How is your bracket? In 2021, it is probably worse than normal. One thing for sure–it is broken! The final three perfect brackets lasted through 28 games, but fell with Maryland’s win over UConn. Only 0.42% of brackets remained perfect after the Oral Roberts win on the first day. In fact, after Friday’s first day of games, only 121 brackets remained. The longest perfect bracket streak is held by Greg Nigl who started 49 of 49 in 2019, but his bracket was broken in a Sweet-16 game of that year. We are miserable bracket prophets! Even the experts, who watch and study all the teams throughout the year, fail miserably in their predictions.
Why are we such miserable predictors? Because we don’t know the future. We can’t pick what will happen in only a couple of days. Yet, God through the ancient prophets predicted detailed prophecies about nations, Jesus, and the church hundreds of years before. Let’s take the prophecies regarding Christ. “It is estimated that the Old Testament contains altogether some 456 prophecies concerning Christ.” Here is a sampling of some of the detailed prophecies. Notice how many of these he could not control or make happen himself. The Messiah was to be born in Bethlehem in Judea (Micah 5:2), of a virgin (Isaiah 7:14). He was to be betrayed by a friend (Psalm 41:9) for thirty pieces of silver (Zechariah 11:13). He would come into Jerusalem riding on a foal of a donkey (Zechariah 9:9). He would be buried with a rich man (Isaiah 53:9). They would cast lots for his cloths while he suffered (Psalm 22:18). He would be pierced, but not have bones broken (Zechariah 12:10, Psalm 34:20). His physical body would not experience decay (Psalm 16:10). This is just a few of the 300-400 prophecies given about Jesus. Many of them quoted and referenced by the New Testament writers.
We can’t get a bracket right one day before! How can prophets like Moses, Isaiah, David, and Zechariah get these detailed predictions right hundreds of years before? They were inspired by God. God gave them this prophetic knowledge. He did it to show that Christ is the true Messiah and Savior of the world. Just like our brackets, all of us are far from perfect. We all sin and fall short of the glory of God (Rom. 3:23). We needed a Savior. Let’s be thankful that the predicted Savior came just as God said he would and died for our sins, so we can gain the victory despite our imperfection.
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Sources: https://www.ncaa.com/
The Predicted Messiah – Apologetics Press.com
