I try to get my students to flesh out how they perceive Jesus as a person based on what they see in our readings or what they believe about what they have heard concerning the Messiah. I try to make Jesus, who was a carpenter, real as it relates to their society. This week, as I do most years, I had my classes answer this question:
What kind of coach would Jesus be?
Here are some responses. All are used by permission and I allowed the students, if they chose, to pick a specific sport. Tonight, all the thoughts are from 8th and 11th graders, with girls in pink and boys in blue. We will post more of these for several days! I do think it is fascinating how some of the kids consider what believers see as attributes in Jesus to be liabilities as a coach!
I think Jesus would be a good athletic coach. He would know the right thing to do every time, whether it's basketball, baseball, soccer, football, tennis, or volleyball. His coaching style would be very good, because if someone ever made a mistake, I bet he wouldn’t even get mad at them for messing up. In fact, Jesus would most likely encourage us to face the challenges. He wouldn’t yell, he wouldn’t doubt his team, and he definitely would not kick people off his team. His organization would be perfectly clean. He would always cheer for his team. He wouldn’t back away from a challenge. And, obviously, he would be spectacular at supporting other families to have their kids join his team if they wish. In basketball, he would be teaching us the right calls, the right moves, and not to argue with the referees. If his team wins, Jesus would be a good sport instead of bragging about how his team won. If he loses, he would not be angry or curse, or even yell at the referees. The idea of Jesus being a coach sounds perfect. He would be one of the greatest coaches in the world, and the most inspirational. Arie 8
I think Jesus would be the perfect coach because he would tend to his players' needs carefully. If a player doesn’t handle being yelled at well, he would try to use gentle coaching. When he doesn't raise his voice, he tries to put the advice in a passive-aggressive way to where the player's feelings aren't hurt. I think sometimes he would yell but only for a good cause. He would coach the players so that they could become better at basketball or any other sport. He would make sure the players took their time in each drill but put in a good amount of effort. When it comes to winning or losing, Jesus wouldn’t care about the outcome because he can always teach his players a lesson from it. He would say it's not about winning, it's about fun and the lessons you learn from it. He would say that the games are an opportunity to get better at their craft, to perfect and nurture it. And when the players feel bad about losing the game, he would say that it gives them experience. Kristen 8
In my opinion I believe that Jesus would
not be a good coach, especially not for football. He would not be a good football coach because he wouldn't let anyone be rough like most coaches do. He would
probably only throw the ball so that the runner wouldn't get hurt as much.
Every time he calls a timeout, he would start talking about parables and not
actual game plans. Jesus would definitely not care about who is the best player
or who is the worst because in his eyes the least is greatest and the greatest
shall be the least. If the other team was losing and felt bad, he would make
sure that we let them hit us or win the game. If a player was acting up, he
would not yell at him but instead just threaten to turn his shoelaces to
snakes. He would have a hour long prayer session before and after the game and
before and after practices. Although he would not be a good head coach, I
believe that he would be a good assistant coach. He would have great pep talks
but he would not be good at calling the actual plays.
If Jesus coached basketball, I think he
would be a good coach. He wouldn't care about winning or losing, just that
we tried our best. Jesus would want us to make decisions on our own, so sometimes he
would, "sit and observe." If we needed to learn something, he would
teach us in stories, like Coach Hawley does. They would be related to the
topic, and hopefully the players will understand. He would also ask questions
in order for us to answer our questions. If players were mean to him and talk
back, they will feel the wrath of their God. Just kidding. He will show mercy
and keep his cool. He will be an example, to show people how to really act. If
people get angry in practice, he will comfort them and help them feel better.
Coach Jesus will care about the other team, and he will show mercy to them and
tell players not to try too hard to demolish them. Jesus will want the best for
his players, and would want what's right for anyone around him. He will remove
people if he has to, and will add people if he wants to. Laila 8
I think Jesus would be a good coach because he wouldn’t be afraid to tell kids
the truth. This is important because, if kids never learn the truth, they will
never improve. I think that Jesus would take every chance he could to teach a
lesson, whether it be from a mistake, or an improvement. He would always find a
way to teach his players, and make them better. I think Jesus would value all
players equally, and he would see them all as his star pupils. I also believe
that he wouldn’t care if he won or lost. For example, if Jesus’ team lost to
To me Jesus would be a good coach. Not only would he be fair and treat
everyone like they were his children, he would also do everything in his
power to make sure that his team treated everyone with respect and there was no
hate towards others. The biggest factor that makes me lean towards Jesus
being a great coach is the fact that I think that he would make sure that each
of players left better than when they first came. Coach Guidry tells us that it's cool if we win games and blow teams out but
if we do not become better men or learn how to be good people, he
has failed his job as a coach. I feel like that would be one of Jesus' best
traits as coach. He would want his team to be successful but he
would make sure that they would become great people. No matter how much
a team wins, that doesn't change the fact the everybody on the team can still
be rude and disrespectful. Jeremiah 11
I believe that if Jesus were a coach for soccer, He wouldn't be a good coach.
It takes a certain type of person to coach a soccer team; one who has the
fierceness to win like that of the players and one who isn't afraid to yell. To
give Him credit, Jesus would remind us to treat our neighbor like ourselves,
and He would remind us to have good sportsmanship which is good, but He
wouldn't have the competitiveness to want to win. He would most likely
speak in parables, so many probably wouldn't understand him, and He wouldn't
tell anyone no who wanted to play, even if they weren't good. I also feel like He
would show favoritism among the players like how He only picked 12 apostles. That
would definitely upset the balance of the team and the people who aren't among
the favorites wouldn't try as hard. He would be an amazing life coach, though! He'd always remind us to have a relationship with God and be kind, but in
sports, you can't just be kind. You have to know when to be mean and I feel like He
wouldn't be capable of doing that. Trina 11
I think that Jesus would be a good coach but not specifically the head coach. I believe that he would be a good assistant coach. If Jesus was the head coach, I think he would push everyone the same way. He would let everybody play the same time. I don't think that he would yell if somebody made a mistake, I believe he would talk to everybody in a calm manner. I think Jesus would be understanding but I'm not sure how much patience he would have when he is a coach. During halftime when the team goes to the locker room would Jesus tell the team what they could do better the second half or would he relate the game back to when he was younger and how he grew up? I don't think the team would get anything from Jesus becoming the head coach. Would Jesus talk to other coach if something was happening or if he was saying something to one of our players? There are many different circumstances that would be different if Jesus became our coach. How much would we get done during practice? How hard will he push his players in order for the team to succeed? I do think that if Jesus became a coach, he wouldn't even think about the winning or losing aspect; he would want all of his players to try their best and I feel that he would give all his players the same amount of playing time. If Jesus was the assistant coach, I think he would get to work with each player and know what each player needs to work on. Hannah 11
Applicable quote of the day:
You and I are players, God's our coach, and we're playing the biggest game of all. We have a loving God that made us. We need to get on His team. It says in His word, there's only one way to Him and that's through Jesus Christ.
Joe Gibbs
God bless,
Steve
Luke 18:1
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