Winning! June 21 Readings: 1 Kings 21, John 20, Psalm 75:7–10, Proverbs 15:23–24

Links to June 21 Readings: 1 Kings 21, John 20, Psalm 75:7–10, Proverbs 15:23–24

My athletic career was a powerful opus of mediocrity. I was just above average at basketball, soccer, tennis, baseball/softball and several other sports. I guess I excelled at table tennis more than any other sport I ever played, but no ping pong manufacturers were asking for my endorsement. My competitive zeal and love of sports far outweighed my talent.

But I have a few very sweet memories of athletic victories - an important tennis match in high school, some big wins during my coaching career, a couple of men's league basketball games.

One game sticks out, a game in which I was a coach, not a player. It was the championship game of the big Christian school tournament in Eastern Iowa. My middle school team was not expected to win against our rival, the team that always seemed to have our number. With the final seconds of the game ticking away, my son Ben scored a goal on a penalty kick to tie the game. In the overtime, we won the tournament in penalty kicks, with Ben again scoring the winning goal.

There is nothing more fun that watching the side you are on overcome overwhelming odds to defeat a rival.

But no sporting event, not even the Miracle on Ice, the 1978 Yankees or any of the great comebacks, can compare at all with the glorious victory won in John 20. It seemed to all that the Enemy had won the victory by getting the religious leaders put Jesus to death. The bad guys seemed to be on top.

But that was not true. On the morning of the first day of the week, Mary Magdalene wandered over to the Tomb, drawn by her grief to see where Jesus lay. But when she arrived, something had happened. There was no one there. She ran back to Peter and John to tell them and they raced to find the Tomb empty.

Jesus won. Satan threw every evil scheme he had at Jesus, but he could not defeat him. Jesus rose in the power of God to once and for all seal the eternal defeat of Satan and to establish his kingdom. Jesus is the Victor over sin, hell, Satan and death itself.

Of course, we know that the end was already written, that God's throne was not threatened and that Satan never had a chance to succeed. We know that now. But at the time, it looked like Jesus had been defeated. The resurrection proved he was not. In the end, he rose as the conqueror and he now stands as the undisputed champion of this world, the Lord of all.

Father, your power raised Jesus from the dead, defeated Satan, sin and death utterly and established my eternal hope. For that, I can only give thanks.