Jesus Called His Shot

Mark 10:33-34

Watch on YouTube

One of the most famous moments in baseball history was game three of the 1932 World Series. New York Yankees, Chicago Cubs. The game is tied 4 to 4, and this game is being played in Wrigley Field. Babe Ruth steps up to the plate. Pitcher winds up, delivers. He just watches it go right by strike one. So the dugout for the Cubs starts catcalling, starts calling them all sorts of names, laughing at him and Babe Ruth points. Some say he was just pointing at the pitcher, but he says he was pointing at the centerfield bleachers. Ball comes back to the pitcher, wind up in the pitch right past him. Strike two. Dugout erupts even more with laughs and jeers. Babe Ruth the Bambino, very calmly again points up. He points toward the center field bleachers. Takes a stance. Pitcher winds up, delivers a curve ball, and Babe Ruth smashes it right into the center field bleachers. A home run, breaks the tie, Yankees went on to win that series.

What he did, what Babe Ruth did was he called his shot. So I started digging around, looking at the math and all that. Turns out, since Major League Baseball started, the chances to call your shot, it’s over 10 million. There have been over 10 million at bats in Major League Baseball. Babe Ruth is the only one to have ever successfully done it. Few others have tried foolishly, arrogantly, but no one has.

Well, anyway, that got me to thinking about how Jesus called his shot. Because you see, everyone who’s ever faced the devil has been sent back to the dugout, even to the grave. Right? Adam and Eve. Noah. Abraham. David. Samson rippling with muscles. Ruth, Hannah, Peter, James, and John. All of them have stepped up to the plate, and they have either swung at the garbage that the devil has given them, or sometimes they’ve just stood there. Stood there frozen while something good has gone right by them. Maybe a few have been lucky enough to make contact, but it’s either a pop up or they don’t get to base in time. So then a carpenter’s son from Bethlehem. He steps up to the plate. He’s dressed in our uniform, that is he’s dressed in flesh and blood. And the Lord Jesus called his shot. Jesus says,

“Look, we are going up to Jerusalem, and the Son of Man will be betrayed to the chief priests and the experts in the law. They will condemn him to death and will hand him over to the Gentiles. They will mock him, spit on him, flog him, and kill him. On the third day he will rise again.” (Mark 10:33-34)

I like to think of Palm Sunday as Jesus coming up into the batter’s box, calling his shot, Jesus pointing past the cemetery, past hell itself, Jesus pointing all the way to the resurrection, calling his shot. So what does this mean? Well, what this means is that for all the times that the devil has struck you out, has had you swing at all that trash that he offers you for all the times that you stood there just paralyzed while something good, something right has passed right by and you didn’t act. Even for all the times you’ve made a little bit of contact, but you were thrown out. For all those times, Jesus said on the third day he will rise. Dressed in our uniform, in flesh and blood like we have, Jesus pointed to the resurrection and said that no matter what happens, I will rise and you will rise as well.

Next time you’re watching a game, even just listening to a game on the radio, next time a batter steps up to the plate, remember your savior and how he pointed beyond the grave and how he pointed toward the resurrection. So when the ninth inning of your life comes to an end. Or the ninth inning of this world comes to an end, the scoreboard is going to say that you won.

I’m Pastor Pittenger, and until we see each other again, God bless and keep you. Amen.