The score is 67 to nothing. And, needless to say, the team you're on seems to be losing something fierce! Somehow, you are way out-manned by the home team, hence the score. To make things more depressing, the other team is fouling right & left, not getting caught. Some of your teammates are so badly injured, they have to leave the game. To add insult to injury, your teammates are racking up fouls when they are the ones being fouled!
The home team is amazed that you don't play the same way they do. And they heckle, taunt & ridicule you as the visiting team.It seems like they get away with murder! This stinks! Something's fishy.
However, your Coach keeps instructing you to play fair no matter what. He speaks of your Team Captain, who’s held as a prime example & who played with the utmost integrity, yet was brutally fouled beyond belief & had to leave the game, while making a huge play.Everyone thought it was over.Then, shortly thereafter, the Captain amazingly came back in for a while, then left to go work alongside the Coach.Even while monitoring every detail of the game, They are instructing & training teammates, even tending to their wounds!As if that wasn’t enough, they work with the Offensive Coordinator to recruit players; and get this, they start with those from the other team who are low performers & badly injured!It’s hard to understand, but these players usually turn out to play the hardest. In fact, you & everyone on your team were once traded from the other team.
It’s tempting to get preoccupied with enjoying the lush turf of the home teams beautiful stadium & lose focus on the game at hand because it doesn't seem worth it.Despite the fact that there’s loads of equipment available, some teammates aren’t wearing pads or helmets while others can’t get traction because they don’t wear cleats.No wonder so many are injured.The Coach instructs our teammates to frequently huddle to encourage each other & warn of these vary dangers; to study the play book & learn the Captain’s strategies.Though, there are many who do heed the warnings & give it their all.The Coach reminds us that the Captain still need more recruits.He tells us to just get the word out & He’ll take care of the rest.
Suddenly, your Team Captain shows up & makes a play that’s a total game-changer.The next thing you know, the game is over.But, strangely, the home team isn’t celebrating.The Captain gathers your team together & tells you that the score shown on the score board is meaningless. He tells you the home team had control over the board & they inserted their own refs even though they didn't know how to make calls or tally scores. He adds that He is the only one qualified to score & make calls because He invented the game & the rules were not subject to change.
According to the rule book, regardless of the team, if anyone fouled even just once, it negated all the points they scored or would ever score.Because the Captain was the only one who never fouled, only He could score. As it turns out, the only way anyone was a winner was because of the Team Captain’s points, but to win, you had to be on His team roster & recognize your fouls.
Upon returning home, there’s a major celebration to honor the Captain & an award ceremony. You see all the players you had only read about & meet up with all the teammates who had to leave the game. Many are noted to be MVP’s for doing things that seemed to go unnoticed & totally contrary to the other team’s strategy.There were awards for sportsmanlike conduct, recruiting, looking for the Captain’s comeback, being fouled, leading huddles & other things.Funny how some thought their plays would be recognized, but they weren’t.In fact, there were also some at the game who had worn our team’s jersey, but didn’t make it to the celebration.I guess they were really on the other team.
It turns out, all those on the other team have not only attempted to throw the game & play by their own rules, but have broken serious laws.The Coach will be pressing charges to the full penalty of the law.And in an ironic twist, the Captain happens to be the Judge…
Mt 7.13-14, 1 Pet 2.11
Ps 92.6-9, Rom 12.19
Lk 6.22
1 Pet 4.4, Jn 15.19
Lk 6.27, Rom 12.17-18 Acts 2.23, 1 Pet 2.22-23 Mk 14.50 Rom 8.34 Mt 10.29-31, 23.10 1 Pet 2.24 Jn 16.8, 1 Pet 1.12 Isa 61.1 Eph 2.1-5
Mt 13.22, 1 Jn 2.15 2 Pet 1.3 Eph 6.14-18 1 Cor 11.30, 1 Pet 5.8 Jas 4.1-3, 5.16, Heb 10.25 Jn 8.31, 15.7-8 Acts 1.8, Mk 16.15