God
made him who had no sin to be sin for us, so that in him we might become the
righteousness of God. - 2 Corinthians
5:21
In 1973, the American League of Major
League Baseball added a new innovation to the game. Called the “designated hitter,” it is
a batter who does not play a position, but instead fills in the batting order
for the pitcher. Pitchers, if you know
baseball, are the notorious weak link in any batting order. Pitchers get paid to pitch, and seem to treat
hitting much like they would treat catching a bad cold – something to be
avoided. Pitchers lack of hitting prowess
is almost sinful, not because they are so bad, but they almost don’t even try.
The passage above from the apostle Paul is about the
original designated hitter. He was made
sin for us (taking on the punishment) so that we could become positionally righteous
before God. What we deserve to receive,
because our living prowess is sinful, we do not get. Instead Jesus took our place in the batting
order, “because of the great love with
which he loved us, even when we were dead in our trespasses….” (visit
Ephesians 2:4-5)
Admittedly, I’m not a fan of the designated hitter in
baseball. And I certainly do not mean to trivialize what Jesus did. But in life, I’m eternally grateful
to the original designated hitter. The
One who was made sin…for me.
Be grateful, live well, and play ball!
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