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Hidden In Plain Sight

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If Hollywood has taught us anything, it’s that we love a good reveal. I'm talking about the moment when the person everyone overlooked, dismissed, forgot about, or assumed was gone steps out of the shadows and changes everything. It's one of the oldest stories ever told. In fact, it's older than Hollywood, or Disney, or Star Wars, older than Harry Potter; this story was set in the Book of Kings.

Today’s reading begins with a woman named Athaliah who makes most movie villains look cuddly. When her son dies, she seizes power and attempts to eliminate the entire royal family so nobody can challenge her claim to the throne.

One Problem: a child survives, Joash, a baby. A nurse and a courageous relative spirited him away and hid him in the Temple. For six years, he lives in secret while Athaliah rules the kingdom. A hidden child and a handful of people protecting a promise.

Then comes the reveal. The priests bring him out. The crown is placed on his head. Trumpets sound. Athaliah screams, “Treason!” Suddenly the kingdom discovers that what they thought was dead had been alive the entire time. The rightful king was never gone. He was hidden.

Most of us first encountered this story outside Scripture.

Simba. Scar seizes the throne. The rightful heir is driven into exile. Years later, Simba returns, reclaims his place, and restores peace to the Pride Lands. The kingdom literally goes from a barren wasteland to flourishing life.

The final line of the Joash story could almost fit at the end of The Lion King: "All the people rejoiced, and the city was quiet." In this case, all the animals rejoiced, and the savannah was quiet.

Luke Skywalker. A farm boy on a desert planet. Nothing special, hidden away, protected from an empire. Growing up unaware of who he really is. Until the moment comes. The farm boy becomes the hope of the galaxy. The hidden heir steps into the light.

Harry Potter. A child marked for death before he can even walk. Protected by the sacrifice of others. He was raised in obscurity, completely unaware of his significance. Then one day he learns the truth.

Aragorn. For my fellow fantasy nerds, Aragorn may be the closest thing to Joash outside the Bible. The rightful king spends years wandering as a ranger. Most people don't even know who he is. When the time comes, the hidden king emerges. The crown fits because it was always his. The reveal simply makes visible what was true all along.

We never get tired of this story because deep down we know it's not really about kings. It's about promises. It's about believing that what matters most can survive even when circumstances suggest otherwise. The hidden heir story tells us something we desperately want to hear. Just because you can't see it doesn't mean it's gone. Just because darkness occupies the throne doesn't mean darkness wins.

Joash spends six years hiding. Moses spends forty years in the wilderness. (King) David spends years tending to sheep. Joseph spends years in prison. Jesus spends thirty years in relative obscurity before three years of public ministry.

Apparently, God is far less impressed with visibility than we are. We live in a world obsessed with being noticed. On social media, many of us crave followers, likes, and/or views.

God often seems to prefer preparation. The Kingdom of God contains an uncomfortable amount of waiting. The story of Joash reminds us that hidden and forgotten are not the same thing. A future king in the Temple is hidden. Hidden things are often growing.

As I write this leading up to Juneteenth, another thought occurs to me. Juneteenth is also a story about something that was true before people knew it. The Emancipation Proclamation had already declared enslaved people free. The promise existed. Yet many enslaved people in Texas did not learn that freedom had been declared until June 19, 1865. Freedom was real, but it had not yet been revealed. The truth existed before it was experienced, before the people heard the news.

Now, Joash and Juneteenth are obviously very different stories. One is about preserving a royal line. The other is about the long and painful struggle toward freedom and human dignity.

But they share a common thread. Sometimes the most important realities are already in motion long before we can see them. Sometimes liberation is underway before it is experienced. Sometimes what appears lost is simply waiting to be revealed.

My favorite line from today’s reading was "All the people of the land rejoiced, and the city was quiet."  After the wrong ruler occupied the throne. Peace arrived when the rightful king was revealed.

Maybe that's why we love these stories. Whether it's Joash, or Moses floating down a river, David tending sheep, Simba returning to Pride Rock, Luke staring at twin suns, Harry receiving a letter from Hogwarts, Aragorn stepping forward to claim the crown, or the people of Texas finally hearing that freedom had already been declared.  What is meant to be revealed may be hidden for a season, but it is never forgotten. If life feels hidden right now, take heart. You are not forgotten; you may simply be in your Temple years. Waiting for what God has been preparing you for all along to finally step into the light.

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