Faith

The Greatest Comeback Ever

Everyone loves a good comeback story, and I’m no exception.   I’ve seen every movie in the Rocky franchise at least 100 times, even though a few of them are really awful.  We love great comebacks because they are inspiring; and at any given moment, we could all use one.  No matter who you are, or how successful you are, you’re probably trying to come back from something.  It could be a divorce or a broken relationship.  It could be the job that let you go.  It could be the 10 lbs you gained at Thanksgiving because your mom made gumbo and oyster dressing, and your bro smoked a turkey.  Wait…that was me.  Either way, life is a constant seesaw of ups and downs that’s rarely consistent.  Even if you’re on top in one area of your life, you’re certainly down in another.

So, if you’re a normal human being, you’re in need of a comeback.  And according to everything I’ve ever heard, orchestrating a comeback is super simple.  When you get knocked down, you get back up.  You just pull yourself up by your bootstraps.  When the horse bucks you off, you get straight back on.  All you have to do is pick yourself up, dust yourself off, and start all over again.  The list goes on and on.  But there’s a problem with this way of thinking – it puts the entire weight of the comeback on YOU.  It also doesn’t consider whether the comeback you’re hoping for is the right one for you.

Consider Danny Ainge…the baseball player.  Before you ask if this is a different Danny Ainge then the one who had a stellar basketball career with the Boston Celtics, it’s not.  It’s the same Danny Ainge that hit one of the most memorable shots in NCAA tournament history and went on to become an NBA all-star.  However, before he was a basketball player, he was a baseball player.  In fact when Ainge made that famous layup for BYU he already had experience from two seasons of professional baseball under his belt.  When people asked him which sport he planned on making his career, his answer was always baseball.  Then in 1981 the player who was the youngest in Blue Jays history to hit a home run, didn’t hit any.  In fact, he didn’t hit much of anything – he batted a paltry .187 in 246 attempts.  He also endured a strike-shortened season, where the childhood luster we apply to baseball dreams undoubtedly began to fade.  Ainge still had a year left on his contract, so it was time to orchestrate a comeback.  All he needed to do was pick himself up, dust himself off, and get back in the batting cage.  But Ainge didn’t.  He decided he was done with baseball.  The comeback he chose was so unlikely that the Blue Jays and the Celtics ended up suing each other.  His contract and the rights to him as a player were ultimately bought out by another team, in another league, that played a completely different sport.  Fast forward 14 years and Ainge has 2 NBA titles and is one of the most beloved Celtics players ever.  Just to be clear, this love is felt by Celtics fans ONLY.   Fast forward again, and he’s been a coach, a commentator, and now a top exec for the franchise he loves.

So Danny Ainge’s comeback was completely different than the one anyone would have imagined.  The same could be true for you.  How do you know what your comeback is supposed to look like?  Maybe consult with the one person who has orchestrated more incredible comebacks for himself and the people around him than anyone else in history.  No, I’m not talking about Joe Montana.  The person who was the greatest of all time when it came to comebacks was Jesus.  Yes.  This is the point where this story takes a hard right into Christianity.  Don’t worry – it’s going to be OK.

Granted, we all know that Jesus performed many miracles, but did he really throw a bunch of 4th quarter touchdowns with only seconds left on the clock?  Metaphorically, yes.

Consider Bartimaeus.  He was a blind man who was sitting on the road begging when he heard Jesus was passing by.  He called out for Jesus to have mercy on him and everyone around basically told him to shut up.  Think about the outlook for Bartimaeus; he’s blind and begging on the side of the road, and from the looks of it, no one really cares.  He may have turned things around on his own, but that’s pretty doubtful.  Instead he cried out even louder and Jesus approached him and said “Receive your sight; your faith has made you well.”  He regained his sight, glorified God, and inspired others to do the same.

Consider Lazarus.  Lazarus was really sick and his sisters, who were close to Jesus, went to ask for his help.  Although Jesus cared deeply for Lazarus and the two sisters, once he heard the news he didn’t jump up and rush over.  He actually stayed where he was for two more days. By the time Jesus arrived at Lazarus’ tomb, he had already been dead for four days.  People asked “Could not this man, who opened the eyes of the blind man, have kept this man also from dying?”  When Jesus instructed them to move the stone sealing the tomb, Lazarus sister let him know that Lazarus wasn’t going to be smelling so great.  Do the math.  It had been four days.  Jesus reminded her that he said if she believed that she would see the glory of God.  So he called Lazarus from the tomb and Lazarus walked out, still wrapped in his funeral cloth.

Consider the adulterous woman.  Jesus was in the temple teaching, when the scribes and the Pharisees brought a woman to him.  They told him that she had been caught “in the very act” of committing adultery.  The law at that time was pretty clear – and according to the law, the women should be stoned to death.   At two different times Jesus wrote something in the sand then told the women’s accusers “Let he without sin cast the first stone.”  The crowd began to disperse and eventually Jesus was left alone with the woman.  He asked her if there was anyone left to condemn her.  When she said no, he said he wasn’t going to either.  Christ’s final words to her were “Go,” and “sin no more.”

These are just three examples of the comebacks Jesus was responsible for.  He healed the sick, gave sight to the blind, raised more people from the dead, healed a man with leprosy, cast out demons, healed cripples – the list goes on and on.  Like Bartimaeous, in almost every instance, it was the people’s faith that made the comeback possible.  I believe the same is true for us.  In order for God to put our comeback into motion we have to believe that he will.  We have to believe that he has a plan for our lives and that plan is more wonderful then where we were before we ever needed a comeback.

The problem is that God’s plan doesn’t really jive with the “pick yourself up, dust yourself off” mantra we’ve heard a gillion times.  Maybe God doesn’t want you to “start all over again.”  Maybe like Danny Ainge, he wants you to go in a completely different direction.  So which direction does God want you to go?  The only way to find out is to ask him.  If his promises are true, if you seek answers, you’ll find them.  If you pray and quietly listen he’ll tell you the direction he wants you to go.   And when your comeback is chosen by Him, he will clear obstacles, create opportunities, and make a way for you.

Maybe you think it’s too late in the game for you.  Maybe your life is so screwed up that nothing can fix it.  Or maybe the once-in-a-lifetime opportunity you had is long gone.   If it wasn’t too late for Lazarus, how could it be for you?  Lazarus being on his death bed was like the 4th quarter of the SuperBowl.  As great as Joe Montana was, he never orchestrated a comeback on the Thursday AFTER SuperBowl Sunday.  Lazarus was so past “game over” that there was a foul stench attached to him.  He was like the leftovers you forgot about in the back of the fridge.  That’s a testament to how powerful God is.  He can make anything new.  He can fix anything.  Even after the fat lady sings, the game isn’t over.   Not with God.

Maybe you don’t deserve a comeback.  Maybe you’re so ashamed about whatever you did that put you in your current state the only solution is to accept your fate and wallow in your misery.  The adulterous woman probably felt the same way.  Remember, this occurred during a time where everyone knew that the punishment for adultery was death.  What a terrible place that woman must have been in to risk her life for someone’s affection.  To make matters worse, she was caught in the act like a bad episode of Cheaters, and dragged – probably half-dressed, in front of a crowd of people.  The guilt and shame she must have felt would be enough for someone to welcome the stoning.  In fact, she never asked for Jesus or anyone else to save her.  Maybe she didn’t deserve a comeback, but Jesus made one possible.  And the good news is, he’ll do the same for you.

Don’t forget that Christ’s greatest comeback was his own.  When he died on the cross his persecutors must have been pretty sure it was game over.  It wasn’t.  It was just the beginning of his greatest comeback. Christ’s comeback tops every one in history because his sacrifice made all of our comebacks possible. Think about the areas in your life where you need a comeback.  Ask God to show you the way and head in that direction – even if it doesn’t make complete sense, even if you don’t deserve it.  He will make a way for you and make your comeback a reality.  And when he does, go out and tell people about it.  Let them know who made your comeback possible.  And the greatest thing you could do is help someone else start their own comeback.  Let them know it’s possible.  Let them know why.  That starts with sharing the story about Christs very own comeback.  Not just any comeback – the greatest…comeback…ever.