Why All The Hating?

By Ian Brinksman

Many of you may not be familiar with who Tim Tebow is. So, let me bring you up to speed. Presently, Tim is the starting quarterback for the Denver Broncos. For those of you who are really out of the sports loop, the Denver Broncos are the American football team that plays in the National Football League (NFL), and the quarterback is the key player who leads his team down the field to score touchdowns.

When the season began back in September, Tim Tebow was not the starting quarterback. He was the back-up. Which means that he stood off the field and very rarely, if ever, got to play in the actual game. No one really wants to be the back-up because it means that someone else is a better player than you, and that is why you stand off the field.

So, after the first five games of the season, the Denver Broncos had won only one game and had lost four! You don't have to be a sports fan to know that that is not a good record. As a result, the head coach made a decision to change the quarterback to see if a new person could do a better job of leading the team. And that new quarterback was Tim Tebow. How did he do, you ask? Well, over the next eight games, he won seven of them and lost only one! Some of those wins were very dramatic wins, as he literally snatched victory out of the jaws of defeat. So, for those of you who are playing along at home, that meant the Denver Broncos had an overall record of eight wins and five losses after Tim Tebow became the starting quarterback. That is a huge turnaround for any NFL team!

And here is where the story takes and interesting turn. When someone is doing as well as Tebow, you would naturally expect praises and all kinds of accolades to be heaped upon his him. But, as he won game after game, the haters turned up the volume and sounded out their displeasure. What? I know, it sounds crazy, but after each game, more and more people criticized Tebow:

"He's not an NFL quarterback!"

"He can't actually play in this league."

"Just wait, his bubble will burst."

His style doesn't fit the NFL."

He's a left-handed quarterback and his throwing motion is too long for an NFL quarterback."

It just went on and on and on.

As a person who has watched football for many years, I have to admit that some of the analysis is fair. But, I have seen many new players come into the NFL, do nowhere near as good as Tebow, and because of a stellar reputation from their college football days, they received incredible amounts of praise. The strange thing is that Tim Tebow won two national championships as the quarterback of the University of Florida's football team, was voted college football's best player winning the Heisman Trophy as a Sophomore (2nd year), and was the first quarterback to run for 20 touchdowns and pass for 20 touchdowns in one season. So why all the hating on the very successful Tim Tebow? Let me give you a possibility that comes to my mind.

After each game, Tim Tebow gives an interview to the waiting media hordes. He is asked questions about the game, his team's performance, his contribution, etc. etc. etc. Well, here is how Tebow begins virtually every post-game interview, "First and foremost, I want to thank my Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ." And if he doesn't start with that answer he finds a way to mention it later in the interview. Yes, Tim Tebow is a committed Christian who has a personal relationship with Jesus Christ, and he wants to give Him all the praise He is due. Could this be the reason for all the hating that Tebow gets? Do the simple words "Jesus Christ" make people feel uncomfortable? I think they do. And it is no different for anyone of us who takes the time to mention how thankful we are that Jesus Christ is in our lives as a vital partner with us.

As Christians should this surprise us? No. This is exactly what the Apostle Paul experienced and spoke of in 2 Corinthians 2:14-16,

"But thanks be to God, who in Christ always leads us in triumphal procession, and through us spreads the fragrance of the knowledge of Him everywhere. For we are the aroma of Christ to God among those who are being saved and among those who are perishing, to one a fragrance from death to death, to the other a fragrance from life to life."

Some accepted his word and it led to life, while others were bothered, uncomfortable with his word and their rejection led them to condemnation and death.

Our responsibility as Christians is to "proclaim the excellencies of Him who called us out of darkness into His marvellous light" (1 Peter 2:9). We should all be encouraged by our brother Tim's bold proclamations for His and our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ. We may not have the same stage as he does, but we are called to proclaim Him, be His aroma where He has placed us.

Why all the hating? Because Tim Tebow lives and walks with and for the One who was hated and rejected first!