The Ring That Ended the Curse

On October 14, 2003, Steve Bartman reached for a foul ball during Game 6 of the National League Championship Series. The Chicago Cubs were five outs from their first World Series appearance since 1945, leading the Florida Marlins 3-0 in the eighth inning. When Bartman deflected the ball away from outfielder Moises Alou, everything unraveled. The Marlins scored eight runs. The Cubs lost Game 6, then Game 7, and Bartman became the most hated man in Chicago.

He received death threats. He needed a police escort to leave the stadium. For thirteen years, he lived in near-total seclusion, never granting an interview, never defending himself.

Then in 2016, the Cubs finally won the World Series, breaking a 108-year drought. And something remarkable happened. In July 2017, Cubs president Theo Epstein personally delivered a 2016 World Series championship ring to Bartman. The organization released a statement saying it was time to "move forward together." The city that had made him a scapegoat now offered him a share in the joy.

Scripture tells us that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us. God did not wait for us to earn our way back. He came to us — not with a grudge, but with a gift.

Bartman didn't ask for a ring. He didn't lobby for forgiveness. But grace came looking for him anyway. That is the heart of the Gospel. Forgiveness is never something the offender earns. It is something the wounded choose to give — and in giving it, everyone is set free.