(Excerpt from THE LONGEST GAME: WINNING IN LIFE by Pastor Adam Burt – available HERE)
“If the world hates you, know that it has hated me before it hated you. If you were of the world, the world would love you as its own; but because you are not of the world, but I chose you out of the world, therefore the world hates you.”
(John 15:18–19, ESV)
Every athlete learns from an early age that sometimes they have to ignore crowd noise. While the cheers from fans can be inspiring and exhilarating, when the crowd turns against you, the effect can be devastating.
Former NFL quarterback Mark Brunell knows all about crowd noise. Mark is both a friend and a follower of Christ. He once shared with me and a group of friends about the nightmarish 2004 season. He laughs about it now, but it was far from being funny back then.
In 2004, Mark was traded from the Jacksonville Jaguars to the Washington Redskins. Expectations were high for the upcoming campaign, but things got off to a real bumpy start. The team went 3–5 through the midway point of the season. Brunell wasn’t playing well, and pressure was mounting from the restless fan base.
It was week eight of regular season play, and the Cincinnati Bengals were in town to take on the struggling Redskins. Mark’s confidence was at an all-time low. Prior to taking the field, one of Mark’s coaches pulled him aside and bluntly stated, “We need you to play well today.” Thanks, Captain Obvious!
The game started strong for Mark and the Skins. He drove the team right down the field on the opening series. The fans were into it. The stadium was electric. Deep in Cincinnati territory, Mark breaks the huddle and steps under center. As he barks out the play, the fans anxiously wait.
Mark drops back to pass, locks onto his receiver, and delivers the ball… to the other team!
The Bengals’ defender ran the interception all the way back for a touchdown. The stunned crowd was momentarily silent as the shock set in. Then the silence was broken by disgruntled chants of “Ram-sey, Ram-sey.”
Patrick Ramsey was the backup quarterback for the Redskins. The fans were finished with Mark and demanded the backup be put in. The chants intensified: “Ram-sey, Ram-sey.” Louder and louder the crowd roared in unison, “Ram-sey, Ram-sey!” The chorus rippled upward from the lower seating straight to the luxury boxes: “Ram-sey, Ram-sey!” It was infectious.
In fact, Mark’s own sons joined in.
Seated up in the luxury boxes, his three boys were too young to really understand what was happening and got caught up in the moment. They joined in at the top of their lungs, “Ram-sey! Ram-sey!” His own kids were inadvertently cheering for his demise. The whole world seemed to be against him.
Mark Brunell was benched for the remainder of the season.
Jesus knows a thing or two about crowd noise. He knows what it feels like to have the world turn against you. In Matthew 21, we read the story of Jesus’ triumphal entry into Jerusalem for Passover week. Massive crowds chanted and cheered, “Hosanna!” which means, “Come, Lord, save!”
The chants and praise grew louder and louder: “Hosanna to the King!” The scene was euphoric, almost chaotic. Jewish officials feared the Roman authorities would feel threatened by shouts for a “King” and demanded that Jesus quiet the people. His response was simple: “If they stop, the rocks will cry out.”
The crowd was for Him… until they weren’t.
In just a few short days, that same crowd would cry out, “Crucify Him! Crucify Him!”
What do you do when it feels like the world is against you?
Jesus knew the answer. He looked up. He lived His life not for the approval of men, but for the approval of His heavenly Father. He was playing the game of life for an audience of One. The chants of “Crucify Him!” were drowned out by the thunder of His Father’s “Well done!”
“Then Jesus, calling out with a loud voice, said, ‘Father, into your hands I commit my spirit!’ And having said this he breathed his last.”
(Luke 23:46, ESV)
Jesus lived for His Father and not His fans. He chose the applause of heaven over the approval of men. His performance was over, but Jesus wasn’t finished. On the third day He rose from the dead, triumphant and victorious. The heavens now declare Him “King of Kings” and “Lord of Lords.”
What a comeback story!
Speaking of a comeback story, Mark Brunell had one as well. Mark decided to look up and play for an audience of One. He didn’t need to please his fans—only his heavenly Father. On the third day he rose again! OK, it wasn’t the third day; it was the following season. Mark got up, dusted himself off, and led the Redskins to their first playoff berth in years and was nominated for “Comeback Player of the Year.”
How will you handle crowd noise? Who will you listen to? Who will you live for—the fans or the Father?