Against the Odds

I recently learned that this Sunday’s Super Bowl matchup between the New England Patriots and the Seattle Seahawks is considered one of the most unlikely in NFL history based on preseason odds. Before the season ever kicked off, neither team was expected to make it this far. In fact, both had less than a two-percent chance of winning it all. If you had put your money on this matchup back in September, most people would have smiled politely and backed away. And yet—here they are.

There’s something about that story that feels… familiar. Because when you look at the people Jesus chose to carry the good news into the world, you don’t exactly see a roster stacked with “can’t-miss prospects.” You see fishermen with hot tempers, a tax collector who had made a living by betraying his own people, political zealots, skeptics, doubters, and at least one disciple who had a habit of saying the wrong thing at exactly the wrong time. (I’m looking at you, Peter.)

If there had been preseason odds on those disciples changing the world, I’m guessing they would’ve been somewhere south of two percent as well. Think about it. No wealth. No political power. No formal education. Plenty of baggage. Plenty of mistakes. And yet, God entrusted them with spreading the news of the greatest victory of all time—the victory of life over death, love over fear, grace over sin.

The odds were terrible. The outcome was world-changing. That seems to be how God works. Over and over again in Scripture, God delights in using the unlikely, the overlooked, and the underestimated. David defeats Goliath. Moses stutters. Rahab has a past. Mary is young and unknown. The disciples are… well, the disciples. And somehow, God says, “Yes. These are the ones I’ll use.”

Maybe that’s good news for us. Because most of us don’t wake up feeling like Super Bowl champions of the faith. We feel ordinary. Inadequate. Too busy. Too flawed. Too late. Too unsure. Too unlikely. But the gospel has never depended on perfect odds or perfect people. It has always depended on a faithful God who loves to work through imperfect humans willing to say yes.

So when you watch the game this Sunday—whether you’re there for the football, the commercials, or the snacks—remember this: God has been writing unlikely victory stories long before the NFL existed. And somehow, by grace, we’re invited to be part of one too. Against the odds.

May God hold you,
Rev Chris Hester