Rob Issa, FISM News
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Patrick Mahomes says he made a decision to be all-in for God.
The Kansas City Chiefs star quarterback referred to the story of Eutychus in Acts 20:7-12 when asked his favorite Bible verse this week during the Super Bowl media frenzy.
The verses read:
Now on the first day of the week, when the disciples came together to break bread, Paul, ready to depart the next day, spoke to them and continued his message until midnight. There were many lamps in the upper room where they were gathered together. And in a window sat a certain young man named Eutychus, who was sinking into a deep sleep. He was overcome by sleep; and as Paul continued speaking, he fell down from the third story and was taken up dead. But Paul went down, fell on him, and embracing him said, “Do not trouble yourselves, for his life is in him.” Now when he had come up, had broken bread and eaten, and talked a long while, even till daybreak, he departed. And they brought the young man in alive, and they were not a little comforted. – Acts 20:7-12 (NKJV)
“It’s about being half in and half out on God,” Mahomes said. “That’s the interpretation I took from it, and how you can’t be half in and half out. So that was the Bible verse that kind of stuck with me, that kinda told me that I needed to be fully in.”
Mahomes, a finalist for the AP NFL Most Valuable Player award and Offensive Player of the Year award, says he’s matured his faith in the past few years.
“It relieves the pressure of playing the football game because I know I’m on that football field to glorify Him before everything,” Mahomes said. “It’s not about winning or losing. It’s about going out there being the best I can in His name. I feel like I’ve grown in my faith the last few years and I feel that’s given me more sense of who I am and why I play the game that I play.”
Mahomes and the Chiefs (16-3) will try to win their second Super Bowl in four years when they take on the Philadelphia Eagles (16-3) on Sunday. For Mahomes, prayer and reflection are part of his preparation.
“My Christian faith plays a role in everything that I do,” he said. “I always ask God to lead me in the right direction and let me be who I am for His name. So it has a role in everything that I do. Obviously, we’ll be on that huge stage in the Super Bowl that He’s given me, and I want to make sure I’m glorifying Him while I do it.”
HURTS’ DILIGENT PURSUIT OF CHRIST PAYS OFF
Eagles quarterback Jalen Hurts also is a Christian. He’s talked about John 13:7 often over the past two seasons. The verse is a response from Christ Jesus as he washes Simon Peter’s feet and Peter asks, “Lord, are You washing my feet?”
Jesus answered and said to him, “What I am doing you do not understand now, but you will know after this.” – John 13:7 (NKJV)
“I feel like you go through things and kind of have moments where you have to lean on your faith and that’s something that I have come to in college,” Hurts said. “A scripture I lean on heavily is John 13:7 … and I feel along with that faith is a lot of work. I feel like I was going through some things in college that nobody else was going through. The verse reminds me to be patient, and stay diligent. Faith has limitless possibilities. I know my strength comes from God. ”
Hurts said he embraces his faith by being “who God called me to be.”
“I focus on things I can control,” he said. “Control what you can, put the work in, never lose the faith and usually it works out. I lean on my faith, my foundation, my family, and the people that were around me through everything.”
The Eagles and Chiefs are the first two No. 1 seeds to play in the Super Bowl since the Eagles-Patriots matchup five years ago. Chiefs coach Andy Reid is coaching against the team he led for 14 seasons. Nick Sirianni has the Eagles in the Super Bowl in just his second season as a head coach.
Editor’s Biblical Analysis
Obviously, Christians should rejoice in seeing fellow believers speak of Christ on the biggest stage in U.S. sports. The Super Bowl draws far more TV viewers than anything else. Last year’s big game drew an estimated 112.3 million viewers in the U.S. The only events to ever draw more viewers than that in this country were Super Bowl XLIX in 2015 (114.4 million) and the Apollo 11 moon landing (125-150 million) in 1969.
Nine of the 11 most viewed events of all time in the U.S. were Super Bowls since 2010.
No doubt, it is of great value for the Kingdom of Heaven when we have Godly leaders spreading the Word of God on such a massive stage in mainstream society. It brings to mind a verse that referred to leaders in the early church — not football players, of course — but nonetheless can be applied to any faithful and Godly leaders.
Remember those who led you, who spoke the word of God to you; and considering the result of their conduct, imitate their faith. – Hebrew 13:7
Let us pray, believers, that Patrick Mahomes and Jalen Hurts will continue to seek God’s guidance through His Holy Scriptures and through the presence of the Holy Spirit in their lives. Let us remember that they are men and, likewise, they will fail. They sin and they will stumble, as we all do. But let us pray that they never turn away from Christ or fail to share His Gospel through triumph, trial, failure, and success. Let us pray that Mahomes and Hurts continue to obey His commandments and make Him the Lord of their lives.
And let us pray that God continues to provide us with Godly leaders in all walks of life.