After reading Chuck Klosterman's article on Tim Tebow, it got me thinking about how faith plays a role in the most polarizing figure in all of sports.
Two thousand years before Timmy came onto the scene, another polarizing figure was roaming the Earth. He was either loved or hated. His critics complained that he never followed the laws and was telling everyone else that they shouldn't follow the laws to a tee. He was ridiculed. Through all of the dark times, he told his followers to have faith in him, that everything would be alright if they followed him. Eventually, after three years of going through the same routine of preaching and leading his people through the darkness, his critics killed him.
Fast-forward to the Tebow that led to the Internet phenomenon of "Tebowing." Again, either loved or hated. His critics complained that he never can become a great quarterback in the NFL because he doesn't possess the traditional attributes to what a great quarterback has: ability to read defenses, arm strength, slow release. There's no way a linebacker playing quarterback can win football games. The statistics don't back him up. Through these times, Tebow, through direct quotes and his actions, told his followers to have faith in him. No matter what it takes, he'll get the job done. Through the 7 games he's started, he's 6-1.
Is Tebow the same guy in the previous story, who was born just a couple weeks from now, on Christmas Day, roughly 2011 years ago? No, Tebow is not Jesus. Tebow's a great person, from all the reports we have of him, but by no means is he Jesus. The point I'm trying to make is how faith is being translated into modern times. Think about it: Jesus relied on the followers' faith that he would bring them out of the darkness and into a better life. Tebow has relied, so far, on his teammates, owners, coaches and everyone else's faith in him to lead them into the playoffs. Of course, these two people are totally different; one's the Son of God while the other is the son of a Tebow. But all throughout Tebow's life, he has taken his unique skills and made everyone believers. No matter how it looks, he gets the job done. Jesus saved lives, even though he broke the ancient laws while doing it. Jesus got the job done, no matter how it looked.
This modern day story, paralleled with Jesus', is an excellent example of what faith in today's world can do to us. I, for one, used to be a critic on him, but now he's winning and casting all of my doubts away. I don't care if, by the time I'm done with this blog, he finally releases the ball, as long as that ball is going into a receiver's hands and into the end zone, that's all he has to do. Besides, the defense and running game are helping him out quite a bit. But it's his unorthodoxy, his demeanor that has followed him throughout his time as a high school, college, and now professional quarterback, has changed our thinking on "non-prototypical" quarterbacks. Do we continue to doubt him, saying that this short-term solution won't solve the long-term problem? Critics will say that they can't keep doing the read-option all his life; at some point, professional defenses will start to figure Tebow out. But for right now, all we have is faith that Tebow will lead the Broncos to victory in the coming weeks.
We don't know the ending to Tebow's story, but we do know that Jesus' story, in the end, became a happy one, rising from the dead to save us from our sins. Will he be the long-term solution, or will he go back to being the most popular backup QB ever?
