Olympic Glory, Outrage, and Love

Growing up, I loved watching the Summer Olympics. I watched documentaries on past games and read everything I could get my hands on. For a time, I dreamed of being an Olympian.

I was so obsessed with the Olympics that, while at a sales conference during a team competition, there was a bonus question: name as many of the Summer Olympic venues as you can going back to 1968. I told my team I could go back to 1932. As you might guess, we answered the question correctly, and the bonus points put us over the top to win the big prize.

Politics, Social Issues, and the Olympics

The Olympic Games used to be decidedly not political. It was a time when countries set aside differences, with the exception of the years during World War II, and athletes from all over the world came together. It was one of the rare times when we could see that we’re all the same, humans occupying a tiny planet in our vast galaxy.

Things began to change in 1968, a time of social and political upheaval in the United States. During the Mexico City games held that same year, two American track athletes protested on the medal stand, displaying the Black Power sign.

That was followed by the murder of 11 Israeli athletes at the hands of Palestinian terrorists at the 1972 games in Munich.

Then came 1980. America boycotted the Olympics that were to be held in Moscow because of the USSR’s invasion of Afghanistan. It was a tragedy for the American athletes who worked so hard to fulfill their Olympic dreams.

In 1984, the USSR returned the favor (reciprocity) and skipped the Summer Olympics, which were held in Los Angeles.

Fortunately, since the 1980s, the Olympics have steered clear of politics and social issues, focusing primarily on athletic competition.

The 2024 Olympics

However, that changed once again with the recent opening of the Summer Olympics in Paris over the weekend.

Controversy surrounded a scene that was interpreted by many Christians around the world as mocking the Last Supper. If you line up Leonardo da Vinci’s portrait of the Last Supper underneath the scene that was portrayed on television, you will clearly see a close comparison and could understand the angst it caused believers.

However, the organizers of the event said it was a depiction of an ancient Greek Bacchanal, a promiscuous, extravagant party. The Olympics started in Greece, and such a party probably would’ve been common around the time of the first Olympics.

What’s this have to do with influence?

There’s certainly something to be said regarding influence on both sides. From the side of the organizers, perhaps they didn’t anticipate what the potential response might be. If so, perhaps it was just an unintended error.

If they thought about how 2.6 billion Christians across the planet might have interpreted the scene, maybe they would’ve decided to go with something else out of consideration. Or maybe they would have still chosen the same theme because of its ties to ancient Greece. Either way, a case could be made that the decision was tone-deaf.

Tone-deaf is a phrase we hear often nowadays. It occurs when people say or do things without understanding how others might interpret them. Nonetheless, when something is considered offensive to a group, the offended people take to social media to let the offender know about the seriousness of their actions. For many Christians, the committee’s decision was tone-deaf, and they’re voicing their outrage regarding what they saw.

An Appropriate or Inappropriate Response?

As a Christian, because the scene so closely approximates the Last Supper, it bothered me. However, I didn’t take to social media to harshly criticize the organizers or the people who took part in the scene.

Jesus didn’t tell his followers they’d be known by their harsh criticism of the society in which they lived. Rather, He told his followers they’d be known by their love.

There’s a wonderful scene in the series, The Chosen, that mirrors this. In that scene, Jesus and his disciples are in a region known as Samaria. To give context, during that time period, the Jews hated the Samaritans, and the Samaritans hated the Jews.

One morning, Jesus is out with James and John when they say hello to travelers who are passing by. When the Samaritans recognized that Jesus, James, and John are Jews, they spit on them. Indignant, James and John tell Jesus that He should call down lightning from heaven and destroy those people. Does Jesus do it? No! Instead, He has a harsh rebuke for James and John because He said He came to Samaria to preach to the people so they too would know the good news of the kingdom of God.

Think about that for a moment and then consider the responses of so many people online who think they are defending the faith. They aren’t; they’re hurting it.

Who Ate With Jesus?

In particular, the harsh criticism of the people in the Olympic scene was sad and mean-spirited. It’s as though the people leveling the criticism have forgotten who actually ate with Jesus at the Last Supper.

Peter was about to deny Jesus only hours later, and Jesus knew it. Mary Magdalene was a prostitute. Matthew was a tax collector, a betrayer of his people when he was working with the Romans. Simon the Zealot was analogous to an Antifa member. Thomas was a doubter, and Judas betrayed Jesus. As for the rest of the disciples, they would all abandon Jesus in his hour of need.

But here’s the thing: with the exception of Judas, who couldn’t live with himself because of what he’d done, the rest of those people changed. Peter turned back to Jesus and became the rock of the church as Jesus had predicted. Mary Magdalene didn’t go back to a life of prostitution. Simon gave up his radical hatred and preached the gospel. Thomas was no longer a doubter. Matthew ceased working with the Roman government to collect taxes. In the end, all were martyred for their faith. In other words, every one of those people changed because of their association with and love for Christ.

Neither God nor Jesus needs to be defended. The only defense Christians are called to is to give reasons for their faith. Beyond that, we’re called to love (unity) as Christ loved. Every human that Jesus interacted with was a sinner. Despite their connection to Christ, even the disciples continued to sin, but certainly much less and not in the ways they had before. We don’t become perfect because of our faith in Christ, but when we’re following Him, and our hearts are open to His teaching, we will continue to be transformed into His image.

Conclusion

To those who are not of the faith, I would simply point out that it would be prudent to consider how people who aren’t like you might interpret what you say or do. Trying to avoid being tone-deaf is what many marginalized people are hoping for from others, so it would be wise to extend the same consideration (reciprocity).

To those who are of the faith, Jesus said it’s okay to be angry, but do not sin in your anger. Much of the time, we’re responding because we’re more offended personally than we are brokenhearted on behalf of Christ. I think that’s why we’re warned that the righteousness of man does not achieve the aims of God.

If Jesus loved the disciples, a group of people who were seriously flawed, then it’s certain that He would love every one of the people who was sitting at that table during the Olympics. That means we’re also called to love them, even if they reject that love because Jesus was ultimately rejected too.

Edited with ChatGPT