How Then Can We Live?

“How then can we live?” This is the question asked of God by His covenant people as recorded in Ezekiel 33:10. In a book full of somber warning and judgment, through Ezekiel the prophet and priest, God repeats His people’s question and then answers it. I am so glad that He does, because – in our own day of moral madness – this portion of God’s Word becomes surprisingly hopeful for us.

“How then can we live?”

If you’ve been paying attention to the controversy surrounding the opening ceremony of the Paris Olympics, then you know that the body of Christ – made up of Christians of all stripes from around the world – has been conflicted regarding how to respond to a portion of the ceremony that mocked the Last Supper of Jesus and His disciples. In the immediate aftermath, there was confusion about what we really saw. And for good reason. There was a lot going on in a short period of time. In fact, I had to read history for several hours to sort it out. And, after Celine Dion’s strong-as-ever comeback performance framed by the gorgeous Eiffel Tower, it was a bit depressing to focus on the parts of the ceremony that were concerning.

Here’s my synopsis. What we saw in the ceremony was, at least in part, a recapitulation of the “Festival of Reason” from the French Revolution. The “Fête de la Raison” took place in Notre Dame Cathedral in Paris on November 10, 1793. Jacques Hébert, Antoine-François Momoro, and others took drastic measures to replace worship with activities that exalted the Revolution’s secular ambitions. For example, in the church building, they constructed an improvised mountain with a Greek temple. They put an “Altar to Reason” at the mountain’s base and a ”Torch of Truth” in front. The “worshippers” paid homage to an opera singer, dressed in the colors of the republic, who personified the “Goddess of Liberty.” They featured a scantily clad “Goddess of Reason.” They dismantled the altar and carved “To Philosophy” above the cathedral’s doors. You get the picture. Napoleon banned this cultlike behavior in 1802, but vestiges of atheism and secular humanism – particularly state-entrenched ones – don’t die without a fight.

So I think that the artist behind Friday’s opening ceremony took all of that, while drawing from the Greek origins of the Olympics, and ran with it. That’s why we saw Bacchus, the Roman god, or Dionysus, the Greek god – the god of lust, fertility, religious debauchery, drunkenness, and the like. Thus the grapes on the strange-looking blue-gray dude. But there was other symbolism that clearly indicated attempts to tie in Christ. The halo, for example. The people around a table, remarkably similar to da Vinci’s famous painting. In fact, the organizers have confirmed the careless Christian imagery via the Last Supper reimagining. When you’re trying to make something look like an orgy – for lack of a better term – you’re going to end up with scenes that aren’t family-friendly, to say the least. So as not to pick on the French unfairly, I’ll ask you this: What percentage of Super Bowl halftime shows have made you proud to be an American?

It’s of no value to you or me to expect the world to act like the church. To do so only raises our blood pressure and minimizes our Christian witness. However, the Bible does not call us to bury our head in the sand. God calls us to speak the truth, and sometimes He calls us to speak the truth in the public square. We must speak it in love, but we must speak the truth. If we don’t, Shadrach, Meshach, Abednego, and John the Baptist might want a word with us. And, I’ll just say it out loud, a “Last Supper” in drag – on the world stage – is concerning. From the mouth of the young woman who portrayed Jesus: “I’m a fat, Jewish, queer lesbian, and I’m really proud.” Beloved friends, I may well be the vilest sinner that you know, and I’m well aware that only sinners are invited to Christ’s table, but I just can’t shake the hopeful words of Jesus: “Go and sin no more.” And, I must add here, I fear that the presence of a child at that particular table may have been a nod toward pedophilia. (I really hope I’m mistaken on that point.)

How then can we live?

Well, let’s go back and consider Ezekiel’s context, for it may be remarkably similar to our own. As God’s prophet, he was called to speak truth to the homelanders and the exiles. Some of God’s people were left in Judah, while some were displaced in Babylon alongside Ezekiel. As I was thinking about all of this, I realized: I am both! As a follower of Christ in America, particularly, I enjoy the manifold blessings – even the spiritual blessings – of this land. At the same time, I also realize that this land is not my ultimate home. Because of Christ, I am at times a noticeable stranger here. I don’t have to go to Paris to feel that exile-status reality. It’s here. I’ll bet you can relate.

Even more important is this: God’s people – wherever they were – had to come to terms with their own sin. This is vitally important for us right now. Before God’s people asked God their question, they made a startling admission: “Surely our transgressions and our sins are upon us, and we rot away because of them.” Wow! I’m all ready to get overly disgusted by the world around me, and the Lord puts a mirror in my face.

“We rot away.” You and I must come clean before God. And here’s where the hopeful part comes in. In that same chapter, the Lord promises the people that there is a righteousness that leads to life. Their responsibility was to turn away from sin and to embrace God’s way of life. This is no less true of us. Friends, it is far easier for us to see the sins in Paris than to see the sins in us.

And the good news of the gospel is that the Lord Jesus Christ is the Way of Life! For you and for me, Christ has lived the perfect life that we failed to live! For you and for me, Christ has died the brutal death that we deserved! We were enslaved to sin, but Christ paid our debt in full! Christ came out of the grave to prove that every promise He has made is true! And Christ will come again! Those in Ezekiel’s day knew Christ only in prophecies, types, and shadows, but we have been given the rest of the glorious story!

What we saw in the opening ceremony is not new. Not at all. For many years now, so-called “Bible scholars” have made every effort to connect Jesus to Dionysus. They have gone as far as claiming that the account of the Lord’s Supper given to us by the Apostle Paul is nothing but a reimagining of Greek mythology. They connect the wine in Christ’s cup to pagan festivals. I have sat under such professors, who can be quite persuasive, so I know of what I speak. They do it with the account of the first miracle of Christ’s earthly ministry – where our Lord turned water into wine. They similarly assault the Creation account in Genesis by allegorizing it into oblivion. (If there was no Adam, the New Testament is deeply flawed.) Even Christ’s glorious resurrection from the dead is mythologized into utter meaningless by many renowned scholars. It’s not new. Make no mistake: There are many who loathe the Word of God while presuming to teach it.

So do not be deceived. We live in a world where we must be skeptical of both artistic and academic leaps, as we may be being fed a substitute Christ.

My friends, this has been a heavy subject, but let’s choose to see this glass half-full. I respect differing opinions on this point, but I am not in favor of doing anything that punishes the athletes because the world is acting like the world. If my homework is correct, Team USA includes a record number of men and women who love our Lord Jesus and credit Him with their exceptional talents. I hope and pray that – in every conceivable way – we will see them enjoy victory after victory. And I just can’t fail to mention one more beautiful connection to the Word: “You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies … my cup overflows.”

I hope it isn’t lost on any of us that this happens to be the one-hundredth anniversary of the Paris Olympics when Eric Liddell – who was forced to take a bold stance for his Christian convictions at the risk of losing it all – went on to win the unexpected gold. My favorite quote from “the flying Scotsman” is this: “I believe God made me for a purpose, but He also made me fast. And when I run, I feel His pleasure.”

There’s a lot of darkness out there. But there’s also an invincible Light! May you and I never cease to feel His pleasure, as we’re also running for the prize.

Pastor Charles