Tebowing like Tebow
First off, let me say, I have a lot of respect for Tim Tebow. He is one of the few players (pro or otherwise) who gives glory to the One who deserves it. For example, in 2010, there was an article written about Tim Tebow. In it, he is quoted as saying:
I am no different than anyone else—despite what people may think—because I am a Gator football player, through everything I do…and just by living…I want people, when they see me, to say, ‘There’s something different about this guy, and that’s because he has a relationship with Jesus Christ. … I found true satisfaction, true happiness, and it is not by having your name in a newspaper, it is not by winning trophies, it is not by winning championships, it is by having a relationship with Jesus Christ.
So I have a ton of respect for him. Every chance he gets, he gives glory to God and is never hesitant to mention his relationship with Jesus Christ. And I believe he is genuine when he does it.
However, maybe there are some who are missing the point. Tim’s reason for doing what he does when he is ‘Tebowing’ is really pure: he is giving thanks to God in a public way, and showing everyone on national television that he is not ashamed to do so. I wonder how many of us would do that if we were given the same opportunity? After all, Jesus did say, Therefore everyone who confesses Me before men, I will also confess him before My Father who is in heaven. But whoever denies Me before men, I will also deny him before My Father who is in heaven (Matthew 10:32, 33).
Yet, we have to come to grips with the fact that this is not about looking good, or drawing attention to oneself. This is not even about religion. Tim said it himself: It is about a relationship. A relationship with Jesus Christ is the reason Tim Tebow does what he does after a touchdown. Some people draw attention to themselves by doing some shake-and-bake-spasm dance in the end zone, or they run around throwing their arms in the air drawing glory for themselves and then finish it off by jumping into the crowd. Yet Tim chooses to drop down on one knee, in humility before God, and give thanks to Whom it is due. He knows he would not be here without God. He also ‘Tebows’ because of his relationship with Jesus. It is for Christ’s glory, not Tim’s, and Tim knows that.
Paul exemplifies this for us. In 1 Corinthians 6:19-20, he says Or do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit who is in you, whom you have from God, and that you are not your own? For you have been bought with a price: therefore glorify God in your body. Even though Paul is specifically talking about immorality, the application remains the same. The glory is God’s not ours, thus we are to live for Him daily in all that we do. Paul reminds the Philippian church in Philippians 1.27-28, Only conduct yourselves in a manner worthy of the gospel of Christ, so that whether I come and see you or remain absent, I will hear of you that you are standing firm in one spirit, with one mind striving together for the faith of the gospel; in no way alarmed by your opponents—which is a sign of destruction for them, but of salvation for you, and that too, from God. Paul also reminds us in Philippians 2 that we must have the same attitude which was found in Jesus Christ when He came as fully God in fully flesh to die on the cross: humility. Why? We see the answer in 2:10-11 so that at the name of Jesus every knee will bow, of those who are in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and that every tongue will confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father. For the glory of God. I am reminded of a quote by St. Francis of Assisi, “Preach the Gospel at all times and when necessary use words.”
We must be careful not to idolize the man Tim Tebow. After all, ‘Tebowing’ has been around a long time. This is not about Tim Tebow, it is about Jesus Christ. Only. Period. So then, my prayer for Tim Tebow, and for the generations of fans watching him is that the GOSPEL will be furthered by this. I pray the message of Jesus Christ, not the image of Tim Tebow, will be extended farther and wider to audiences in this country and abroad who have never heard the redemptive message of Jesus.
