What Happened to the "Rainbow Man?"

Read: Philippians 1:12-17; Philippians 2:1-8

Tomorrow the Super Bowl will be played; so, I'm having football player thoughts. For example, I remembered Tim Tebow having displayed John 3:16 on his eye black. Also, there was the game where Tebow passed for 316 yards, along with other statistics that bore the 316 numbers. Those thoughts caused me to wonder. What ever happened to that man who used to display the John 3:16 signs? I discovered that his name was Rollen Stewart, and people used to call him the "Rainbow Man." I wondered if he is still alive and if so, what he might be doing? What a strange story I read concerning Mr. Stewart.

He was born in 1944, and his family situation was a difficult one. He wanted to be an actor, but that never came to fruition for him. Because he wanted to be noticed, he wore an odd costume, topped off with his signature rainbow wig. It wasn't long before he was seen at all kinds of sporting events. It is reported that he was born again and that was the reason that he held up the John 3:16 signs. However, sadly, his behavior became stranger and stranger as the years went by. It is sufficient to say that he was arrested in 1993 and convicted on eight felony charges. He has been in the Mule Creek State Prison in California for more than three decades. Each time he has come up for parole, he has been denied.

One of the articles I read about him said that he is the picture of what not to do if you are trying to evangelize. That was because his behavior as times, was often unloving. Like the time he set off an electronic air horn at the 1990 Masters Tournament just before Jack Nicklaus was about to swing; however, it was not his odd and often disruptive conduct, but one of the comments that the article generated that gave me pause. The commenter said that he knew people who had given their lives to Jesus after discussions that sprang out of Stewart's scripture sign. If that is the case, it is another reminder that the work of the Holy Spirit isn't hampered by a person's inadequacies or sins. How amazing is God's grace that He is able to pour out even through those who seem so unlikely. Yes, even us. God is and does use the most unlikely people according to His choosing. His truth is precious whether it is conveyed through Tim Tebow or Rollen Stewart.

Please know that in no way am I suggesting that the Lord doesn't care how we live our lives. He calls us to be holy as He is holy, 1 Peter 1:14-16. Our lives are meant to show more and more to a watching world, what He is like. Even so, as our scripture passage for today also highlights, He sometimes uses those who are unkind and have bad motives. Let's look into what Paul said about a situation he faced while in prison.

At the time Philippians was written, Paul was under house arrest and guarded by Roman soldiers. He was not free to come and go; however, his friends could visit, and he was able to write his epistles. Some of those who knew Paul did what was encouraging and uplifting to the apostle. His lack of freedom caused them to be bold in sharing the Good News. What a happy thought. They loved Paul, and he knew it. However, this was not universally true. Some who knew of Paul's imprisonment spoke the Good News about Jesus with hearts full of envy and rivalry. They wanted to cause trouble for Paul and their preaching wasn't motivated by hearts of love.

Paul's reaction? He was joyful because God's truth was going out. He didn't concentrate his thoughts on the bad actions and motives of those who opposed him. The fact that Jesus was being preached was what brought him joy. Even so, we know that Paul cared about actions and motives. In Philippians 2:1-8, the apostle called for unity among believers. He held out Jesus as the prime example of humility. Only abundant love could be behind Jesus becoming a man so that He could die for us, John 1:14; 2 Corinthians 8:9; 2 Corinthians 9:15. Yet, even though those who wanted to add to Paul's difficulties weren't displaying the kind of life Paul exhorted his followers to live, Paul rejoiced supremely in the fact that God's truth was going out. That was of the utmost importance to him.

Back to Mr. Stewart. I couldn't find any information about his life behind bars. Has he made a turn-around? Is he possibly telling others about the most precious message anyone could relay, John 3:16. I don't know, but thankfully, God is so big that if any seeds remain from his planting decades ago, perhaps they will be watered by someone and God will allow them to bear fruit. God is surely big enough to do that and even more, Ephesians 3:20.