Who Wants to Be A Second Fiddle?
A fiddle is the unofficial term for a violin—my favourite musical instrument. To play the first or lead fiddle is a position of honour reserved for preeminent musicians while the other musicians play the second fiddle. The noun “second fiddle” is used as a metaphor, in our day-to-day language, to signify somebody in a position or rank of less importance to someone else.
Leonard Bernstein, the renowned American orchestra conductor, when asked what the most difficult instrument to play was. “Second fiddle!” he was said to have answered without missing a beat, and further added,
I can always get plenty of first violinists, but to find one who plays second violin with as much enthusiasm, or second French horn, or second flute, now that’s a problem. And yet if no one plays second, we have no harmony.
This quote leads to my feature story, the opening match of the 2018 FIFA World Cup Soccer Championship finals between Croatia and Nigeria. According to most news media reports, at this World Cup, Croatia had only two natural strikers, Mario Mandzukic and Nikola Kalinic. Kalinic was placed on the reserved bench until five minutes to end that game, when the coach, Zlatko Dalic instructed him to dress up and replace another player.
However, Kalinic furiously refused to play, in protest of being left on the bench. He was indeed a talented player who had played in the Italian football league, Seria A for clubs like AC Milan, Roma, Fiorentina and for the Spanish club, Athletico Madrid. So, he saw himself as a star player, and he would not come on for just five minutes. Therefore, the coach turned to another player, Pjaca for the substitution.
After the match, Kalinic still refused to apologize to his coach, despite appeals from the coaching team.
So, the coach, summarily, dismissed him from the team, and sent him home from Russia. Kalinic, nonchalantly, took off on holidays, and even posted pictures of himself enjoying elsewhere on social media. He, probably, thought, Croatia will not go anywhere in the tournament. However, without him, the team rallied round and managed to win their matches.
Surprisingly, Croatia achieved their greatest football achievement in history by reaching the World Cup final. The remaining twenty-two players (second fiddles) became national heroes. Their names were forever etched in the hearts of generations. They were runners up to France, the eventual cup winner!
Kalinic was not part of the winning team all because of five minutes of anger, pride, and inflated ego. He would play second fiddle to nobody. He would be no one’s second banana but it was too late for him to sing, “I have no regret…” The moral lesson of this story that “God opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble” is a recurring theme in all spheres of life (Jam 4:6 ESV). Years of toil and conscientious service can be blown away by our refusal to be second fiddle. No wonder, as Bernstein observed, it is the most difficult position to fill in an orchestra—home, church, work, ministry, etc.
Our contemporary narratives: work for no one, be your own boss, build your own dream, your own ministry, your, your, etc., can probably be adduced to explain this difficulty. We often make people feel ashamed by inuendoes that they have worked for one company all their lives and do not own their own businesses. Dr. Nathaniel Wilson, in his book The Defining Moment, asked an incisive question, “if you have not helped others build their own ships who will help you build yours?” We need to evaluate how we view vision and leadership. Does a second fiddle have vision from God? We cannot be a first fiddle unless we have first been a good second fiddle.
A Good Example of a Second Fiddle
Who wants to be a second fiddle and live in someone else’s shadows unless, of course, you are John the Baptist? Ever since reading George MacDonald’s book Ordering Your Private World, I have developed a new appreciation for the integrity for this wild honey and locust eater. The Gospel of John states that John the Baptist, one of the greatest of prophets in the Bible, was sent by God “ONLY as a witness to the light” (Matt 11:11; Lk. 7:28; Jn 1:6-8 NIV). John himself, at the top of his voice, yelled to the anxious crowd:
This is the one I told you would come! He is greater than I am, because he was alive before I was born… He must increase, but I must decrease (Jn 1:15; 3:30 CSB).
Basically, John was saying, I am Jesus’ second fiddle. But O, what a fiddle he was to the King of kings and the Lord of lords, the Lily of the valley and the Rose of Sharon!
John was no ordinary child, he was a child of destiny who knew his role in the scheme of things and would not allow anyone to place him on a pedestal (Lk 1, 13-17; 63-64, 76; Isa 40:3). When asked who he was, he did not embellish his position, rather, he stated emphatically, “I am not the Messiah,” in other words, I cannot save you (Jn 1:20; 3:28). John was the second fiddle sent to herald the arrival of the Groom, Jesus (Yahweh in human form). Are you glad when others get the spotlights and you don’t?
Everywhere John the Baptist went, he had only one message: Jesus was greater, better, older, only Jesus can save, forgive sin, and give the Holy Spirit at his own discretion. From personal experience, I know it is hard admitting that someone else is better than us, but John had no such problem. He had a clear vision from God of his purpose, and he was comfortable with who he was with or without affirmations. The hallmark of a second fiddle is seen in John’s willingness to turn his whole church over to Jesus since He created everything, so He owns them anyway.
In conclusion, I should point out that to create harmony in an orchestra, the second fiddle (violin) is the one who leads the other second fiddles to support the first fiddle who plays the melody. Does that not sound like the body of Christ? Are you ready to support whoever your first fiddle is? Will you be a John the Baptist to lead others to Christ using the second fiddle formula, “He must increase, but I must decrease?” Lord, please help us to die to ourselves. Amen.