There's No "I" in Team

Teams win together. Teams lose together. An individual may play well in defeat. He may have even set a record. But in the end, his squad still lost. That’s really all that matters. The last thing a losing team needs is one of its players bragging about all the stats he piled up in defeat. Great leaders understand that you win as a team and you lose as a team. Flip back to Ezra 9:6-9 for a classic example of great leadership in defeat. Despite successfully leading somewhere between 7,000-8,000 people nearly 1,000 miles from Babylon to Jerusalem and delivering a multimillion dollar amount of gold and silver to the temple, Ezra sits in utter horror over the sin and disobedience of God’s people (Ez 9:1-5). All sorts of Israelites have turned their backs on the LORD and hooked up with local pagan hotties. It didn’t take long before their new girlfriends and wives had them worshiping false gods. Honestly if I were in Ezra’s sandals, I would probably shake my head at this dumpster fire of idolatry and tell them “it sucks to be you!” Thankfully, Ezra is not me. He knows a great leader is accountable. He knows there’s no “I” in “team” but there is in “sin.”

We all know plenty of coaches, bosses, and supervisors who blow their stacks when their people fail. Ezra certainly had every opportunity to chew out the people, priests, and Levites for allowing their libido to override their obedience to God’s commands. But that’s not how he handled it. That’s not what he did. Instead of going ballistic, he goes to God in prayer. Remember, the Big E tore his clothes, yanked out his hair and beard, and sat down in awe at what was going down. And there he sat, “until the evening sacrifice” (Ez 9:4). Hungry from a day of fasting, Ezra dropped to his knees and spread his hands to pray (Ez 9:5). There’s a time and place to get mad. Even Jesus kicked butt and took names at the temple, not once but twice (Jn 2:13-17; Mk 11:15-17). But this time, Ezra takes the situation straight to God. As leaders, we should consider doing the same. Don’t freak out. Don’t blow your stack. Take the problem directly to Jesus. Do not pass “go.” Do not collect $200. 

“O my God, I am ashamed and blush to lift my face to You, my God” (v6). Ezra readily admits to the LORD his shame over what’s just happened. He uses the Hebrew word buwsh, which not only his humiliation but an extreme level of confusion. Here at what should be a high point of celebration at God’s provision for their return, this spiritual train wreck occurs. Ezra is so embarrassed that he is “blush (Heb. kalam) to lift my face” in prayer. As the leader of the people, he would rather be anywhere but in the presence of God right now. But as their leader, he’s accountable for what they’ve done. They win as a team. They lose as a team. 

Then something happens that you might not expect. Ezra confesses the incredible sin of the people as if he was right there with them the whole time. “Our iniquities have risen higher than our heads, and our guilt has mounted up to the heavens” (v6, emphasis added). No pointing fingers. No blaming. Ezra understands that they win as a team and they sin as a team. He looks back on the history and heritage of the Israelites and knows that sin like this is a family tradition. “From the days of our fathers to this day we have been in great guilt” (v7, emphasis added). He goes on to say that the whole reason they’ve been in Babylonian captivity until now is because of their blatant disobedience. “And for our iniquities we, our kings, and our priests have been given into the hand of the kings of the lands, to the sword, to captivity, to plundering, and to utter shame, as it is today” (v7, emphasis added). They’ve brought it on themselves. As MacArthur writes, “Ezra knows that the sin of a few contaminates the many.” There’s no “I” in “team” but there is in “sin.” 

Suddenly, just when you think Ezra might expect God to drop the hammer of His holy wrath on His disobedient people, this humble leader knows the grace and goodness of the God of Israel. “But now for a brief moment favor has been shown by the LORD our God, to leave us a remnant and to give us a secure hold within this holy place, that our God may bright our eyes and grant us a little reviving in our slavery” (v8). Despite all of the rebellion of His chosen people, Yahweh has been radically awesome to them along the way. In the middle of the utter darkness of their slavery and exile, the bright light of God’s grace sparkles and dazzles. He’s allowed a remnant, a small handful of survivors to remain so that He can still deliver on His covenant promises to bless the earth. Despite the sin of the situation, Ezra sees the grace of God. Don’t let anybody tell you that the Old Testament is about His wrath and judgment and the New Testament is about His love and grace. The OT absolutely drips with God’s descending, one-way love.

Ezra continues praying, “For we are slaves. Yet our God has not forsaken us in our slavery” (v9). In the face of the amazing resettlement of Jerusalem and the rebuilding of the temple, he understands that the Hebrews are still under the thumb of the Persian king. He thanks the LORD for His overwhelming goodness to not turn His back on His people while they were in Babylon in what amounted to a divine “time out” for disobedience. Once Jesus saves you, He never, ever leaves you swinging in the breeze by yourself. He didn’t forget the Jews in Egypt. He didn’t forget the Israelites in Babylon. And He won’t forget you and me when we make self-destructive and sinful choices.

In the middle of their 70-year exile, God “has extended to us His steadfast love before the kings of Persia, to grant us some reviving to set up the house of our God, to repair its ruins, and to give us protection in Judea and Jerusalem” (v9). Everything that’s happened as part of this incredible return and resettlement is because God made it happen. It’s because of “His steadfast love” (v9). God made a promise to Abraham to bless His people and eventually bless the entire planet through His people. Just because they disobey, God faithfully fulfills His promise to bless and love. His love doesn’t burn hot for a moment and then He moves on to somebody else who catches His eye. His love lasts. His love has legs. His love hangs in there. As the song says, “His love never fails, it never gives up, it never runs out on me.” Ezra knows that God’s love lasts. Despite everything that the people have done, despite hooking up with pagan hotties, despite worshiping false gods, His love never fails. 

Loving leaders who are willing to take the sin of others as their own and intercede on their behalf is a familiar theme throughout the Bible. A brokenhearted Daniel pleads to Yahweh to forgive the rebellion of His people that led to their deportation into Babylon (Dan 9:1-20). A few years after Ezra, tears streamed down the face of Nehemiah as he was overcome by the Israelites continual disobedience (Neh 1:4-11). But these men simply point to the ultimate example found in the radical Rabbi/Carpenter from Galilee. The night before His murder, Jesus prayed for every one of His followers that they would know the same unity as He and His Dad (Jn 17). The sinless Christ willingly took on the sin and rejection of the entire world and was held accountable for it (2Cor 5:21). And even as He was executed, He prayed to His heavenly Dad to forgive them because they had no clue what they were really doing (Lk 23:34). But Jesus was able to do something that Ezra, Daniel, and Nehemiah could never dream of doing. He is able to take our filthy sin and exchange it for His absolute perfection. Our rebellion for His obedience. Our faithlessness for His faithfulness. 

But almost 500 years before Jesus comes on His jaw-dropping rescue mission on our behalf, Ezra drops to his knees and pleads to this God of non-stop love. He knows that while he may not have jumped in the sack with these local women, his sin isn’t much different. He knows that as the leader of the the people, he’s accountable. They win as a team. They lose as a team. There’s no “I” in “team” but there is in “sin.”