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Real Answers™
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Copyright: © 2007 Tom Flannery
665 words

JETER, A-ROD AND THE NEED FOR FORGIVENESS

By: Tom Flannery

Major League Baseball's exhibition season has begun, with several intriguing storylines that will be followed closely by fans.  Will Barry Bonds break Hank Aaron's all-time home record?    Considering Bonds' admitted steroid use, how much will it really matter?  Will Roger Clemens return for one more season?  If so, for which team?

And then there's the continuing saga of New York Yankees' captain Derek Jeter and his teammate/former best friend Alex Rodriguez, a.k.a. "A-Rod."  Up until a few years ago, Jeter and A-Rod were the closest of friends, even though they played for different teams.

Things started changing when A-Rod signed a record $252 million, 10-year contract with the Texas Rangers.  With the big contract came intense scrutiny and inordinate pressure to produce numbers worthy of his salary.  On top of this, he was being unfavorably compared to his pal Jeter.  After all, Jeter had led the Bronx Bombers to four World Series titles in five years, winning the MVP in the 2000 Series.

A-Rod's response was something of a shock -- especially to the guy who considered him to be his best friend.  He tried to boost his own image by trashing Jeter.  In the Spring 2001 issue of Esquire magazine, he claimed that Jeter wasn't much of an offensive threat, stating: "You go into New York, you wanna stop Bernie [Williams] and [Paul] O'Neill.  You never say, 'Don't let Derek beat us.'  He's never your concern."

A-Rod continued:  "He's never had to lead.  He can just go and play and have fun.  He hits second -- that's totally different than third or fourth in a lineup."

When that magazine hit newsstands, A-Rod realized he had messed up badly and begged Jeter's forgiveness, but Jeter wasn't willing to let bygones be bygones.  Not even when A-Rod was traded to the Yankees and became his teammate.

A-Rod seemed fine at first, even winning a league MVP after joining the Yanks.  It didn't last, though.  He performed woefully in the postseason (and in New York, the postseason is all that really matters), then last year he had a woeful season, committing so many errors that the media started calling him "E-Rod."  When postseason rolled around, Rodriguez once again faltered, as did the team.

It was clear he was struggling under the weight of Jeter's unforgiveness, and in their fractured relationship we can all see ourselves and our own fractured relationships.  And we can see our own need for the forgiveness of others, because we all mess up from time to time -- sometimes badly.

When we seek but don't receive forgiveness, it takes a toll on us psychologically.  Eventually that mental anguish can manifest itself physically or emotionally.  One doctor said that at least half the people in mental institutions could be released tomorrow if they could just be assured that they were forgiven.

We suffer when we hold unforgiveness in our hearts against someone else.  Holding unforgiveness is like drinking poison and hoping the other person dies.

This is why, when the disciples of Jesus asked Him if they should forgive transgressors up to seven times, Jesus replied, "No, forgive them seventy times seven."  In other words, unlimited forgiveness—God's way.

More important, we all need God's forgiveness, without which we have no hope of eternal life.  The Bible tells us that we've all fallen short, we've all missed the mark, we've all broken God's laws countless times and in countless ways throughout the course of our lives.  Thankfully, that forgiveness is always available by God's pure grace via the Cross, where Jesus paid fully and forevermore for the payment of all our past, present and future sins.

This time of year in particular it's important to remember what Christ says to every one of us who will trust Him by faith concerning our inherent sinfulness:  "Come now, let us reason together...though your sins are like scarlet, they shall be white as snow;  though they are red like crimson, they shall be as wool." (Isaiah 1:18)

"Real Answers™" furnished courtesy of The Amy Foundation Internet Syndicate. To contact the author or The Amy Foundation, write or E-mail to: P. O. Box 16091, Lansing, MI 48901-6091; amyfoundtn@aol.com

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