It’s (almost) time for the Super Bowl! If you aren’t a Chiefs fan or a 49ers fan you probably haven’t given much thought to how you’ll spend Sunday Night. But, for those of us who reside in Chiefs Kingdom or 49er’s Territory, the Super Bowl has dominated our thoughts for the past two weeks.
As Chiefs fans (and I assume you are because you’re smart, beautiful and wise beyond your years), we have lived through some heart-aching defeats in the past. Just the mention of names like Lin Elliot, Elvis Grbac, and more recently Dee Ford (“inches away from a Super Bowl!”) cause us to feel that same dread in our guts that we once felt when our momma’s used our middle name. For 50 years we have wondered if the Chiefs curse were a real thing (Google it…there are some wild conspiracy theories in Chiefs Kingdom) as we have watched our beloved Chiefs lose time and time and time and time and time again.
But this year, everything just feels different. The 2019-20 Chiefs overcame a mid-season slump that included a struggling and identity-less defense, the dislocated knee-cap heard ’round the world and an unbelievable loss in Week 10 when the Tennessee Titans scored a late touchdown and blocked a Chiefs Field Goal in the final seconds of the game. At the end of week 10, the Chiefs were 6-4 with frustrated fans wondering how we went from 4-0 to 6-4! Somehow, defying all the odds, this team rallied back to finish the season 12-4 and earn a number 2 seed in the AFC (thanks to the Dolphins defeating the Patriots in Foxboro).
In the Divisional round of the AFC playoffs, Kansas City overcame a massive deficit to the Houston Texans to advance to the League Championship Game ( Kansas City coming back from insurmountable odds to win a divisional round playoff game against Houston….Where have we seen that before?). And thanks to an unlikely victory by the Titans over the Ravens, KC hosted their second AFC Championship Game in many years.
On Sunday, January 19th the Chiefs defense shut down King Henry and his Titan court, advancing to their first Super Bowl in 50 years. This postseason feels eerily similar to the same run the Kansas City Royals enjoyed in the 2015 season. There’s anticipation and expectation surrounding the Chiefs and every fan is hoping for jubilation around 9:00pm on Sunday, February 2nd as we celebrate the Super Bowl Champion Kansas City Chiefs!
I can’t wait to see all the social media posts celebrating the Kansas City Chiefs as the Super Bowl Champions! But there’s one post coming that I wish I could block like Eric Fisher pancaking incoming linebackers. It’ll come from a well-intended Christian, usually a well-intended Christian leader and often a well-intended Christian pastor. It’s what Jon Acuff has famously (and fittingly) called “The Jesus Juke”. It’s that annoying little post that’s going to show up with all its holiness and piety and look down upon the rejoicing world with condemnation and scorn. It’ll sound something like this: “If only Christians could get as excited about Jesus as they could about the Chiefs, this world would be different.” or “Christian: The Super Bowl victory should be celebrated, but remember that Jesus is worth celebrating with the same amount of passion!” It’ll be disguised as holy, designed to cause conviction but destined to only cause one giant, collective roll of the eyes among most of its readers.
Can we all just agree that passion is displayed in different ways at different times for different things? My passion for the Chiefs will be displayed as I yell at the TV when the referee calls The Honey Badger (Tyrann Mathieu) for a defensive pass interference that I don’t like. My passion for my family is displayed every day when I wake up and quietly serve them around the house and head to work to provide for them. My passion for fajitas is displayed…well, let’s skip my passion for fajitas.
My passion for Jesus is displayed differently than my passion for the Chiefs. Truth be told, I don’t want our worship time on Sunday morning to look anything like a football game…and if you do you’ve probably never been to a football game. Can you imagine someone in the pew jumping to their feet with the Arsenio Hall fist pump (google it) and screaming at the top of their lungs when the Pastor says “Open your Bible to…” at the beginning of his sermon? Nobody wants to hear boos and hisses when the deacons show up. Jesus and football are not the same. One can be passionate about both without displaying their passion in the same way.
The truth is, I’m not here to cheer Jesus on, as if he needs a fanbase. I’m not a Jesus fanboy, I’m a Jesus follower. Jesus isn’t like the quarterback hoping to lead his team to victory, He’s the King standing triumphantly in the end zone of a game that He’s already won.
In New Testament times, the Roman people would often host sporting events in public arenas much like we do today. The concept of a large group of people cheering loudly for a sports competition would not be foreign to the mind of the New Testament writer…and never, not even once in the New Testament do we see a Jesus Juke. Wanna know why? Because Jesus Jukes are not effective. They don’t work. They may be well-intended, but the only point you’re proving is that you’re a fuddy-dud pharisee who can’t see the log sticking out his own eye. (Admit it, you don’t act the same way in church that you do at. a concert or sporting event..and you wouldn’t dare say you didn’t have passion for Jesus, would you?)
We know Jesus is important. We know He’s infinitely more important than a football game. Our passion for football looks different than our passion for Christ. That doesn’t mean that we don’t have a passion for Christ. It simply means we like football. Lighten up a bit. You can love Jesus and yell at the TV when the Chiefs fumble. Enjoy the game without the Jesus Juke! It’s a lot more fun that way! And if you’re a Chiefs fan…it might be another 50 years until you get to enjoy it again.
Go Chiefs!