The Prize

Elation of winning the big prize faded soon afterwards--only two weeks later

The event itself provides two grand prizes. To the victors, they will have finished their season without losing their final game and carry the title of the Super Bowl champions into NFL history. There is not really much money to be gained in this pursuit: the total prize money for the winning team is $171,000 (Smith, 2026). Really small change for men who annually earn many millions in actual salary.

The other grand prize is for the owners. The owners as a collective have stuck with the choice of Bad Bunny as the halftime show, all the while being criticized for the choice of the controversial Puerto Rican superstar rapper (Kahler, 2026). The National Football League has maintained support for the contentious singer, who has an incredible worldwide audience. The football owners’ grand prize is growing their fan base, with the hopes of expanding into Latin American countries (Kahler, 2026).

Meanwhile, neither of these prizes will endure for long. A week or so after this dazzling spectacular, the hype of playing in the game, and even winning, will fade, and for some the entire event may not even be satisfying. Listen to Pro Bowl wideout and gifted receiver A.J. Brown just 2 weeks after winning the big game in 2025: “… it wasn’t fulfilling,” Brown said on a podcast. “It didn’t do anything for me. It didn’t do a lot for me that I thought” (Wong, 2025). Brown said on this podcast that he had even watched people winning the big game, celebrating and drinking and stuff, so he thought it would be more satisfying. But the elation of winning the big prize faded soon afterwards--only two weeks later. Certainly we might expect that someone who had worked so hard to achieve the ultimate prize in his sport would be satisfied for longer than two weeks!

God planned for us to spend eternity with Him

Was it in our design, being made in the image of God, that the things of earth would never fully satisfy? Or was it the fact that God planned for us to spend eternity with Him, and He knew that this earth was just a backdrop for Him to dwell among us as in the Garden of Eden, filling us to overflowing with His presence? God knew that nothing here on this stage would fully satisfy like the applause of the Audience of One.

Perhaps we should blame God for our dissatisfaction. After all, it was He who designed us to only ever be satisfied with one thing--His magnificent presence. How do I know this? The Psalmist David wrote of God that, “… in Your presence there is fullness of joy; at Your right hand are pleasures forevermore” (Psalm 16:11). In the New Testament, James the Apostle made this observation: “whoever wishes to be a friend of the world makes himself an enemy of God. Or do you suppose it is to no purpose that the Scripture says, ‘He yearns jealously over the spirit that He has made to dwell in us’” (James 4:4b-5). According to Alistair Begg, God longs for us with a passionate jealousy that we would be all His, that we would be His alone (Begg, 2007).

Jesus was offered great prizes of glimmering cities by Satan (see Matthew Chapter 4). He instead chose early morning communion with God His Father (Mark 1:35 ESV). Similar to Orson Welles’ character in Citizen Kane, while this man had achieved incredible success, he longed for his younger innocent days and the love of his mother, as represented by his childhood sled with “Rosebud” painted on it (Wakeman, 2025). Kane was playing on Rosebud the day he was taken away from his home and his mom. Rosebud represented a nurturing love, being cherished and loved fully, something that all his power, influence and shallow friendships would never provide (Wakeman, 2025). Author CS Lewis would write about a world lacking true satisfaction when he wrote, “If I find in myself a desire which no experience in this world can satisfy, the most probable explanation is that I was made for another world” (Lewis, 2001).

What is that prize? The kingdom of God

Jesus told a series of parables about the greatest prize of all (see Matthew’s gospel chapter 13:44-46)! He described this prize like a treasure hidden in a field, which when it was found caused the finder to sell everything he had in order to acquire the field. Jesus described this prize like a pearl of great price, which when discovered caused an expert in fine pearls to then sell everything he had in order to acquire this magnificent prize!

What is that prize? Most commentators suggest that the prize in these parables is the knowledge of the kingdom of God. Having access to an eternal kingdom and life everlasting in the presence of God would be of more value than any earthly possession, wouldn’t it? Some have suggested that this prize might be us--those who have been given this opportunity to know God and to be known by Him, and to dwell in His kingdom forever!

Either way, Jesus’ emphasis on the great value of this prize directs all of us to consider that nothing here on earth is equal to this great eternal prize. Nothing here on earth has a lasting value. Our greatest achievements are meaningful, and our actions of fidelity and valor worthy of recognition… for a time. It is nice to achieve recognition, and it is great to be rewarded when we have worked hard to achieve success. But these awards cannot come with us, nor would we take them if we could.

Magnificent testimony about the importance of this heavenly prize

I am grateful to God that I have been recognized in each of the organizations in which I have served, and have been recognized before my peers and senior leadership for incredible accomplishments--all by God’s great power and with the help of other amazing people. I have been blessed with incredible recognition and acclaim. I have diplomas around my office honoring my completion of five degree programs. I have several binders filled with notes from students and parents, from colleagues and former supervisors, praising my work ethic and recognizing several notable accomplishments. I am truly grateful to God for all of these earthly prizes. But none of this will fit in my casket, and they pale in comparison to the one great prize, as described by the Apostle Paul, who wrote from prison about, “the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus” (Philippians 3:14).

From a dank prison cell, chained to a Roman soldier 24 hours a day, the former antagonist and persecutor of Christians lifted his eyes towards his heavenly reward and saw clearly the distinctive nature of this eternal prize. He wrote to his disciples in Philippi about how he could easily boast of his earthly accomplishments, which far surpassed his peers (Philippians 3:4-6). But as soon as these past achievements came to mind, he would dismiss them all for the greatest prize of all, saying, “whatever gain I had, I counted as loss for the sake of Christ.” Paul continued, “Indeed, I count everything as loss because of the surpassing worth of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord” (Philippians 3:7-8). Paul considered everything else rubbish in order to gain Christ and be found in Him. From a fortified place of detention and punishment, this converted murderer gave a magnificent testimony about the importance of this heavenly prize, of much greater worth than his own health and safety (Philippians 3:10-11).

Focus on the prize that will never fade away

When you know you have secured this heavenly treasure, where moth and rust cannot destroy this magnificent prize (Matthew 6:19-21), the scripture says your heart will also be there. Nothing else will truly satisfy your soul, and that is the way God meant it to be. Now AJ Brown is a man of faith, and I am not sure if this played into his perception two weeks after the dazzle and pomp of the big game faded. It was the Prophet Samuel in his old age who warned the Israelites, that they should find joy in serving the Lord, that this might be their greatest joy and prize. “And turn not aside after vain and worthless things which cannot profit or deliver you, for they are empty and futile” (1 Samuel 12:21, Amplified Bible Classic Edition). So enjoy the big game, but focus on the prize that will never fade away (1 Peter 1:4)!

Sources

Begg, A. (2007, September 30). A Study in James, Volume 3. Truth for Life

Kahler, K. (2026, January 30). Why the NFL stood by Bad Bunny for the Super Bowl halftime show. ESPN

Lewis, C.S. (2001). Mere Christianity: Revised and Enlarged. San Francisco: Harper.

Smith, N. (2026, January 21). Super Bowl 2026 prize money: How much do winners of NFL showpiece get? US Sun Sports News

Statista (2026). Average cost of a 30-second Super Bowl TV commercial in the United States from 2002 to 2026. Statista 

Wakeman, G. (2025, July 22). ‘Rosebud’: The ‘Citizen Kane’ Mystery Explained. History

Wong, K. (2025, February 20).  A.J. Brown Candidly Explained Why Eagles' Super Bowl Win Wasn’t That Satisfying. Sports Illustrated