Tim Tebow was in the news again this morning. It wasn’t because of anything he had done. No,
Mr. Tebow was in the news again because of the actions of others. An atheist group in New Jersey has made a
public statement that Tebow is, “full of crap.”
(Classy!) Their spokesman cannot
comprehend why anyone would inject something as divisive as religion in
something so wonderfully unifying as football.
Did I just step into Bizzaro-World?
Anyhow, they think Tebow is doing all of his religious “antics”
on the field for his own personal gain. What
has Tebow gained other than the vitriolic histrionics of the media and people
who believe there is no God. (People
that are deeply offended (scared?) that someone might publicly express faith in
Him?)
I’ve been watching the media’s reaction to Tebow, and
wondering what is going on. What’s the
big deal? I can name a good number of
Christian ball players who publicly display their faith. It’s a very common occurrence for players
from both teams to take a knee and pray before and after games. (They were “Tebowing” before Tebowing was
cool!) What’s up?
I think that all
of this is a manifestation of Psalm 2. “Why
do the nations rage, and peoples plot in vain?
The kings of the earth set themselves and the rulers take counsel
together, against the Lord and against his anointed…,” that is, against his
messiah, as the Hebrew text says.
I’m not saying that Tebow is the messiah, and I don’t
think he is saying that either. But
Tebow, like all Christians, represents the messiah, Jesus of Nazareth, to this
world. Our presence here on earth makes
a statement: There is a God and all
people are accountable to Him. That is a
statement of judgment and law, to be sure!
However, our life in faith reminds a world that is trying to figure out
how to “burst their bonds” and “cast away their cords,” that is, they are
trying to no longer be accountable to God, that they are indeed accountable to
Him, and there is nothing they can do about it.
The Christian life is a statement to the world that apart
from Jesus there is no hope. “There is
no other name, given under heaven, given among men, by which we must be saved,”
than the name of Jesus. (Acts 4:12) That is what is at the heart of this
Psalm. Jesus, God’s Son, was born to
rescue His people from this world, its sin and its rebellion. “Blessed are all who take refuge in him.” In the shadow of the cross all people will
find life, forgiveness, hope, and salvation.
Yet to those who refuse God’s gift. To those who reject Jesus, longing to be gods
unto themselves, this word of judgment stands:
“You shall break them with a rod of iron and dash them to pieces like a
potter’s vessel.” The day will come when
Jesus will return to judge the living and the dead, and in that day, those who
reject Jesus will do all they can to hide from His face. What will be the day of joy and salvation to
those who believe, will be a day of terror to those who do not.
Yet in all of this it is God’s heart that all people be
saved and come to the knowledge of the truth:
that He loves all people so much that He gave Jesus, His Son, who has
rescued us by His death and resurrection.
And we embody that message to the world as well. We are a message of law and gospel to this
world. We condemn it for rejecting God,
but we also hold out the Word of Life in Jesus.
Father, help me be
both law and gospel in this world. Let
me represent You well for Jesus sake, and for the sake of those who might hear
of Your love through me, believe, and be saved.
Amen.
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