Every year, when the men’s NCAA Tournament brackets are constructed, teams are ranked and seeded based on their resumes. As we fill out our brackets and listen to the analysts tell us who they think will win each game and make it through each round, the majority of the teams picked to make it to the Final Four are top seeds. Over the years, we have seen plenty of surprise teams pull upsets and go on a special run to the final weekend of the college basketball season. Teams like George Mason, VCU, and Loyola Chicago come to mind. But this year’s Final Four consists of the most shocking combination of four schools ever to have taken place. Hardly anyone expected Florida Atlantic or San Diego State to make it this far and very few believed Miami and UConn would be matched up on Saturday. San Diego State is a 5th seed, Florida Atlantic a 9th seed, UConn a 4th seed, and Miami a 5th seed. This is the first time since seeding began in 1979 that no team ranked better than No. 4 has reached the Final Four. Of the four teams remaining, FAU is the most unexpected. Tom D’Angelo writes in The Palm Beach Post, “FAU had never won an NCAA Tournament game, had not been a part of March Madness, for more than two decades. The program never has had a player on an NBA roster and plays in a gym half the size of the biggest high school venues in Indiana.” Upon the release of this year's bracket, we didn’t expect FAU to be here, along with these three other teams fighting for a National Championship. However, as astonishing as this Final Four appears, this is the reality. Although they're not the teams I thought would be there, I’m excited to watch a very intriguing Saturday night of college basketball. As we think about how surprising and unexpected the Final Four is this year, I want to remind ourselves of four surprising scriptures from the Bible that we wouldn’t think would be there, but are important truths from God’s Word. The first one talks about an unexpected way to view trials and temptations. James 1:2-4 (NIV) tells us to, “Consider it pure joy, my brothers and sisters, whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith produces perseverance. Let perseverance finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything.” That’s right, “pure joy!” It's probably not the words we'd pick to be there, but we learn that God uses our tests to grow and strengthen us. In Matthew 5:10 (AMP) we might be surprised to read, “Blessed are those who are persecuted for doing that which is morally right, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven .” We wouldn’t think that "blessed" and "persecuted" would be combined in that way, but that’s what Jesus says. It’s also unexpected how we’re told that losing our life is what allows us to find it as Jesus explains in Matthew 10:39 (AMP): “Whoever finds his life will lose it , and whoever loses his life for My sake will find it .” Lastly, the most surprising truth that blows us away, is found in Ephesians 2:8-9 (AMP): “For it is by grace that you have been saved through faith. And this is not of yourselves , but it is the gift of God; not as a result of works , so that no one will boast or take credit in any way .” Yes, it’s eye-opening to find out that salvation isn’t based on our resume, “seeding,” effort, or works. Instead, it’s all about God’s grace, love, and our belief in the finished work of Jesus who died on the cross for us and came back to life. Remarkably, we don’t have to earn salvation, but that’s the wonderful good news and the Gospel we cling to. It doesn’t matter what teams we think should be in the Final Four. The truth is, FAU, San Diego State, Miami, and UConn are the ones competing in Houston on Saturday night. If we embrace it, we’ll realize how amazing it is! Likewise, we may be surprised when we read God’s Word and it's different than what we think should be in there. Yet, it’s the truth and when we embrace it we’ll realize how amazing it is! I’m Bryce Johnson, and you can UNPACK that! PRAYER: Heavenly Father, forgive me for my pride and help me to embrace and trust what Your Word says, even when it’s surprising and unexpected. I know You love me and I’m so thankful for the truth of the Gospel. In Jesus’ name, I pray, Amen.
DISCUSSION QUESTIONS FOR PACKS:
Which of these four scriptures is most surprising to you?
In what other ways has God's Word surprised you with amazing truth?
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