of dry land, and on his third attempt a dove brings back an olive branch. Noah and his family are safe on dry land, the ark is opened and we enter the resurrection stage of the Hero’s Journey with humanity given a second chance at life. In the return with the elixir stage, Noah is given a sign in the form of a rainbow as a promise from God that He will never again flood the earth. Noah builds an altar to the Lord and lives out of life faithful to God, and God blessed Noah and his sons and they were fruitful and multiplied. And with that, we come to the end of Noah’s story in the Bible.
Now, let’s explore how Moses’ story follows the same structure. Act 1, Departure. Moses is living his quiet life as a shepherd when he comes upon Mount Horeb. Moses is called to adventure when the Lord appears to him in the burning bush. God asks Moses to free the Israelites from Egyptian captivity. Moses refuses the call and says in verse 3:11, “who am I, that I should go to Pharaoh and bring the children of Israel out of Egypt? Moses’ supernatural aid is God, but more specifically Moses is shown there miracles that God uses to show Moses his power and authority. Moses staff is turned to a serpent and back, his hand is turned Leprous and back, and God tells him the water from the Nile will turn to blood when poured out on dry ground. After this interaction with God, Moses crosses the threshold and begins his journey to Egypt. Moses and Aaron arrive in Egypt and we enter the belly of the whale stage in the hero’s journey. Moses and Aaron inspire God’s people in verse 4:31 and Moses fully commits to the task he has been given by God. Moses is no longer arguing or trying to come up with reasons why he’s not capable to fulfill God’s plan. He now takes his first steps in obedience by inspiring the people of Israel. With that we see an end to act 1 and we enter the initiation and act 2 portion of the story.
The approach of the innermost cave for Moses comes in the form of his constant self doubt throughout the story. We see this in Exodus 5: 22-23 as Moses questions God, himself and the plan. All throughout chapter 6 Moses is arguing with God and doubting himself. Moses comes up against, tests, allies, and enemies, and we meet the enemy of the story, Pharaoh and his false gods. We see the trials Moses and the Israelites go through. Moses and Aaron turn to Pharaoh and plead with him to let the people go. Throughout this stage, God through Moses releases the ten plagues, and the Israelites are progressively more oppressed by Pharaoh as he takes away the resources they need to do their jobs. Finally, we come to the Ordeal, or the most difficult part of the story for the hero. The final plague is threatened as God says He will kill every first born child. The Israelites are commanded to sacrifice a lamb without blemish and paint the blood on the doorposts of their homes. The blood will be a sign for you and I will pass over you. Exodus 12:13. God executes the passover and finally Pharaoh releases the Israelites. Moses is given the reward and God’s people are set free. With that we come to the end of Act 2, and we begin act 3, the return. Moses’ refusal of the return comes in the form of the Israelites wandering through the wilderness and questioning God for bringing them into the wilderness to die, and Pharaoh goes back on his word again and pursues the Israelites into the wilderness. The Israelites run from the Egyptians in the Magic Flight stage as they are lead through the wilderness by the pillar or light and smoke. Moses parts the read sea in the rescue from without as God makes a way for the Israelites to escape the Egyptians and destroys their pursuers in the process. The Israelites are saved by God in that Rescue from Without stage. Later on in the story Moses receives the ten commandments as he crosses the return threshold. At this point in the story, Moses has learned to trust in God more quickly and he’s returning to his ordinary life as a shepherd. By the end of the story, Moses is a master of two worlds. He becomes the link between God and His people. He’s learned to trust God more fully and quickly, and in verse 33:11 we see God speak face to face with Moses as a man speaks to his friend. And that is a quick summary of how Moses’ story follows the Hero’s Journey story structure.
Now, let’s explore how David’s story follows the Hero’s Journey. We find our hero or character in Bethlehem as the youngest son of Jesse, going about his life as a simple shepherd boy. He isn’t born into royalty, and as the youngest son there are seemingly more obvious choices for a future king for Samuel to select. David’s call to adventure comes when he is anointed by Samuel to be the future king of Israel. This is also where David meets one of his mentors, Samuel. He’ll have other mentors in Jonathan and Nathan throughout his life story. But, before David takes the mantle as king of Israel, he has a long road ahead of him filled with challenges and struggles, allies and enemies. David crosses the first threshold from his ordinary world into the special world when he is tasked with playing the lyre for King Saul. He moves from his ordinary world as a shepherd boy, to working in the court of the king. As he enters this special world he begins to meet tests, allies and enemies and he’ll go up against a long list of these over the course of his life. The first test or trial and enemy that he meets in Goliath. David defeats Goliath with ease and we start to see that this anointed future King might be the perfect King after all. Everything in David’s life is shaping up to be perfect, right? In chapter 18, we start to see Saul placing David over his men of war. He’s beginning to lead armies and his recognition as the future king of Israel is growing. But then, we see David approach the innermost cave. Saul’s jealousy of David begins to grow and this jealousy will torment their relationship for years, all the way up until Saul’s death. By chapter 19 Saul attempts to kill David. By chapter 20, Saul is so angry and filled with Jealousy for David that he throws a spear at his own son, Jonathan. This is where David goes through his Ordeal, or up to this point in the story, his lowest point and his most difficult challenge. For the next few chapters David is on the run from Saul, living in caves in the wilderness, looking over his shoulder at every turn. During all of this turmoil between David and Saul, there is an on-going war between Israel and the Philistines. Every direction David looks, things are in chaos and turmoil. David is in the Belly of the whale, he’s in the innermost cave, facing challenge after challenge. Finally, in chapter 31 Saul and his sons are killed in battle and the Ordeal begins to escalate. David mourns for the death of Saul and his best friend Jonathan. In 2 Samuel 2 David is anointed king of Judah and we see the conflict escalate even further in the battle of Gibeon. The following chapters are filled with murder and assassinations as the conflict between Israel and Judah continues to escalate. Throughout this entire portion for he story, we see David continually act with honor, we see him grieve and mourn over the death of his enemies. David has come a long way in his journey from small shepherd boy and giant slayer, to King of Judah. He’s faced a giant, served in the court of a king, he’s lived in danger of losing his life at the hands of Saul for years, he’s lossed friends and loved ones, and he’s lead armies into battle. The lessons David learned in those circumstances, lessons in trusting God in the most difficult situations, trusting the gifts and talents David has been given by God, he is now getting to apply in his war with the house of Saul and in 2 Samuel 3 we see that the house of David grows stronger and stronger. David’s army of warriors grows and his strength as a leader increases. Finally, in 2 Samuel 5, David is anointed King of Israel and the tribes of Judah and Israel are finally united under one monarch, united into one Kingdom. This is the Reward stage of David’s Hero’s Journey and we come to the end of Act 2. The Road Back begins the first stage of act 3 and we see David return the ark to the House of David. God makes a covenant with David in 2 Samuel 7. He promises to establish his throne forever and he gives David and Nathan a vision for the temple that David’s son will one day build. David has completed the Hero’s Journey and the promised king of Israel leads the people of God well for the next few chapters and years.
As you can see, David’s story from shepherd boy to king of Israel follows the Hero’s Journey incredibly closely. We could even extend the story out even further and show how David’s entire life follows the hero’s journey. His sin with Bathsheba would fall under the Woman as Temptress stage in Campbell’s version of the structure. The scene in 2 Samuel 21:17, where David almost loses his life would fall into the Resurrection stage of act 3. David’s struggles as a Father are trials and challenges he deals with for most of his life. David’s entire life plays out following the structure, but the story structure also repeats itself throughout David’s life and we can begin to see that this is the story structure that all of us repeat. Departure, we enter a new world filled with unknowns. Initiation, we face challenges and struggles, overcome those challenges and learn something about new about ourselves, and return, applying what we’ve learned to our ordinary world. It’s a cycle we all follow, and it’s why this story structure is so relatable across all cultures, and language groups.
For our last example, I want to show you how Jesus’ own ministry follows the hero’s journey. Now, remember that I’ve stated that C.S. Lewis argued, and I wholeheartedly believe that Jesus is the fulfillment of the monomyth. All of humanity for thousands of years had been telling stories, in this structure, hoping for a hero that would come on the scene with the ability to defeat or cheat death. Here are some examples of the myths people were telling before Christ comes on the scene. From greek mythology you have Hercules, Adonis, Attis and Dionysus. In roman mythology you have Ceres, which is often closely related to Dionysus. Ceres was the Corn King that Paul is most likely referring to in Acts 17: 16-34. There’s Baldr from Norse mythology, Osiris from Egyptian mythology, Inanna and Tammuz from Mesopotamian mythology, and Isanami from Japanese mythology. All of these myths and so many others were stories of gods and hero’s than died and rose again. Humanity was longing for a hero that could defeat death, and we were telling these stories following the Hero’s Journey story structure. Then, 2000 years ago Christ comes on the scene and fulfills the hope we all had, he fulfills the story we were all telling, in the way in which we were telling those stories because he knew that it would relate at the, even more so I believe again that he told the story in the way he wired us and created us to relate to the story. Man, if that’s not a picture and example of how much God loves us, how deeply he desire redemption with Himself, how hard he is trying to bring us back to himself, I don’ know what is. We serve a good God who does everything he can to redeem us without breaking our free will. Now, Jesus’ ministry doesn’t follow the Hero’s Journey perfectly. He’s fully God and fully man. He doesn’t need to learn something about himself that he can apply to future experiences. Jesus was perfect, but the story still plays out following the basic structure. I also want to point out the timeline difference between David and Jesus’ story. David’s story follows the story structure over a significant portion of David’s life, while with Jesus, as we’ll see shortly, we’re going to cover the steps of the story structure pretty quickly. Alright, let’s take a look at the Hero’s Journey and Jesus’ ministry.
Act 1 – We meet Jesus at the beginning of the story at the age of 30 where his ministry begins. He is called to adventure when he is baptized by John the Baptist and he is given a supernatural aid when the holy spirit descends on him like a dove. Jesus won’t refuse the call until later in the story, but he does refuse the call in Matthew 26:39 when he says, “My father, if it be possible, let this cup pass from me; nevertheless, not as I will, but as you will.” Jesus crosses the threshold in and enters the special world in Matthew 26:55-56 when he gives himself up without a fight. Jesus enters the belly of the whale as he is taken captive and his road to trials starts at the Sanhedrin when he is mocked, beaten, and humiliated by Pilate, Herod, and the Pharisees. In Joseph Campbell’s version, which we’re following for Jesus’ story, the woman as temptress stage comes in the form of temptations from a soldier who offers Jesus wine and vinegar, and the scribes and pharisees who mocked him saying, He saved others, yet he cannot save himself. The next stage is the atonement with the father as Jesus says, “Father, into your hands I commit my spirit. This is the climax or culmination of the story and Jesus gives up his spirit. The next stage is the ultimate Boon and we see the temple curtain tear. Through his death we see the end of the old covenant and a new covenant made. We are given direct access to the Father through the son and his work on the cross. Now, as we enter act 3, the first stage in act 3 is the refusal of the return. Jesus is in the ground for 3 days and his disciples believe everything is over. The magic flight stage is Jesus’ return from death and his resurrection. In the next stage he is rescued from without when he is Risen and the work is completed. Jesus crosses the return threshold when he ascends to rejoin the father at his right side and Jesus is with that Jesus is the master of two worlds. He has entered our world, made a way for humanity’s redemption and communion with the father, and he returns to the Father having fulfilled the call to adventure and thousands of years of prophecy, and he fulfilled it in a way that he knew would relate to us, a way that fulfilled the stories we had been telling and hoping for for millennia.
Jesus is the fulfillment of the mono myth.
Now, this can all seem like a lot of information. The points I’ve been attempting to make throughout this story series is that not only are stories powerful, and that we need to be telling more stories more often, but we have a story structure we know engages with and relates to all people. We can plug out stories and testimonies into a template that is engrained in us by our creator, and we can know that we’ll be sharing a story that is going to engage with any audience. As we wrap up today, I want to quickly show you how this story structure can be applied to testimony.
We’ve talked about Dan Harmon quite a few times throughout this series. Dan Harmon’s version of the Hero’s Journey goes like this: A character, has a need, so they cross the threshold and go, they search on the road to trials, they find what they’re looking for, take it, and return to their ordinary world having changed. Dan Harmon’s version is a simplified 8 step model and I want to share how my own testimony can fall into this structure in a minute long testimony.
Step 1. YOU – We’re introduced to the character. My name is Zach Leighton. I grew up in a Christian home, but my faith was not my own. I knew all of the Sunday school bible answers, but I didn’t have a personal relationship with Jesus.
Step 2. NEED – something isn’t right. For the most part I followed the rules, but throughout my teen years I put my hope in being good enough on my own, I was self-righteous, and yet I lived a double-life. In my private life I was addicted to pornography and I was filled with self doubt and anger. I lived in constant guilt because of my porn addiction, and I lived with self-doubt because I couldn’t muster up the strength to be good enough to stop my addiction on my own. I wasn’t capable of being good enough on my own strength.
Step 3. Go – I was introduced to the real Jesus when I was 18, when my best friend Justin Almas showed me what it looked like to have a relationship with God. Justin showed me that God wanted a personal and intimate relationship with me, that he loved me, which I always knew in my head, but he showed me that Jesus liked me and he wanted me to know him.
Step 4. SEARCH – As Jesus began to work in my heart through my relationship with Justin, I found myself reading the Bible and praying a lot more often. I wanted to go to church. I started to find this desire in me to make my faith my own.
Step 5. FIND – As I started pursuing the Lord, my porn addiction just stopped. I found myself less angry and more in love with Jesus. I still struggled with anger and self-righteousness, but things were changing. I was finding a relationship with Jesus. Things were different.
Step 6. TAKE – When I was 18 I got baptized and made a re-commitment to Christ. I remember asking Jesus into my heart when I was 6, but this was different. I wanted to follow Jesus for the rest of my life.
Step 7. RETURN – I said yes to Jesus in front of my entire congregation and that’s when everything really began to change. My addiction to porn was gone. My parents starting seeing a difference in me. I wasn’t as angry or liable to fly off the handle at my brother and sister. Christ saved me from a life of self-righteousness, addiction, and anger and into a life where Jesus sits on the throne of my life.
Step 8. CHANGE – From that moment on my life completely changed. My priorities changed. From that moment on every decision I made was affected and informed by my relationship with the Lord. My life with Christ affects every decision that I make. I walk in grace rather than guilt. I still struggle, but things are different and not only am I confident in my eternal dwelling, I get to spend eternity with my creator, my savior, my king. Jesus changed everything for me.
And that’s my initial transformation story that happened 16 years ago. But that’s not the only story I have to tell. Remember, we live the Hero’s Journey on repeat. We are constantly being sanctified and transformed throughout our lives as we follow Jesus. As we confront challenges, or as sin is revealed and uprooted in our hearts, we repent, die to our old ways, and we’re reborn to new life. This is not salvation taking place over and over again, but it is the process of sanctification. We are constantly dying to our old self and being made new as Christ makes us more like him. So, here’s another one of my testimonies from years into my walk and relationship with Jesus, and you and I have a thousand more stories just like this.
Step 1. YOU – My name is Zach Leighton and I grew up in a Christian home. I put my hope is Jesus when I was 18 and I’ve been following Him ever since. But my Christian life is by no means perfect.
Step 2. NEED – I’ve struggled with anger and placed my hope in being good enough on my own, even though that’s one of the things He saved me out of when I was 18. I’ve struggled with anger my whole life and I’ve never been able to figure out why. I thought that anger was the root sin in my life and that I just need to be less angry and lay anger at his feet, but Jesus knew me better than I knew myself. He knew there was something deeper.
Step 3. GO – My wife was incredibly patient with me and simply kept saying maybe you should see a therapist to help you figure out what the root cause is. I was stubborn for the first 7 years of our marriage, but the problem kept getting worse. I never did anything to harm my wife, but the lack of control I had over my anger was scaring me. So I reached out to a Christian therapist.
Steps 4. SEARCH – As I began to explore the root cause of my anger, I found something I didn’t expect, which as a side note, is often the case in this step in the Hero’s Journey. My therapist helped me realize my anger was rooted in something deeper. I thought anger was my core sin issue, but what the Lord revealed to me during therapy was that I worshiped control, success, and performance. And when I didn’t have control or I wasn’t successful or didn’t feel like I performed, then I got angry. Tim Keller defined power idolatry as potential worship of success or performance. I didn’t care to have power over other people, but Op, I sure cared about whether or not I was successful or performed, primarily in work. When I realized that I came to step 5
Step 5. FIND – I found what I was really struggling with and I was able to lay that specific sin down at his feet. I was able to identify what was truly making me angry. If I blew up in a fit of anger, or something little set me off, I could take a step back, realize I didn’t have control in that moment, and lay the worship of control at his feet.
Step 6. TAKE – Now I can lay the specific sin down and have an understanding behind the surface level struggle.
And step 7 and 8. RETURN & CHANGE – Now that I know what’s really going on I know what I can lay down. I’ve shared in his death and resurrection by specifically laying down my worship of control, success, and performance, and I can share in his death of those sins and resurrection to new live again. The Lord continues to pursue my heart. He continues to show his great love for me in that he died for my worship of control. He died for my worship of power. And I can lay those things at the foot of the cross and I’m more in love with him now because he continually shows up and shows that he’s pursuing the deepest levels of my heart. He’s making me more like him every day.
My point in all of this is to show that we don’t need to stop at our salvation or initial transformation story. If we’ve followed Jesus for any extended period of time, we should have countless stories of his receptive work in our lives. There are endless stories to be told. There should be no shortage of stories and testimonies in the Church. It’s simply a matter of documenting and sharing what God is doing in our lives. It’s a matter of making this process a practice, and hopefully I’ve given you a tool that will make it easier for you and your ministry to go and testify of his great work in your lives.
