I agree with this sentiment: much of being a Christian in the modern world is urging people to see what’s really there. Case in point – the opening ceremonies of the Olympic Games featured a parody of Leonardo Da Vinci’s painting of The Last Supper.¹ Jesus is portrayed as an obese woman with queer and trans figures (including a child!) depicting her apostles. Predictably, this caused an uproar within the global Christian community. France’s response fell flat as it claimed that the portrayal was not meant to be subversive or insulting but, rather, the intent was to portray “diversity” and “togetherness” ²

The Gospels tell us that The Last Supper occurred the night before Jesus was crucified. Jews observe the Passover meal every year to commemorate their deliverance from slavery. ³Jesus celebrated one last Passover meal with his disciples and used the opportunity to instruct them on the significance of his upcoming death and resurrection and how to remember what he accomplished on the cross. Catholics and Protestants regularly break bread and drink wine as a part of their church services, participating in the sacrament called communion. The Gospel of Luke records Jesus laying the foundation for communion when he said the following to his disciples during that last Passover meal, known as The Last Supper:

“And he took bread, gave thanks and broke it, and gave it to them, saying, ‘This is my body given for you; do this in remembrance of me.’ In the same way, after the supper he took the cup, saying ‘This cup is the new covenant in my blood, which is poured out for you.’”

The Gospel of Matthew records the drinking of the wine as follows:

“Then he took the cup, gave thanks and offered it to them, saying, ‘Drink from it, all of you. This is my blood of the new covenant, which is poured out for many for the forgiveness of sins.”⁴

Communion’s significance to the Christian faith cannot be overstated. At The Last Supper Jesus tells his closest followers what his crucifixion and resurrection means for all of humanity. The breaking of his body and the shedding of his blood on the cross pays the price for our sins. Jesus commands us to take communion as a remembrance of his sacrifice on the cross for the forgiveness of our sins. That forgiveness equates to salvation for those who believe. For many Christians, the sacrament of communion serves as a moment of spiritual sustenance and connectivity to Christ which results in the forgiveness of our daily sins, cleansing us at that moment as we partake. When I take communion one of my focus points is thankfulness. I am thankful for God’s forgiveness of my sin which is, as a friend of mine recently stated, “medicine for my soul”. In the moments of the sacrament of communion God asserts his forgiveness of our sins which means everything to me. No small matter for sure!⁵

Much has already been written about the Opening Ceremony. Christians around the world have condemned the parody as a mockery of their faith. But what’s really happening here? What’s really there in terms of the significance of the portrayal? I believe that the portrayal is a good thing for Christians and our faith. Here’s why:

First, France claims that freedom of speech and freedom of choice make their portrayal of The Last Supper something that is not just OK, but something that should be celebrated as a representation of the freedom France gives its citizens. I remember a short discussion I had with a WWII veteran my senior year of college. We were sitting at a local bar (I was 22 years old my senior year!!! :-)) and I thanked him for his service to our country. He looked at me and said, “Son, I fought for your right to be wrong.” Both France and my friend at the bar assert that of primary importance is the freedom to say and even do things that mock others and/or their beliefs.

I wholeheartedly agree with the WWII veteran that the freedom to express our ideas, beliefs, and convictions, whether they are right or wrong, is important enough to fight for. But that’s not what’s really at issue here. While some may unfortunately argue that we need to regulate speech that makes us uncomfortable or does not fit our personal morals and sensibilities, for Christians the beauty of this whole situation lies in this fact – the God of the Bible will not be mocked. To “mock” means to deride, or scorn, ridicule or make fun of someone and arguably, that is exactly what France did with their portrayal of The Last Supper. BUT the mockery does nothing to diminish who God is to the humanity he created, including those who mock him. Actually, rather than putting God in his place as a mythological deity irrelevant to today’s secular post-modern world, the portrayal has heightened global awareness of the importance of the Supper and Christ’s sacrifice, two plus thousands of years later. Despite the mockery, God remains in control and reigns supreme.

Second, Christianity hinges on the fact that God is perfect and holy and fully righteous and completely good. We are foolish to mock Him. We can mock Him by our words or by our behavior or lifestyle but the mockery has no affect on God. However, attacks like the Olympic portrayal serve to indicate what secularists are sowing in their lives.⁶ The portrayal clearly states an aberrant position to God’s truth that the Bible tells us will result in an ultimate form of corruption; eternal separation from God. There is a clarity in the Christian position that we all sin (mockers et al!) but are saved through Christ’s sacrifice on the cross. Christians choose to reap joy, love, and peace here on earth and eternal life; all others choose to reap tragedy. Choose wisely what you sow in life.

Finally, secular notions of freedom celebrate everything that is not Christ. Our secular world denies the God of the bible and, quite frankly, these attacks make sense. There is a postmodern axiom that posits that truth is in the eye of the beholder; if it’s your truth, your reality, and it works for you then great! This type of moral relativism denies what the human experience tells us; there are ultimate, verifiable truths. But when the truth stands in contradiction to the world’s post-modern, progressive dogma, that truth is attacked, as it was by the Olympic portrayal. The attack serves notice of the world’s prevailing view that Christian sensibilities, principals, and truths are wrong. The eyes of the beholder, in this case, denies the truths of the Bible.

When I played competitive basketball and volleyball in high school and college, I’d circle those games on the schedule against opponents that I really wanted to beat. Here’s the key: the people and organizations that promote secularism know their enemy. The Olympic portrayal is another attack on what they see as an enemy worth going after. Those vocal proponents of relative truth have circled the Christian faith as an opponent that must be relentlessly attacked. Let’s face it, these folks don’t attack other faiths or worldviews with the zeal and intentionality of their efforts against the Christian world view. That’s a wonderful reality that actually serves to bolster the veracity of the Bible’s claims and, with peace and assurance, allows believers to know that we are completely at odds with the world’s secular views. Thank God! 🙂

As followers of Christ, let’s not forget our call to love others and forgive everyone⁷!! I’ll be back soon! Love, Karl

1. The Last Supper is described in 3 of the Gospels (Matthew, Mark, and Luke) as well as 1 Corinthians 11:23-29. In 1 Corinthians, Paul is writing a letter to believers in Corinth encouraging them in their faith. He writes about God’s engagement in our lives and warns against division in the church. He also writes about practical life matters including disputes with others, sexual struggles, marriage, and worship. Paul admonishes the Corinthians to understand that the taking of communion is a serious matter, not to be taken without a belief in Christ’s body and blood sacrifice on the cross. The Message states 1 Corinthians 11: 27 – 29 as follows: “What you must solemnly realize is that every time you eat this bread and every time you drink this cup, you reenact in your words and actions the death of the Master (Jesus). You will be drawn back to this meal again and again until the Master returns. You must never let familiarity breed contempt.” ↩︎
2. An NBC News Article quoted Thomas Jolly, the artistic director of the opening ceremony, as follows: “Our subject was not to be subversive. We never wanted to be subversive. We wanted to talk about diversity. Diversity means being together,” he continued. “We wanted to include everyone, as simple as that. In France, we have freedom of creation, artistic freedom. We are lucky in France to live in a free country. I didn’t have any specific messages that I wanted to deliver. In France, we are republic, we have the right to love whom we want, we have the right not to be worshippers, we have a lot of rights in France, and this is what I wanted to convey.” ↩︎
3. We learn at he end of Genesis that Joseph lived to be110 years old. Genesis recounts the story of Joseph being left for dead by his brothers in the wilderness. He ends up making it to Egypt where God gives him the ability to interpret dreams. He helps the Egyptian Pharaoh make some good decisions by interpreting the Pharaoh’s dreams and is elevated to 2nd in command of the whole country. A famine hits and the brothers make a trip to Egypt to ask for some food relief. There they encounter their brother Joseph who forgives them and ends up taking care of the whole family in Egypt. The next book in the Bible, Exodus, tells us that many Hebrew sons with their large families joined the brothers in Egypt. When Joseph and that whole original generation dies, they leave a large Israelite population in Egypt that had done very well. The new King in Egypt who did not know about Joseph enslaved the Israelites. Moses is born and eventually leads the Israelites out of Egypt. A compelling story that includes plagues and the parting of the Red Sea, the yearly Passover meal commemorates the Israelite’s release from slavery. Their exodus from Egypt sends them on a prolonged 40 year journey through the desert until they reach the region known as Canaan (The Promised Land). ↩︎
4. Matthew 26:27-28 ↩︎
5. (See also footnote 1) – Prior to participating in communion, believers are encouraged to engage in self-examination, confess sins, and approach the sacrament with a repentant heart, aligning with Paul’s counsel in 1 Corinthians 11:27-29: “Therefore, whoever eats the bread or drinks the cup of the Lord in an unworthy manner will be guilty of sinning against the body and blood of the Lord. A man ought to examine himself before he eats of the bread and drinks of the cup. For anyone who eats and drinks without recognizing the body of the Lord eats and drinks judgment on himself.” ↩︎
6. Harrison Butker, the Superbowl winning Kansas City Chiefs’ kicker who has recently emerged as a vocal lover of Christ, offered his reaction to the portrayal, quoting Galatians 6:7-8 in a post on X : “Be not deceived, God is not mocked. For what things a man shall sow, those also shall he reap. For he that soweth in his flesh, of the flesh also shall reap corruption. But he that soweth in the spirit, of the spirit shall reap life everlasting.” ↩︎
7. Forgiveness is such an important component of the Christian faith. I love to talk about it and have experienced the power of forgiveness in my own life, from God’s forgiveness of me to my forgiveness of others who have hurt me. And certainly, I have experienced forgiveness from other whom I have hurt. Stay tuned, I sense a blog coming on forgiveness!! 🙂 ↩︎