Who’s Side is God On?

As we approach the Super Bowl I begin to wonder . . . Who’s side is God on?

I’m sure that we will see lots of fan prayers, locker room prayers, and post-game thanksgiving to God. So does God have a favorite team? Does He inject some supernatural strength into those players who are professing Christians? Does the team who prayed the most get the favor of God on them? Hmmm . . .

This also makes me think of lots of other contests where we implore the Lord to bring us victory. Does God influence the results of the Academy Awards or American Idol? Does God prefer democrats or republicans? Does God see democracy as the best form of government? Is God on the side of American military might or Iraqis who are being bombed out of their homes?

People often wanted Jesus to take sides. “should we pay taxes to Caesar?” “Should we stone this woman?” “Who will sit at your right hand in your kingdom?” Jesus always stayed above these conflicts. He never took sides in personal conflicts, battles over moral issues, or even questions of national or global politics.

This is not to say that Jesus’ only concern was for the individual heart and the need for love. This is a popular reduction of Jesus. His thoughts and concerns were on the Kingdom of God and the ultimate destiny of humanity. His concerns were much bigger than ours.

So who would Jesus prefer for the Super Bowl? I don’t know. Maybe the Saints. You know, because they are called the Saints.