Gold medal sharing was so heart-warming and refreshing
FOOD FOR THOUGHT: By Matt Alexander, pastor of Wick Baptist Church
Last week I shared an unforgettable moment from the 1968 Olympics. This week I’d like to share one from 2021. The high-jump competition was drawing to a close and two athletes were tied in first place. Mutaz Essa Barshim of Qatar and Gianmarco Tamberi of Italy had identical scorecards. They had matched each other jump for jump until neither of them could surpass 2.37m. This presented a dilemma for the officials – who would be named as champion? A man with a clipboard approached them as they stood together, arms around one another. Then came Barshim’s question: “Can we have two golds?”
“It’s possible...” the official began, but he didn’t get any further. That was enough for both of them. The celebrations began, and with them an outpouring of emotion. It was beautiful to watch.
We live in a society which is increasingly characterised by individualism. We are trained and conditioned to look out for No. 1. We are told that it’s a “dog-eat-dog” world. To witness this act of sharing was so heart-warming and refreshing.
That competition represented sharing between two equals. The Bible presents us with another picture of sharing that is arresting. In the Bible’s picture, one party is undoubtedly the winner and deserves the “gold medal”, and the other party has lost hands down – they deserve nothing. However, the startling truth is that the winner picks up the loser, turns to the adjudicator and says, “Can we share the gold?”
Jesus is the prize-winning champion who humbled himself and selflessly chooses to share his winnings with each one of us who have fallen so far short of God’s standards. The question is, will we accept his gracious offer?
