by Dale Reeves
Story Pastor
This past Sunday at Christ’s Church, I preached a message that I entitled “Jesus Is for Losers.” All throughout Scripture God loves to accomplish his purposes through underdogs who faced impossible odds—people like the judge Gideon, the young shepherd boy David, and the prophet Elijah. When a mighty victory was won, there was no mistaking that it was through the strong arm of the Lord. If you missed that message, you can check it out here.
Then, after church I cheered for our grandson Luke, who’s in the first grade, as he ran up and down the soccer field. I was amazed when he stepped into the net for his first attempt at being a goalie. (Honestly, I think he just likes the fact that the goalie can touch the ball with his hands, wearing those cool gloves!) He made a couple of good saves, and we cheered for him! Just a year ago, in the same area of town, soccer was very instructional, played on a much smaller field, and they didn’t keep score. Fast-forward to this year, and it is much more competitive. Even though there was no fancy scoreboard for spectators to observe, I’m pretty sure most of the kids in this U-8 league knew the score at the end of the game.
In contrast to that, his younger brother Liam’s instructional soccer league is not about winning and losing, but about having fun, learning the game, getting some exercise, trotting around the field like one big amoeba, and enjoying a snack when the game is over. And his cousin Miles’s first year of coach-pitched baseball is so fun to watch. Each child gets to swing the bat numerous times until he or she makes contact with the ball (which may happen when the tee is brought to home plate). Then, all players advance one base until the last batter in an inning hits the ball, and all players run to home. Miles has watched the Reds on TV so much this summer, that he is the best slider out there! There are no outs, though the fielders are taught to try to catch the ball and make the throw to first base. The goal of this league is to learn the game, have as few tears as possible, and have no one get hurt.
It is in the DNA of most kids I have observed to want to be better than everyone else. There is a competitive spirit that seems to be engrained in our egos, though some kids would rather just play video games by themselves at home. And, when parents sniff the possibility that their kid might just have a shot at excelling, and even getting a college scholarship in sports in a few years, the rigorous discipline of training hard can kick into high gear for kids at a very early age. My goal for this writing is not to either defend, nor criticize, how hard kids are pushed in their athletic pursuits, but to simply contrast this approach with what Jesus pointed out to his disciples.
A Great Paradox
There’s a statement that Jesus says not just once, but several times in Scripture. As a matter of fact, this statement appears in all four of the Gospels—Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John. I take that to mean that these are pretty vital verses for us to grapple with. The context of the first two verses (Matthew and Mark) is the same. Jesus made this statement on the heels of telling his disciples of his impending suffering, crucifixion, and resurrection.
“For whoever wants to save their life will lose it, but whoever loses their life for me will find it” (Matthew 16:25, NIV).
“For whoever wants to save their life will lose it, but whoever loses their life for me and for the gospel will save it” (Mark 8:35, NIV).
Always ready to put his foot in his mouth, Peter took Jesus aside and rebuked him, telling him these things would never happen to the Lord. But Jesus immediately corrected Peter, and challenged all of them (and us!) that whoever would be his disciple must deny themselves, take up their cross, and follow him! And, then he made this statement about losing life to find it. He spoke of forfeiting one’s soul by just trying to “gain the whole world.” Have you ever known a professional ball player willing to “sell his soul” in order to win a game or a championship? Uh, yep.
According to Luke the physician, Jesus made this statement in the midst of a discourse concerning what will happen when Christ returns to the earth a second time:
“Whoever seeks to preserve his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life will keep it” (Luke 17:33, ESV).
Then, finally in the Gospel of John, Jesus makes this counterintuitive statement after telling his disciples that his death is just around the corner. “Those who love their life in this world will lose it. Those who care nothing for their life in this world will keep it for eternity” (John 12:25, NLT).
And, then he adds this statement in John 12:26, “Anyone who wants to serve me must follow me, because my servants must be where I am. And the Father will honor anyone who serves me” (NLT).
Just for fun, because we’re getting ready for an amazing Pirates and Pizza event this Friday night for families in our church and community, the Pirate Bible renders this verse as follows:
“If any buccaneer serve me, let them sail alongside me; and wherever me and me crew be, there shall also me follower be: If any scallywag serve me, they’ll be due the honor of me Father” (John 12:26, Pirate Bible).
Jesus Won
So, does God care if our grandsons win or lose their baseball and soccer games? Is he invested in how the Bearcats, Buckeyes, Bengals, and Browns perform every Saturday and Sunday? I don’t think so. But, I do think he cares how we compete in life not just on the weekend, but every day. He wants to know if we are willing to lose it all for the cause of Christ in order to really find him. He’s interested in us “signing our death certificate” by admitting how desperate we are without him, and that we are willing to die to ourselves in baptism, so that we can live a new life for him (see Romans 6:1-11).
No matter what losses have occurred in your life, no matter how big of a loser you may think you are in life, in relationships, in your job, in your achievements, God will take your losses and convert them into a huge win, if you will decide to surrender all of your stuff and lay it all down before him. I’ve read the end of the Book, and I know that we win, not because of anything we have done—but because of aligning ourselves with the right team, the right coach, and the right agent (Jesus) who represents us before the Creator of the entire universe. And, he says, “I gave my life for these losers, I have redeemed their lives from their own self-destruction, they belong to me!”
Jesus says in John 16:33, “In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world” (NIV).
Heaven is a place for those who know they are spiritually lost without him. Jesus won. So can we. Jesus died for losers in order to give them victory. It is a great paradox—to lose is to win.