21 Jun A God Lesson in a Baseball Game

I have been there more than once, and I’ll bet you have too. Someone has falsely accused you, or misjudged you, or some how slighted you. You dream of vindication. You might even game plan scenarios in your head of how your moment of vindication will come. You will have the made for TV moment where two people are arguing and one of them is silenced by the perfect point being made by the other. Such perfect vindication rarely happens in real life. Ah, but it did on Friday, June 12, 2026. It happened not with words, but with a baseball.

Last year, rookie Milwaukee Brewers pitcher Jacob Misiorowski was named to the National League All-Star team as a substitute. Members of the Philadelphia Phillies took great umbrage in “the Miz’s” selection. One sportswriter called Miz’s selection “a joke.” But it was perhaps Phillie’s star shortstop Trea Turner who had the harshest criticism:

“It’s not the All-Star game in the sense that the best players go there, or people who have had the best season. It’s whoever sells the most tickets or has been put on social media the most. That’s what it has been turned into.”

Miz didn’t respond with words; he used a baseball. One year to the day after his first Major League start, Miz faced Turner and the Phillies at American Family Field in Milwaukee. Some baseball observers believe it might be the greatest game ever pitched in the majors:

15 strikeouts on 95 pitches in a one-hit, complete game, shutout, and a 104.5 mph pitch that is the fastest ever thrown by a major league starting pitcher. And there are plenty more eye-popping stats. We don’t know if vindication was Miz’s motive, but we know that he received it. Isn’t it a blessing to know that when we are in Christ, we don’t need a cannon for a right arm. We don’t need to dazzle those who did us dirty. You see Jesus has done all the vindicating we will ever need.

Jesus was falsely accused and convicted, mocked, beaten and crucified on a cross. Yet, he asked His Father to forgive those who did all that to Him. His vindication came three days later with the empty tomb. So did ours. We were made sinless. We don’t have to listen to the voices of those who would judge us, condemn us, lie about us. Jesus covered it all. So, have you been looking for a “Miz moment” in your life? That moment when you silent your critics? Stop looking. When you receive Christ, it means He has done it for you.

Therefore, there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus, 2 because through Christ Jesus the law of the Spirit who gives life has set you[a] free from the law of sin and death. Romans 8:1-2 (NIV)

Pastor Jerry Bader