Did you see the replay of the spectacular “Hail Mary” touchdown pass by which the Washington Commanders beat the Chicago Bears Sunday? The Bears had just scored to go ahead 15 – 12 with 23 seconds left in the game. With two seconds left on the clock and the ball on the Commanders’ 48 yard line, quarterback Jayden Daniels scrambled around for nearly 13 seconds before launching a pass that went 65 yards in the air, coming down just shy of the goal line. A Bear defender tipped the ball back(?) into the end zone where only one player was waiting for it – a Commander. Oops. You can see the play here.

It shouldn’t have been successful. There should have been a defender behind where the ball was coming down instead of leaving a receiver open in the end zone. Oh well. But here’s what you didn’t see on that replay. The Bear that tipped the ball was too busy taunting the crowd when the play started to pay attention to what he was supposed to be doing:

Chicago Bears cornerback Tyrique Stevenson apologized Sunday night after he was seen taunting the crowd seconds before he and his teammates gave up a Hail Mary touchdown with time expired to lose to the Commanders 18 – 15.

Video posted on social media showed Stevenson pointing toward the stands and raising his arms in the air with his back to the line of scrimmage when the ball snapped. He was late to get to the play, then tipped the ball up… Stevenson posted:

“To Chicago and teammates my apologies for lack of awareness and focus. The game ain’t over until zeros hit the clock. Can’t take anything for granted. Notes taken, improvement will happen.” – ESPN, posted October 27, 2024

Lesson learned…too late for yesterday’s game. It’s a lesson-story on a number of levels, not least of which is what happened on the cross.

This event is captured beautifully in the allegory The Lion, The Witch, and The Wardrobe by C.S. Lewis. The wicked witch is very excited when she kills Aslan the lion, the Christ figure in the book, who has sacrificed himself to save Edmond. But her joy is short-lived. As Aslan explains after his resurrection:

“Yes!” said a great voice from behind their backs. “It is more magic.” They looked round. There, shining in the sunrise, larger than they had seen him before, shaking his mane (for it had apparently grown again) stood Aslan himself...

“It means,” said Aslan, “that though the Witch knew the Deep Magic, there is a magic deeper still which she did not know. Her knowledge goes back only to the dawn of time. But if she could have looked a little further back, into the stillness and the darkness before Time dawned, she would have read there a different incantation. She would have known that when a willing victim who had committed no treachery was killed in a traitor’s stead, the Table would crack and Death itself would start working backward.” – from The Lion, The Witch, and the Wardrobe by C.S. Lewis

The devil wanted Jesus crucified:

Then Satan entered into Judas called Iscariot, who was of the number of the twelve. He went away and conferred with the chief priests and officers how he might betray him to them. (Luke 22.3, ESV)

But apparently Satan was unaware of what Jesus’ death would do:

Since therefore the children share in flesh and blood, he himself likewise partook of the same things, that through death he might destroy the one who has the power of death, that is, the devil, and deliver all those who through fear of death were subject to lifelong slavery. (Hebrews 2.14, 15, ESV)

No doubt Satan celebrated too soon.

The reason the Son of God appeared was to destroy the works of the devil. (1 John 3.8, ESV)

PS I mean no disrespect to Tyrique Stevenson who made a mistake and apologized. As far as I know there are no cosmic implications to the Bears’ defeat and Commanders’ victory. The story just reminded me of something that does have cosmic significance.