God's Coaching #153

God's Coaching #153

To say the 1925 baseball season was a tough one for Wally Pipp would be a severe understatement. For 11 previous seasons, Wally had been a very good first baseman, mostly for the New York Yankees. In 1924, he hit .295 with 114 RBIs and led the American League with 19 triples. But on June 2, 1925, with Wally and the Yankees struggling, Lou Gehrig replaced him at first base. One story says that Wally asked to sit out the game because of a bad headache. Another says Yankees manager Miller Huggins benched Wally to shake up his slumping team.

Either way, it was the most famous substitution in American sports history. Wally never regained his starting job because Lou went on to play 2,130 consecutive games. Nicknamed “The Iron Horse,” Lou entered the Hall of Fame as one of the greatest first basemen of all time. Wally, meanwhile, only played three more unexceptional years and is largely remembered for that fateful day when he sat out. His name, in fact, has become a sort of saying. In baseball jargon, to be “Wally Pipped” means to get replaced by a better substitute.

What’s the Score?

The Bible features a remarkable tale of substitution too. Only this substitute is far greater than a Hall of Fame baseball player. He is Jesus Christ, God’s own Son.

The Bible says we all deserve death and eternal separation from God because of our sins. But Jesus died in our place—as a substitute—to pay the penalty for our sins. His death on the cross paid for the death we deserve, appeased God’s holy wrath, and made it possible for us to spend eternity in heaven through faith in him. As a wonderful passage in Isaiah says, “He was pierced for our transgressions” and “crushed for our iniquities” (53:5, NIV, emphasis added). Jesus’ coming to earth to die for us is a substitution worth cheering for!

On the Ball

Every time you have a substitute teacher at school or experience a substitution on your sports team, thank Jesus for dying on the cross as the substitute for your sins.

Coach’s Comment

He was pierced for our transgressions, he was crushed for our iniquities; the punishment that brought us peace was on him, and by his wounds we are healed. Isaiah 53:5 (NIV)