cringe and duck (luke 23)

Three strikes and your out?

When I was a wee lad I played little league for one year. I should have been in minor league or pee wee league, whatever you want to call it. But because my family kept the sabbath and the minor league games were on sabbath I got bumped up just one year in age to little league so I could play. I'm not a bad ball player. Pretty good actually I can catch and throw all right and I really can actually hit pretty well. Plus I'm a lefty when I bat so it throws people off a little bit which is good.

One of our practices on this little league team I was up to bat, and I was hitting alright. Our pitcher who was learning as well was having a hard time with his accuracy. I got lined up at the plate ready for the pitch. The pitcher wound up and let one fly and it hit me. That was it for my hitting the ball that year. I was too afraid, so every game for the whole year I would strike out. I couldn't stay with the ball, because I was to afraid it would hit me, so I would cringe and miss one, two, then three times and I was out.

It seems like three is about all we have in us sometimes. In Luke 23 Jesus comes before Pilot and then before Herod and then then back before Pilot again. Pilot tries three times to tell the crowd, I don't find anything wrong with this man. I will have him punished and then release him. But the crowd keeps on him to crucify Jesus. After three attempts Pilot is done. He gives into the crowd, he cringes and ducks so he doesn't get his by the ball and sends Jesus to the cross.

There is another set of threes in this chapter. Jesus is on the cross and three times he is taunted, if your the messiah come on down and save your self, You saved others now save yourself king of the Jews, Yeah come on save your self and us get all of us off of these crosses. With this set of threes, however, it's the crowd who strikes out. Jesus stays on the cross, he doesn't give in. He stays on the cross because he is saving us and well himself too I guess. Going through with the death for sin is the road to resurrection. It is the road back to heavenly realms both for Jesus and for us.

When Jesus dies its the centurion, the one in charge of the crucifixion who says it out loud, surely this was a righteous man.

Salvation comes because Jesus doesn't strike out. He sticks with it. He doesn't cringe with fear of being hit by the ball. He takes blow after blow pounding into his flesh, his heart, and his soul.

I don't know what it is I am cringing from right now, or what it might be for you. I pray we might meet it strait on whether it hits us or whether we hit it. I don't want to live my life striking out! Do you?

May we have the fierce bravery and stamina of Christ. May we will our lives with the faith of Christ. This is how we overcome scripture says it's those who keep the commandments and have the faith of Jesus Christ. May we live today without giving into fear, without the cringe and duck, but rather swing with all we are worth.