My Responses to the Olympic Opening.

    Like most people in the world this past week a lot of people have been watching the Olympic games that were held this year in Paris France. Many of us have been watching our favorite Olympic sports on TV. Cheering on our favorite athlete or team. Rooting for those people we might know either personally, or by some other association, who are representing their country before the entire world. 

      Like me, you have seen or at least heard something about the Opening for the Olympic games. They held this opening ceremony on the Seine River. Where on these large boats the athletes from these various countries were waving their hands in celebration before the entire world. This was the first time in the history of the Summer Olympics that the opening ceremony took place outside of a stadium. However, that is not why it got the attention that it did. 

    What stood out most about this opening ceremony was that within this ceremony there seemed to be (to many) a depiction of Leonardo da Vinci's painting of the Last Supper. The table was filled with men in drag along with one or two children. They were dancing and having an enjoyable time. Along with this they had a man by the name of Philippe Katerine, a French singer and actor, who (according to Philippe) was dressed up to be Dionysus a Greek god. Philip was painted in glittery blue paint, and he performed his song "Nue" (which means naked in English) while he was in fact mostly naked and lying on a platter. 

    This sparked a lot of controversy throughout the world and with various responses. Many Christians were outraged by what they perceived to be a mockery of their faith. Many of them proclaimed loudly that they would be boycotting the Olympics altogether. Then there were some Christians who said that while they did not condone it, they also said that we need to come at it with a little more understanding. They made statements of how Jesus would not react out of anger and how neither should we. Then there were those who, while they were not upset with the scene itself, did not believe this was a very family friendly program that the Olympic games have always been. Then there were others who came out to condemn the notion that this was a portal of the Lord's supper at all. They came out to declare that this is clearly and unmistakably about the feasts of the Greek gods and mythology. They mocked anyone who was convinced otherwise. Then there were those who saw this event as a beautiful piece of modern art. The controversy this stirred was so great that eventually the IOC (International Olympic Committee) apologized for this event and removed the video from their Youtube channel entirely. 

    I have taken a lot of time to think about this before I decided to make any kind of remark about this issue. That is why it has taken me almost a week in a half to write this article. However, I feel that in this age of technology and information we are living in, we are way too quick to react and far too slow to listen, understand and think things through. So, after a great amount of time here are some of my personal takeaways.

    1. This event was meant to spark controversy. No matter what you believe, or what side you take on this matter. The truth is this event was designed to spark controversy. They knew what they were doing would be edgy and that many people would have a problem with it. They said that this opening event was supposed to highlight diversity and inclusivity. So, they thought the best way to do that is a drag queen runway show and a half naked "Papa smurf" singing about how we all should be nude? 

If that was not bad enough they did all of this in front of children who were right there on stage with them and before the entire world. I am sorry they knew from the very beginning stages of planning this event it was going to be controversial and they succeeded. 

    2. We should be upset, but not for the reasons you might think. I get the frustration over the perceived mockery of our Christian faith, it’s frustrating. However, it’s nothing new. There have been many who have made a mockery of the famous painting depicting the last Supper. 

However, the world making fun of and laughing at our Christian faith is nothing new. In fact, Jesus told us that we should expect such things. So, this should not have taken any of us by surprise, and while it is frustrating we should not get upset when lost people do sinful and blasphemous things. 

    However, what we should be upset with is the blatant wickedness and depraved sins that our children were being exposed to. We should be more upset that a child was physically there as a half-naked man was singing, or the man next to this child that just happened to be exposing himself. We should be outraged at the commercial that promoted and celebrated gross sexual immorality. These things should cause us to make our blood boil, more than seeing a mockery of Leonardo's depiction of the Last Supper. 

    3. Jesus's response to these people would not be to wash their feet! I have heard a great many, well-meaning Christians who made a remarkably similar statement. On the surface it sounds theologically sound. Every one of the disciples who were at the Lords Supper was in fact a disciple of Jesus Christ and they each had their own sin issues. Yes it is true that Jesus did in fact wash the feet of men like Matthew a tax collector, Peter who would soon deny him, and yes even Judas who would soon betray him with a kiss.

    But there is one ENORMOUS difference between those disciples and the drag queens trying to make a mockery of the Last Supper. That substantial difference is this, those drag queens are not Jesus's disciples! Those drag queens are living in sin, they are separated from God, and they are headed for a devil’s hell if they don’t repent. They don't need their feet washed; they need their sins forgiven. Jesus already did more than enough for those people when he died on the cross for them! No, I think Jesus would tell those people what he said to the woman who was caught in adultery "Go and sin no more". 

    Yes we should be loving, kind, understanding and even winsome. However, I am afraid that in our desire to be all those things, we have watered down the gospel to the point that it is not convicting. We should and need to call out sin whenever and wherever we find it. Yes that certainly is true for the sins we find in the church, but that should not be the only time we call out sin. Did not John the Baptist call out the sins of King Herod? Did not Jesus call out the sin of the Samaritan woman at the well?

    We cannot give the world a pass on their sinfulness all because they are sinners. In fact, it is because they are sinners, lost in their sins that they need their sins exposed by the light of God's word! How else will this lost world know what they are doing needs to be repented of? How else will they know that their lifestyle, the way they are living their life is an afront to God? How will they ever call out to be saved if they do not see that they are in fact in need to be saved? We must call out sin whenever and wherever we see it.

 

So, what is your take? Leave a comment and let me know.