Tim Tebow is now a New York Jet. Even typing the words seems unbelievable to me. Once the Denver Broncos had secured the deal to acquire NFL superstar Peyton Manning, then deals for Tebow began to surface.
Manning’s contract was reported at $96 million over five years. Incredible by nearly any measure. So what would the market be like for the talent of Tim Tebow? The answer turned out to be two college players that would be roughly the one hundredth and one hundred and fiftyeth players selected in the 2013 draft. Frankly, surprisingly little.
In all of the wondering that I’ve done recently about Tim, the Broncos, football and real life, I was impacted the most significantly by the value placed on this national personality. A fourth and a sixth round draft pick – that’s what Denver traded for Tim Tebow.
I don’t pretend to know the mechanics or the business of the professional football world, but I couldn’t help but wonder what the valuation felt like to Tim. Because the man is gold to the core, he seems to be delighting in the increased size of the platform that New York will afford him… not for football, but for issues and answers that matter most to him. It seems that Tim believes he’s moved from off-Broadway to Broadway; from the foothills to Wall Street. But that’s Tim Tebow.
You see the value of Tim’s life had been established a long time ago. That was settled when God sent His son to earth to redeem a sin-filled and condemned population. God didn’t trade a fourth and a sixth for Tim Tebow, or for me, or for you. He sent the very best that He had… His perfect, prized, and only begotten – for us.
The magnitude of this investment and commitment is almost inconceivable – but in context I can only imagine what would happen if the headlines in the Denver Post tomorrow read something like this: Broncos Trade Manning (their prized new hall of famer) for Wolgemuth. Imagine. The deal wasn’t for another all-star play caller, but for me.
Outrageous? Ridiculous?
Our worth was established when God made the ultimate trade. Tim Tebow knows this and lives with that kind of confidence. God cleared up any question of what we are worth; and when we embrace that as reality, then a fourth and a sixth from the New York Jets can be welcomed as a gift from God rather than a measure of our value.
“For God loved the world so much that he sent his son…” The trade. The deal points. The price.
No wonder Tim loves John 3:16. He gets it. He lives it. He shines it…
Rock on number 15 – thanks for living the Gospel you love.
{ 0 comments… add one now }