A 'Sabbath Trophy' for the Ɔdadeɛ Boys: The Christology of the 2022 Science and Maths Quiz Grand Finale

The National Science and Maths Quiz is an annual content-based national-level quiz contest for Senior High Schools in Ghana. The 2022 Science and Maths Quiz was held at the Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology. My interest kept rising from the Preliminary stages to the Grand Finale though I was not able to watch most of the contests due to my tight schedule. As usual, the Quiz featured many schools from various parts of the country. After many competitions, three schools—Prempeh College, Presec (Legon), and Adisadel College (Adisco)—emerged as finalists. Prempeh College had won the trophy five times and hoped to win it the sixth time. Presec had won it six times and hoped to go past the six to break the seven. Adisadel College was hoping to win it another time after winning it in 2016. This brief paper examines the final contest from a Christological perspective. Overview of the Final Contest Like the other contests, the final contest involved five rounds. The first round ended this way: Prempeh College had 16 points; Presec had 15 points and Adisadel College had 14 points. Though the scores were close, some supporters of Prempeh College began to jubilate because they were in the lead. The crowd that came from Kumasi and other places to the Great Hall to support Prempeh College was massive. But there was still a long way to go after the first round. At the end of the second round, the one-point difference between the Amanfoɔ Boys (Prempeh College) and the Ɔdadeɛ Boys (Presec) was no more; both schools had 21 points each and Adisco 13 points. For Prempeh and Presec, the contest was like starting all over again. Prempeh College took a narrow lead again at the end of the third round (the Problem of the Day) with 28 points, followed closely by Presec with 27 points, and then Adisco with 19 points. Both rounds one and three ended the same way for Prempeh College and Presec. At the end of the fourth round Prempeh College was still leading with a margin of one point. Adisco had 32 points, Presec 40, and Prempeh College 41. There was only one round left. Some of the people close to me considered it a done deal for Prempeh College. Though Prempeh was not in a comfortable lead, one could predict that they could maintain the one-point difference and eventually emerge winners. The miracle of Ɔdadeɛ happened in the fifth (that is, the last round) which comprised riddles. During round five of each contest, the contesting schools are given clues. The competing schools battle one another to find the solutions to the riddles. The school that gets the correct answer on the first clue gets five (5) points. Four points are awarded to the school that gets the answer on the second clue and three points for getting the answer on the third to the last clue. Five riddles were given in the Grand Finale. The Presec Boys scored 9 out of the possible 25 points while the other schools scored nothing here. This is what made Prempeh College not win the trophy for the sixth time. At the end of the contest, Prempeh College had 41 points, Presec 49 points, and Adisadel College 32 points. All three schools did very well and need to be commended. In the sections that follow, the paper analyzes briefly the final contest in light of relevant aspects of Christology. Christology simply means the study of the person and works of Jesus, the Christ of God. Jesus Christ is at the center of Christianity; Christianity stands or falls on his identity and works. In fact, a Christ-less Christianity is no Christianity at all. Christology of the “Sabbath Trophy” The English word “Sabbath” derives from the Hebrew word “Shabbat” meaning “a rest”, or “cessation from work.” Its theological meaning is rooted in God's rest following the six days of creation. The creation account of Genesis 2 indicates that God used six days to create everything in the universe, visible and invisible. On the seventh day, he rested; he blessed this day and made it holy (Gen. 2:2-3). To talk of God taking a rest does not mean that he was tired and needed a rest. God, being omnipotent, did not become tired; he simply ceased his work of creation. The Sabbath also denotes the seventh day of the week, though it may occasionally refer to the Sabbath week (Lev. 23:15-16) at the end of every seven Sabbaths or fifty days, or the Sabbath year (Lev. 25:1-7) in which the land was to be free from farming activities. The theological meaning of the Sabbath comes to bear in several biblical passages. First, Exodus 20:8-11 underlines a clear link between the Sabbath day and the seventh day on which God the Creator rested. Against this backdrop, Sabbath observance amounts to affirming God as the Creator and Sustainer of the world. Observing the sabbath underscores that the world and everything in it ultimately belong to God. Secondly, the Sabbath gave Israel her identity. It served to remind Israel that they were slaves in Egypt and that, it was YHWH who brought them out of Egypt with a mighty hand and an outstretched arm (Deut. 5:12-15). The Sabbath, therefore, reminded Israel of God’s saving presence with them. The Sabbath was a covenant marker as well (Exod. 31:12-17). The YHWH-Israel covenant relationship required Israel’s sanctification, and by keeping the Sabbath holy Israel is reminded continually that the God who sanctified the seventh day also sanctifies her. Thirdly, the Sabbath is a day of rest and worship given as a gift from the restless condition of slavery. The prohibition of work extended to all those living within Israel, including slaves and animals (Exod. 20:10), even during the plowing season (34:21). As indicated earlier, the Presec Boys had won the contest six times and were aiming at winning it for the seventh time. They made it and made their school proud. The seventh trophy of the Ɔdadeɛ Boys has actually given them a sigh of relief, at least as far as the 2022 contest is concerned. Like all other schools, Presec can now rest from their labors of the 2022 national contest. Having won the contest seven times, one can reason that Presec can now enjoy a Sabbath rest. This is not to say that Presec should not make preparations for future competitions or that they should not work hard to win more trophies. Rather, it means that as far as the 2022 contest is concerned, Presec has reached its goal and hence, having won for the seventh time, can say that they have achieved mastery over the Quiz. Against the backdrop that the number seven means “fullness” or “completeness”, the Ɔdadeɛ Boys can say that they are “full”; their seventh trophy has made their trophies complete. But just as the one has to resume their labor after the sabbath, the Ɔdadeɛ Boys will definitely resume preparation for the next contest as soon as possible. Thus, the idea of a “Sabbath trophy” for Ɔdadeɛ in no way suggests that Presec should relax and not strive for future glories in the Quiz. When Christ finally said, “It is finished” (John 19:30), he meant he had completed the works of salvation for humankind. The Sabbath rest typified by Presec’s seventh victory is just a foreshadowing of the heavenly Sabbath that Jesus’ atonement sacrifice provides for believers. Hebrews 4 states that Jesus is the believer’s Sabbath rest. Everybody is, therefore, exhorted to “enter in” to the Sabbath rest provided by Christ. The book begins with the contention that Jesus is superior to an angel, Moses, and the Old Testament priests (Heb. 1—3). The writer then exhorts his audience not to harden their hearts against Christ, as their fathers hardened their hearts against YHWH in the wilderness. The unbelief of their forefathers made God deny them (that generation) access to the Holy Land, saying, “They shall not enter into My rest” (3:11). In view of this, the writer pleads with his audience not to make the same mistake by rejecting God’s Sabbath rest in Jesus Christ (4:9-11). Presec’s “Sabbath trophy” is meaningless without having its full expression in the true Sabbath provided by Christ. Certainly, there is no other Sabbath rest besides Jesus for he alone satisfies the requirements of the Law, and provides the sacrifice that atones for sin. It is God’s plan for humanity to cease the labor of their works. Given this understanding, Presec’s seventh trophy should serve to remind everyone of Jesus who is actually the true Sabbath of God. Christ must be seen in the celebration of every success in life. Soteriologically, the trophy symbolizes what the New Testament believer will inherit ultimately. All New Testament believers receive salvation (Acts 20:32; 26: 18; Gal. 3:18; Eph. 1:11-12,14; 5:5; Col. 1:12; 3:24; Heb. 9:15; 1 Pet 1:4). The ultimate trophy is salvation and smaller trophies, in the form of reward, will be given in heaven. Presec’s trophy is, therefore, meaningless without making it reveal Christ and his salvation. The paper requires all readers to accept Christ and his salvation. Christology of the correct answer In the light of the Quiz, the contestants had labored from the beginning of the contest till the Grand Finale and continued to work hard to achieve victory. Various attempts were to answer different questions correctly. All the wrong answers symbolize all wrong human efforts to please God. Ever since sin entered the world human beings have made different attempts to maintain their relationship with God. This has resulted in the emergence of various “man-made” religions. From the Christological point of view, only Christianity is the answer to humankind’s problem of sin. Jesus is the only correct answer to the question of how can humankind reach God. Jesus died on the cross to reconcile the world to God (Col. 1:19-20). All other religious traditions are human attempts to reach God; they do not provide salvation in the strict sense of the word. Jesus is the only way to the Father and so he says, “I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me” (John 14:6 NIV). Jesus was therefore seen in the contest as the answer that gave the contestant the full mark. Any answer that gave part of the mark did not represent Christ in that Christianity requires one’s full devotion to Christ, not partial devotion. Partially correct and totally wrong answers represent that which falls short of what authentic Christianity is. It is actually no Christianity at all. In another sense, totally wrong answers represent natural humans; they have not accepted Christ and so consider spiritual things foolish. The natural person is born into the human family and lives in their natural state without being a child of God (John 3:1-8; Gal. 3:26; 1 John 2:22-23; 1 John 3:9-10; 1 John 4:3; 1 John 1:7). A partially correct answer symbolizes the carnal person, one who has been born again into God’s family, but lives and behaves as a man in a natural state living according to his carnal or fleshly desires. The correct answer symbolizes the spiritual person, a born-again person whose life is led by the Holy Spirit. Christology of hard work determination and focus In life, there is always a victory to be won. However, victory does not normally come without difficulties. Thus, it is said that “no pain, no gain”, “no Good Friday, no Easter Sunday”, and “no cross, no crown.” All the schools met to compete for a single trophy. There was a victory to be won, but the battle involved was a difficult one. For a school to be the winner, there was the need to have the zeal, determination, and perseverance to fight to the end. One needed the “Never say die” spirit; one needed the “Wokum apem a apem bɛba” spirit and more importantly the “Bonokyɛmpem (Bono-kyɛne-apem) morale to fight to the end and emerge victorious. Christologically, Presec’s victory is reminiscent of Christ’s victory on the cross. Both Presec and Christ won victories, but not without challenges. Right from his birth, Christ faced many challenges to prevent him from fulfilling his salvific mission on earth. Aside from Herod’s plans to kill him in infancy (Matt. 2), Jesus faced many oppositions in his ministry to the extent that even his own people did not accept ministry. At a point, Christ willed that the cup of atonement pass from him (Luke 24:42). Yet, he persevered till the end, made his Father proud, purchased salvation for all humankind, and consequently, acquired a name that is above all names (Philp. 2:9-11). The Presec Boys had a similar determination in the contest. They were behind Prempeh College on three occasions (that is, in three rounds). This was definitely a discouraging situation. They could have thrown in the towel and allowed Prempeh to take the trophy. However, with the Christological mindset that “what has to be done has to be done now” they preserved till the end and emerged victors. Conclusion From the discussion, one realizes that “There are no shortcuts to the top of the palm tree” (Cameroonian Proverb). Success in life requires determination, hard work, and perseverance. One has to follow the normal path to rise through the ranks. The get-rich-quick attitude among contemporary African youth is unethical and must stop. Also, the focus is important for one to succeed. The contestants were disturbed on many occasions by shouts and applause (sometimes from the fans of their opponents). Yet, they remained focused till the end because they had a goal. Similarly, there is the need to focus on Christ to be able to hold on to the faith till the end. Present circumstances may weigh us, but with determination, hard work, and focus, one can strive till the end by God’s grace. Life is not chacha (betting). The contestants worked and thought through their answers before giving them out. They prayed and relied on God’s grace to make their efforts fruitful. A life built around chacha has no future. Repent!!!