Resurrection Lutheran Church, St Catharines

He Tagged Himself In

Back in Grade School physical education, Greco-Roman Wrestling was part of the curriculum for the boys. We learned how to control and manipulate the body of the opponent in order to score points; and of course, how to defend against our opponent trying to do the same. Usually this sport is divided into weight classes so that there is no glaring mismatch in strength or leverage.

But in order to have a bit of fun, once we had all learned some of the basics, our instructor would have the whole class sit around the edge of the wrestling mat; then two contenders were chosen for a match to begin. But in this scenario, if a contender felt he would be overcome, he could make his way to the edge of the mat and tag in a substitute to take his place.

Now because the whole class was sitting around the mat, this could result in quite a mismatch, since boys of that age could be at far ends of their adolescent physical growth. There were times when it was a good even match-up and the contenders would grapple for some time against each other without a clear advantage. But there were other times when one of the contenders was desperate to tag out, or when the other was desperate not to let him tag in someone that would be more of a challenge.

Lee and Phil were brothers who were in the same grade because Lee had been held back a year at some point. He was a year older, a head taller, and double thickness in arms and legs. No one wanted to contend with Lee. One class session, I was on the mat with Phil. Phil was pretty skinny, not small, but I was getting to be over average size at that time. I was quite happy to contend with Phil and he was game to man up to the challenge, for a short time.

But after a few clinches and tumbles, Phil realized that he would soon be caught in a pinning predicament. Then, I could see Phil start searching around the edge of the mat. And I distinctly remember the little smirk on his face the moment he located his brother, Lee. He was desperate to tag him in, and I was desperate not to let that happen. This is not the end of the story.

The contest is an old one. It began shortly after the creation of the world.

Now the serpent was more crafty than any other beast of the field that the Lord God had made. He said to the woman, “Did God actually say, ‘You shall not eat of any tree in the garden’?” 2 And the woman said to the serpent, “We may eat of the fruit of the trees in the garden, 3 but God said, ‘You shall not eat of the fruit of the tree that is in the midst of the garden, neither shall you touch it, lest you die.’” 4 But the serpent said to the woman, “You will not surely die. 5 For God knows that when you eat of it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil.” 6 So when the woman saw that the tree was good for food, and that it was a delight to the eyes, and that the tree was to be desired to make one wise, she took of its fruit and ate, and she also gave some to her husband who was with her, and he ate. (Genesis 3:1-6)

It was a mismatch from the start. And Eve and Adam were willing to give it a go. They did not immediately flee away but decided to tie-up with this evil creature that was not at all acting according to its appearance. Serpents cannot talk. They knew that full well. This was not what it appeared to be. Furthermore, what came out of its mouth was a direct lie against the words of their loving heavenly Father. But hey, they had been created in the image of God, so why not engage? What could go wrong? Everything went wrong. With just a few twists and angulations, the devil had them right where he wanted. They were pinned. Even with two against one they had no chance.

This is a spiritual entity who dwelt in the presence of the Most High. He was there when God called all of this world into being, sinking its bases and laying its cornerstone while the angels “sang together and all the sons of God shouted for joy” (Job 38:7). This enemy had done his homework. He studied the creation of man and the limits that God set for mankind, what God gave them and what He withheld. He saw how Adam longed for a companion and how he and Eve were given dominion over all things on earth, and that to them was entrusted the care of this garden.

It was no contest. “Why would God withhold the fruit of that one tree from you? It is good for food. You will not surely die. You will be like God.” Eve rolled over on her back and Adam tripped up and fell on his face. And the devil slithered over top of them victorious. He had gotten into a dominant position through his deceit and pinned them under the weight of their guilt and shame. They were struck down and forever injured. They were too ashamed to even look for someone to save them. They went away into hiding and death.

But the Lord God was aware of the mismatch. The devil had no business initiating a contest with His beloved. So the Lord God meted out a punishment to Adam and Eve so that they would never again presume to engage with such an enemy in an attempt to gain power and prestige beyond what their heavenly Father had given.

And He had a promise for the devil, too.

The Lord God said to the serpent, “Because you have done this, cursed are you above all livestock and above all beasts of the field; on your belly you shall go, and dust you shall eat all the days of your life. 15 I will put enmity between you and the woman, and between your offspring and her offspring; he shall bruise your head, and you shall bruise his heel.” (Genesis 3:14-15).

This match was not over yet. There would come one to tag in for mankind.

But two against one is not impossible to overcome. What if there were more? What if Adam and Eve had generations of children with them when the devil attacked? Wouldn’t they have done better then, with more of them to counter his twisted words and to see the crooked angles he worked? If the devil had waited longer so that the they would have had more time with their heavenly Father to solidify their relationship with Him, and would have seen and experienced more of the creative wonders He was willing to do for His beloved, then would they have stood a chance?

After generations of suffering under the curse of sin, falling time and time again to the tempter’s power, God performed a great redemption for His beloved who were holding onto the promise that He had made since their first fall. And for His people enslaved in Egypt 400 years, God performed wonders and awesome deeds to bring about their release. He brought Pharaoh, King of Egypt to his knees with flies, and frogs, and gnats, and locusts. He brought darkness and hail and fire upon him. He inflicted painful sores and death in every household until the enemy was ready to let His people up, to stop holding them under the weight of slavery.

The LORD brought His people miraculously through the waters of the Red Sea, protecting them with a pillar of fire and leading them with the cloud of His glory. Surely, having seen and received these great mercies from God, they were now built up, strengthened, conditioned, and ready for any contest that would challenge them on the truthfulness and promise of God’s Word.

But they were hardly released from the grasp of the enemy when they were tempted to doubt their Lord’s redemption by the lack of bread. “Would that we had died by the hand of the LORD in Egypt, when we sat by the meat pots and ate bread to the full, for you have brought us out into this wilderness to kill this whole assembly with hunger” (Exodus 16:3). “Why would God withhold the fruit of the tree from you?”

They were not long safely passed through the waters of the Red Sea when they were tempted to doubt their Lord’s redemption because they were thirsty. “Why did you bring us up out of Egypt, to kill us and our children and our livestock with thirst?” (Exodus 17:3). “Are you not yet like God, knowing good and evil for yourselves?”

They were not long free from Egypt when they were tempted to doubt their Lord’s redemption and build a golden calf to worship in His place. “Up, make us gods who shall go before us. As for this Moses, the man who brought us up out of the land of Egypt, we do not know what has become of him” (Exodus 32:1). They did not believe that God would keep His promise. They wouldn’t even look for Him to save them.

They were bested. They fell. They were pinned again and again by their sins—not just two of them but a whole nation of God’s people, even after having been miraculously redeemed by great wonders beyond imagination. The odds did not change. It made no difference whether it was a two on one contest or a 600,000 to one contest. The enemy is just too skilled an adversary for us.

How is it going in your contest with the devil? Are you so much more knowledgeable of the holds and counter-holds that you can do what Adam and Eve could not? Are you so much more acquainted with the wondrous works of God’s salvation that you can prevail where the whole nation of Jacob’s descendants kept falling over and over again?

It may be tempting to think that yes, we do know better. We have seen Christ on the cross for the salvation of mankind. We know how the LORD sent Him in to defeat sin, death, and the devil. Furthermore, we have been baptized. We “have the prophetic word more fully confirmed” through the eyewitness testimony of the apostles (2 Peter 1:19). We have tasted the very body and blood of Christ that was given for our salvation, that has risen from the dead, and that is even now at the right hand of God the Father with all powers and dominions subjected beneath His feet (Hebrews 2:8). Don’t be fooled. Knowing that there is champion for you is not the same as having that champion step in for you.

For a moment, let’s go back to my Grade School gym class. Phil knew that his brother Lee was there on the edge of the mat ready to come in and take his place. I even saw the moment that his eyes connected with his saviour. But it wasn’t going to do Phil any good unless Lee actually came into the contest. It wasn’t going to do Phil any good if Lee never took his place. Of course, that became my mission. And in fact, I thought that I might even be able to take advantage of Phil’s newfound confidence and have him make a mistake, overlook an opening, and pin him while his arm was flailing out to tag in his big brother just out of reach.

We must be careful that we do not get so overconfident that we think we can overcome the enemy just because we know about a Saviour. I knew Lee was on the edge of the mat just as much as Phil knew. Phil’s knowledge of the promise was not enough. The devil believes in God, too. That’s not enough. It only makes a difference if the Saviour is tagged in for you.

Now we could evaluate all kinds of strategies about how we are going to get to Jesus and tag him in to save us from our inevitable loss. I am sure that all kinds of ploys were working through Phil’s mind so he could get to his brother. I could see his eyes look left and right, as he was thinking about what would get him to salvation.

But our hope turns to despair when we realize that we cannot get to Jesus. The devil is still in our way with all of his temptations and tricks. That is why many of those religious books about how to get closer to Jesus often leave us feeling deflated and crushed. We find ourselves unable to follow the strategies they suggest. Time slips away and we miss our daily Bible reading. Our mind wanders off when we are trying to pray. The chance for some holiday travel leaves me bereft of the body and blood of Christ.

Or perhaps we find a plan that we can follow, one that seems to suit our mindset, our strengths, and our lifestyle. Then we become overconfident, and more willing to rely on our own resolve than to have Jesus step into the contest for us. And we are back where we started, suddenly realizing that despite how strong and crafty we thought we were, “the serpent was more crafty than any other beast of the field that the Lord God had made.”

Lee is an incredibly nice guy, and despite his overwhelming size at that time in life and the fear and respect that it gave to him, he was always willing to help someone out. And despite all of the things that go on between brothers, and all of the things that Phil may have done as a younger sibling, Lee wanted to get onto the mat and take Phil’s place. In fact, Lee always wanted to get onto the mat in order to save anybody who was mismatched. The problem, or the fun of the game, was that he needed to be tagged in.

That is not the way it is with Jesus Christ our Saviour. If that was the rule, then we would be lost. And if we play by that rule, then we will be defeated time and again. The devil’s arm will be raised in victory, and our end will be death and eternal damnation. With our salvation in Jesus, it is more like there is no need for a tag. Rather, it is as if the instructor can just call out a name and that person can enter the contest and take your place.

The eternal Son of God was eager to follow the plan of God the Father for the salvation of mankind. He joyfully anticipated that moment: “And when the fullness of time had come, God sent forth His Son, born of woman [the offspring of the woman in the garden], born under the law, to redeem those who are under the law” (Galatians 4:4-5). That removes the need for us to get to Him and make a tag. Instead, according to the Father’s will, Jesus tagged Himself in. He willingly entered the contest in order to save you from your inevitable defeat.

He suffered the devil’s attacks in this life, “tempted in every way as we are, yet without sin” (Hebrews 4:15). He suffered the devil’s intense afflictions during those forty days in the wilderness (Matthew 4:1-11). He endured the devil’s incessant attacks while He suffered and died on the cross for our defeats (Matthew 27). All this He did willingly, without any merit or worthiness in you, in order to save you from your sins. And it is not a game. It is the contention for your eternal destiny.

God the Father called out His name and Jesus became your substitute in the waters of your baptism. The one offspring of the woman, who was ever and completely victorious over our enemy, willingly stepped in for you. By His victorious death upon the cross and His triumphant resurrection, you are forgiven for all of your sins, all of your falls to the devil’s temptations.

“Satan, hear this proclamation: I am baptized into Christ. Drop your ugly accusation. I am not so soon enticed. Now that to the font I’ve travelled, all your might has come unravelled. And against your tyranny, God my Lord unites with me.” (Lutheran Service Book, 594.3)