Tim Keller
Reason for God
Chapter 11
page 179
Photo from WikiCommons.
This is the question posed by religion writer Tom Krattenmaker in his USA Today op-ed, “When Tim Tebow loses, does God, too?” If this seems like a silly question, remember that some Christians have been seeing Tebow’s amazing victories as quarterback of the Denver Broncos as miracles. Particularly inspiring was the fact that in the Broncos’ shocking victory over the Pittsburgh Steelers, Tebow passed for 316 yards with a completion rate of 31.6 yards per pass. It doesn’t take a Christian rocket scientist to note that Tebow’s stats align neatly with his favorite Bible verse, John 3:16.
A cynic like me might point out that it would have been more obviously miraculous if Tebow’s passing average had been 3.16 yards, rather than 31.6. Didn’t anybody notice that Deuteronomy 31:6 reads, “Be strong! Be fearless! Don’t be afraid and don’t be scared by your enemies, because the LORD your God is the one who marches with you. He won’t let you down, and he won’t abandon you.”
Anyway, for those who have been seeing Tebow’s leadership of Bronco victories as evidence for God’s blessing of Tebow, or even as proof of God’s existence, the Bronco’s recent loss to the Patriots, by the very unmiraculous score of 45-10, does feel unsettling, to say the least. Has God lost something in the process? Credibility? Believability? Excellent seats for the Super Bowl?
I’d like to suggest a contrary thought. When Tebow loses, God stands to win. Yes, that’s right. In fact, I’d go so far as to say that God might gain more from Tebow’s losses than from his victories. Please allow me to explain.
When the Denver Broncos are winning because of Tebow’s “Hail Mary” passes . . . oops, sorry, wrong version of Christianity. Let me try again. When the Denver Broncoes are winning because of Tebow’s miraculous passing, and when he is glorying in these victories, his thanking Jesus could seem shallow.
I’m not suggesting that Tebow is shallow, only that he might appear to be so. It’s easy to love Jesus when things are going well in your life. But the real test of faith, the real test of character, the real evidence of a miracle is when people thank God in the midst of suffering. Thus, if Tebow’s team loses, and if he continues to be a person of faith and faithfulness, then his witness to Christ will be more compelling. Thus my conclusion: If Tebow loses, God just might win even more.
Of course it all depends on the integrity of Tim Tebow’s faith. From what I can see at a distance, he is a man of deep and genuine Christian faith. But he is also only 24 years old, after all. I’d hate to have had to bear the burden of scrutiny that Tebow bears when I was 24. Yikes! Nevertheless, Tebow will demonstrate his true character and his true faith, not in thrilling victories, but in agonizing defeats.
A few days ago, this post was my Daily Reflection, which appears on The High Calling website and is emailed to 15,000 people each morning. It stirred up some interesting conversation, so I thought I’d share it with my blog readers.
The apostles said to the Lord, “Show us how to increase our faith.” The Lord answered, “If you had faith even as small as a mustard seed, you could say to this mulberry tree, ‘May you be uprooted and thrown into the sea,’ and it would obey you!”
I expect the title of this reflection surprised you. Maybe it even irked you. Why in the world would I say that “you don’t need more faith”? I’ll bet you wish you had more faith. I surely do. Throughout my years as a pastor, I’ve wished for more faith hundreds of times. And I’ve heard others lament the littleness of their faith. So how can I entitle this reflection “You Don’t Need More Faith”?
Answer: Because I take seriously what Jesus said in Luke 17:6. The set up is simple. The apostles said to him, “Show us how to increase our faith” (17:5). In fact, the Greek reads more bluntly, “Increase our faith!” Like most of us, the closest followers of Jesus sensed a need to trust God more.
A mustard flower in Southern California
Jesus’ response is not what we would have expected. I would have thought Jesus would remind his disciples of what they had seen and heard. Surely, given their experience of God’s power at work in Jesus, they had ample impetus to believe God more. But Jesus didn’t do that. Rather, he said, “If you had faith even as small as a mustard seed, you could say to this mulberry tree, ‘May you be uprooted and thrown into the sea,’ and it would obey you!” (17:6). The mustard seed was well known in Jesus’ day to be tiny. Today, Jesus might say, “If you had faith even as small as an atom (or electron, or quark, or pixel). So, even if your faith is minuscule, Jesus said, you have all the faith you need to do the impossible. You have plenty of faith to participate in the miraculous work of the kingdom of God.
But if we don’t need more faith, if we have enough already, why do we live such anemic lives? Why does it seem that we lack faith? The answer, according to Jesus, lies in the exercise of faith. One with a microscopic bit of faith can work miracles, but only by exercising that faith. We will not experience the power of God working through us in amazing ways if we’re spiritual couch potatoes, sitting around watching others serve the Lord. Rather, we need to act on the faith we have. Then, and only then, will the “mulberry trees” of our lives be thrown into the sea.
According to Jesus, you don’t need more faith. You do need to act on the faith you have, however small it might be.
QUESTIONS FOR FURTHER REFLECTION: How do you respond to Jesus’ unexpected answer to the apostles who wanted more faith? Is God calling you to step out in faith in some risky way right now? Will you act on the faith you have?
PRAYER: Dear Lord, honestly, there is still a part of me that wants more faith. I want to believe you more, to have greater confidence in you, to be completely free of the doubts that sometimes haunt my mind.
Yet, I am taking seriously what you have said today. I have enough faith to obey you. I have enough faith to do what you have called me to. I have enough faith to take risks for you. I have enough faith to obey you.
So I thank you, dear Lord, for the faith you have enabled me to have at this point. I ask you to help me act on this faith, so that you might be glorified and so that I might know you more deeply. Amen.
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