He Jumped Over the Wall

Therefore do not be ashamed of the testimony about our Lord, nor of me his prisoner, but share in suffering for the gospel by the power of God, who saved us and called us to a holy calling, not because of our works but because of his own purpose and grace, which he gave us in Christ Jesus before the ages began, and which now has been manifested through the appearing of our Savior Christ Jesus, who abolished death and brought life and immortality to light through the gospel, for which I was appointed a preacher and apostle and teacher, which is why I suffer as I do. But I am not ashamed, for I know whom I have believed, and I am convinced that he is able to guard until that Day what has been entrusted to me. (2 Timothy 1:8-12 ESV). Baseball is in the midst of the playoffs and “the Boys of October” return to our minds. You may have read, or remembered the fall of 1975 when the Boston Red Sox, a ragtag team facing the far superior team of Cincinnati led the nation in a renewal of spirit and a respite from the difficult times we faced. Another time in the annuls of baseball involved one of the all time great home run hitters the sport has ever known. Babe Ruth had hit 714 home runs during his baseball career and was playing one of his last full major league games. It was the Braves versus the Reds in Cincinnati. But he was no longer as agile as he had once been. He fumbled the ball and threw badly, and in one inning alone his errors were responsible for most of the five runs scored by Cincinnati. As the Babe walked off the field after the third out and headed toward the dugout, a crescendo of yelling and booing reached his ears. Just then a boy jumped over the wall onto the playing field. With tears streaming down his face, he threw his arms around the legs of his hero. Ruth didn't hesitate for one second. He picked up the boy, hugged him, and set him down on his feet, patting his head gently. The noise from the stands came to an abrupt halt. Suddenly there was no more booing. In fact, hush fell over the entire park. In those brief moments, the fans saw two heroes: Ruth, who in spite of his dismal day on the field could still care about a little boy; and the small lad, who cared about the feelings of another human being. Both had melted the hearts of the crowd. When I recalled this story I was drawn to our reading today. The Apostle Paul is encouraging his readers in the face of his imminent death. He has come to the end of his journey without regret. He reasserts the incredible gift of God through Christ that has given him such resolve and hope. Remember earlier in his life he had written to the Romans that it was while we were still in our sin that Christ died for us (cf. Romans 5). Jesus saw our plight and “jumped over the wall” to our rescue. I stagger at the thought of where we would be had he not been obedient to that death on our behalf. He, like the little boy, came to us. I wonder what our response has been as he wrapped his arms around us.