It’s all about the best winning.
Today was the FA Cup final between Portsmouth and Chelsea. Portsmouth have finished bottom of the Premier League while Chelsea have won the Premier League scoring a record amount of goals. I was reliably informed that this was the game that ‘no one wanted Chelsea to win’. Others suggested that if Portsmouth won it would be one of the greatest shocks in FA Cup history.
With England being the nation that supports the underdogs then it wasn’t surprising that the sentiments of the apparent majority went with the team from the South West coast. To cap it off with financial and football muscle of Chelsea against the impoverished administration-stricken of Portsmouth it was pitched as a typical David vs. Goliath encounter.
This isn’t really a blog entry about football, this isn’t ‘the other place’ after all, so if you’re still with me, thanks. Having stated that the following must be noted. I predicted Chelsea would win, which is hardly makes me Nostradamus (good thing too apparently). I not only predicted they would win, I wanted them to win. Ever since Mourinho took over the team I’ve had a soft spot for Chelsea and actually enjoyed their quest to becoming a strong side who will win the major trophies. This season they’ve been brilliant, not necessarily out of this world outstanding, but brilliant all the same and more than worth their trophy successes, I’m really happy for them.
I also don’t understand the sentiment behind supporting a team who has been found to be financially incompetent and for whatever people have said have blatantly not been good enough on the pitch to stay in the league. There’s no argument about Portsmouth doing well to make it to the final, it’s an achievement for any side, and of course in the duration of a match anything can happen, but really there should have been no competition between the two sides and there was only one team who played the football that deserved to win trophies. To me it was a no brainer who should have won the match.
This brings us to the issue of the already mentioned English love of the underdog and the reference to David and Goliath. Don’t get me wrong my take on the ministry of Jesus Christ is about supporting those who are disenfranchised and on the outskirts of society. It is about sharing the incredible love of God with those who have been alienated and marginalised. As I read it the revelation of God with us means that everyone, no matter what their social status, can have access to God directly and that’s particularly great news to the underrated and forgotten.
That is not the love of God for the underdog, that is the realisation from God that there’s no such thing. The oft referenced David vs. Goliath battle bears this out. As with a lot of biblical narratives we see in this episode the way how man views things put up against the reality of how God views things. Man’s view sees the battle between a little boy (as we traditionally read it) who has no experience in armed combat up against the menace of the giant that has an entire army quaking in their boots (OK sandals more likely, but you get the image). As man views David is indeed the underdog.
In God’s view, though, it is Goliath who is the underdog. Let’s view the stats:
David – young man with experience of God’s presence in His life and thus closely associated with the One who makes Roman Abramovich look like a pauper a million times over.
vs.
Goliath – big man who doesn’t know God.
Seriously, who’s the underdog?
It’s not about the material perspective of God as though I just plug in and He does my bidding. It is about which perspective it’s healthiest to take on issues. It’s down to that question who’s report will you believe? Now that might look good as a theoretical concept, but it works. Check out how disciples view getting beat up by the authorities. The man’s perspective would see it as a humiliation and a potential setback, the divine perspective gives the disciples the view that this is exactly what Jesus has spoken of and confirms their mission and they go from strength to strength.
OK so what does that have to do with the here and now and things like football games and the like. Well first of all it’s quite clear that there’s a different economy going on that what appears to be the case, i.e. there’s how man views it, then there’s how it really is. How it really is ensures that whoever God is for is always greater that whoever opposed God. Always. That is to say there’s no such thing as an underdog worth supporting when it comes to God. You’re not the underdog with God on your side, and if you’re an underdog without God you’re better off swapping sides.
That also means size doesn’t come into it, it comes down to the effort and quality issue. So don’t be surprised if I tend to go for the obvious better team when it comes to the games of life. For me, though, it is crucial to consider the perspective that marks out who the better team is.
For His Name’s Sake
Shalom
dmcd
Life With CD 