Jim Harbaugh’s Cryptic Tweet: You Reap What You Sow

Jim Harbaugh moved on from his messy divorce from the 49ers last season by landing the head coaching job at his alma mater. But a tweet from the Michigan head coach indicates that he left his heart in San Francisco.

The 49ers fired Jim Tomsula, Harbaugh’s successor and former assistant, on Sunday after a 5-11 season. Harbaugh, who led Michigan to a Citrus Bowl blowout of Florida this holiday weekend to cap off a 10-3 season, quickly took to Twitter to send out a cryptic message from Galatians.

Do not be deceived. You will reap what you sow.

— Coach Harbaugh (@CoachJim4UM) January 4, 2016

Harbaugh left out part of the passage. Numerous translations include the phrase “God cannot be mocked” between the first and second line cited.

Does Harbaugh believe the 49ers mocked God when they let him go after an 8-8 season? Did he edit the Bible passage because he believes himself a better writer than the original Author? Was the uber-intense, ultra-competitive coach jealous that Jim Tomsula took his job or because he beats him in a first-names contest? Might the tweet not refer to the sticky situation in San Francisco at all but just stems from a desire to spread the Good News?

Like God, Jim Harbaugh stands ready to hear our questions about the meaning of it all. He lists his phone number and email at his Twitter account. One needn’t go down on knees, or even take a knee, to send one’s supplications and questions to the Allah of Ann Arbor. Just don’t expect a direct response. Like Jesus, Jim answers in mysterious ways.

Similar to the Bible itself, Harbaugh’s Biblical tweet inspires a multitude of interpretations. Kind of like Ephesians 4:31: “Let all bitterness, and wrath, and anger, and clamor, and evil speaking, be put away from you, with all malice.”