In 1966, Randy Johnson, a nephew of President Lyndon B. Johnson, was the quarterback for Oklahoma State University. By the expert’s judgment, he proved to be a mediocre quarterback for a mediocre team. But mediocre or not, quarterbacks and teams at Oklahoma State could be lifted to legendary greatness if they could just beat their arch rival, the University of Oklahoma, at their annual meeting at the end of the season. This particular year had not been a happy one for Randy or his team, and there seemed to be little hope for redemption as the clock was running out in their game with the University of Oklahoma. Oklahoma State was behind by six points. Rain was pouring down, but the mud-covered suits didn’t look half as bad as the battered, despairing faces of the State players. As a gesture of goodwill, the Oklahoma State coach put in all the seniors for the last play of the game so they could end their college football careers on the playing field. He told Randy Johnson, the despairing quarterback, to call whatever play he wanted, since they were almost eighty yards from the goal line and had littlechance of scoring. The team huddled, and to the surprise of teammates, Randy called play 13. It was a trick play and had never been used before in a game. It had never been used for good reason--- it never even worked in practice. Well, the impossible happened! Play 13 worked. Oklahoma State scored! Randy Johnson’s team won the game by one point. The fans went wild. As they carried Randy, the hero of the game, off the field, his coach called out to him, “Why in the world did you ever call play 13? Randy answered, “Well, we were in the huddle, and I looked over and saw old Harry with tears running down his cheeks. It was his last college game and we were losing. And I saw that big 8 on his chest. Then I looked over and saw Ralph. And tears were running down his cheeks too. And I saw that big 7 on his jersey. So, in honor of those two heartbroken seniors, I added 8 and 7 together and called play 13!” “But Randy,” the coach shouted back, “8 and 7 don’t add up to 13!” Randy reflected for a moment and answered with a smirk, “You’re right coach! And if I had been as smart as you are, we would have lost the game!”
Sometimes the correct answers are not always the right answers. Certainly when it comes to matters of faith, reason more often than not has to take a backseat. Not that you have to turn your brain off. It’s just that the Christian faith rarely makes sense to people unfamiliar with the often upside down world of Christianity. It was on the cross, of all places, that Jesus actually won the game, so to speak. The Bible says that kind of salvation is foolishness to those who don’t believe (1 Corinthians 1:23-25). Wise people know that even though the gospel doesn’t add up, the truth of it sets us free.