In the Stands or On the Field

TODAY, millions upon millions of spectators will watch the Super Bowl. People reorient their lives for three hours of athletic entertainment that will absolutely consume the nation and many parts of the world. The onlookers will be fans of one team or another, rejoicing when their team progresses and being heartbroken when their team falters.

For approximately three hours of great intensity, spectators will watch twenty-two men on a field go to battle. The spectators, you and I, will cheer or boo, critique or analyze as the game is played. When the game is over, and the winner has been determined and everything is brought to finality, the fans will go back to business as usual with shirts that have not gotten dirty, pants that have not gotten ruffled, and bodies with no bruises or bumps.

There is a big difference between being in the stands and being on the field. Jesus Christ has a lot of fans. Folks who want to show up to see what’s going on. Folks who want to critique, analyze, or cheer.

Folks who, when the dust settles, haven’t broken a sweat. They don’t exert much energy. In fact, they picnic while the game is played. Jesus’ spectators are quick to analyze how the folks on the field are doing.

They analyze privately by getting on the phone and talking to friends, not understanding that there is a marked difference between sitting in the stands of the living room and being on the field. It’s easy for a person to ask why a play is not made when they are not the ones running the ball.

It’s easy for a person to blame a player for not executing when they are not on the field staring opposition in the face. The view from the field is a lot different from the view in the stands. We must ask ourselves whether we are simply Jesus fans, or functioning members on the Jesus team. There is a marked difference between the two.