"500"

 

“500”

 

This is Article #500 since I began writing these thoughts in 2014. I thank God for leading me and putting ideas in my heart and mind over these past ten years. He’s brought changes in me as I’ve sought to apply what’s on paper and on line to my life and I pray some have benefitted from my experiences as well.

Here are some “500’s” I’ve discovered:

*Only one Major League pitcher (Cy Young) reached the 500 win milestone.

*Two pitchers (Mariano Rivera and Trevor Hoffman) recorded 500 career saves.

*28 players hit 500+ home runs (the closest active slugger is Giancarlo Stanton with 427 as of September 2024 so this club isn’t likely to grow in membership anytime soon).

*65 players have 500+ doubles to their credit (Freddie Freeman joined this exclusive fraternity this past August).

*Four NFL quarterbacks (Tom Brady, Drew Brees, Peyton Manning and Brett Favre) passed for more than 500 touchdowns in their illustrious careers.

*47 NHL skaters scored 500+ lifetime goals.

*37 NBA coaches led their teams to 500+ victories.

*The Standard and Poor’s 500 traces the movement of the largest corporations on the New York Stock Exchange.

 

1524 (500 years ago) saw a number pf significant historical events including:

*The Peasants’ Revolt in Germany.

*James V (at age 12) was declared fit to rule by the Scottish Parliament.

*Explorer Giovanni da Verrazzano began his effort to locate a passage to China, found North America instead and sailed its east coast, (The bridge bearing his name from Staten Island to Brooklyn was opened 440 years later.)

*Francisco Pizarro’s voyage to South America resulted in the conquest of the Incas in Peru.

*Martin Luther was leading the Reformation in Europe.

While I don’t believe 500 has special spiritual significance it appears more than 20 times in Scripture including Noah’s age before the flood (Genesis 5:32), the yards of Jerusalem’s wall a group repaired (Nehemiah 3:13) and the number of Job’s work animals (Job 1:3). But by far the most important 500 is that more than this number saw Jesus at the same time after His resurrection (1 Corinthians 15:6), one of the “…many convincing proofs that he was alive.” (Acts 1:3). And He still is! Hallelujah!!

 

Grace and Blessings!

Jim McMillan