Should the Yankees Require Perfection?

The World Series is over and a bust to all but those in New England after the Red Sox sweep of the upstart Colorado Rockies in 4 straight games. But during, and now continuing after the fall classic, the big news still revolves around baseball’s most loved and hated Bronx Bombers. And interestingly, the main stories revolve around those who are no longer on the team!

First, all-star third baseman Alex Rodriguez decided to test the free agency waters announcing his decision in the middle of a World Series game - a move that irritated many fans of the sport. Then Joe Torre, who led his club to playoff baseball for 12 consecutive years, departed under less than favorable circumstances. This was followed a week or two later with the announcement that he had become the new manager of the Los Angeles Dodgers. Yankee management made it quite clear, despite his winning 4 world titles, that anything short of World Series perfection would not be enough to keep the beloved skipper in the fold.

In a previous interview Torre spoke about the demands of the New York ownership who arguably place the best team on the field each year, at least according to the payroll. He said that every team’s goal should be to get to, and win, the World Series. But to expect any team to win it all every year would require perfection, something flat out unreasonable.

The dictionary defines perfection as a "state of completeness and flawlessness". In its ultimate form it is seen in the person and work of Jesus Christ. The personal perfection of God's Son is revealed in Hebrew 4:15, where it says that He was "…in all points tempted as we are, yet without sin." Then in John 17 and 19 Christ’s perfect work is eluded to. In John 17:4 Jesus is speaking to His Heavenly Father and says, "I have glorified You on the earth. I have ‘finished’ the work which You have given Me to do." Then John 19:30 points out His completed payment for mankind’s staggering sin problem. "So when Jesus had received the sour wine, He said, ‘It is finished!’ And bowing His head, He gave up His spirit."

According to Strong’s Exhaustive Concordance, that English word translated ‘finished’ comes from the Greek word ‘teleo’. It refers to the concept of something being completed, performed, accomplished, or paid in full. So basically, the perfect Son of God completely and flawlessly justified all that trust in His sacrificial death on the cross for them.

But beyond that, Scripture reveals something equally stunning in Colossians 2. Verses 9 -10 state, "For in Him dwells all the fullness of the Godhead bodily; and you are ‘complete’ in Him, who is the head of all principality and power." The word ‘complete’ here is yet another term referring to something fully accomplished. It is a miraculous thing for a holy Creator to carry out His precise plan of salvation for rebellious men and women. But it is another thing altogether for those same sinners to be made spiritually complete, lacking nothing, and able to live a kind of Christian life which resists temptation, and both serves and glorifies their great God and Savior.

Now that is perfection.

Bill Breckenridge