Not the Greek god himself, but a leader – most likely named after the Greek god (the Latin spelling) – of the Aeropagus. This was the “Hill of Ares” the war god – where he and the Greco-Roman council of the time gathered to dialogue and dispense justice.

In Acts 17 (shout out to our Pastor Chris Collins who just happened to be preaching on this chapter in our Acts summer series the Sunday right after the olympic Last Supper conundrum), the apostle Paul enters Athens and has a visceral reaction to the city being full of idols/false gods. Various translations say he was “greatly distressed,” “deeply troubled” and “his spirit was provoked within him.”

To my non-Christian friends:

When a person who has been saved from their sin and the pit of darkness by Jesus Christ witnesses our culture elevate false god’s that are powerless to help us and the things they unapologetically represent that possibly once plagued them (drunkenness, madness, inappropriate sexual exposure, etc.), and to do so on the world stage, particularly while young impressionable children are watching, their spirits are provoked within them.

And then when you add to that the mocking of that same beloved Jesus (I’ll get to that in my next point) in an unexpected context*, it might feel like a one-two sucker punch. (*Rule 50 of the International Olympic Committee charter states: “No kind of demonstration or political, religious or racial propaganda is permitted in any Olympic sites, venues or other areas.)

Now I don’t necessarily expect you to agree with the collective Christian reaction, but I hope from you what you want from us: open mindedness, empathy, and a desire to understand rather than broadly, quickly and bitterly condemn.

To my Christian friends:

The next verse in Act 17 speaks to how Paul responded to his deep feelings: “So he reasoned in the synagogue with the Jews and with those who worshiped God, as well as in the marketplace every day with those who happened to be there.” He REASONED. He didn’t cry persecution, he didn’t pout and point fingers, he didn’t “clutch his pearls” – he had CIVIL DIALOGUE with people of all religious backgrounds in multiple settings. I saw many of you do this well.

But many Christians let their emotions get the better of them. As a recovering idealist, I have to remind myself all the time to not be surprised by (and react dramatically) to hard things. In John 15, Jesus warned us that If the world hates you, keep in mind that it hated Him first. (I encourage everyone to read the whole chapter for a more sobering, less palatable version of Jesus and what he hates, than what the world would like to white wash him as.)

But no matter how much we mature out of being “Christian Karens” on social media, we will most likely have a variety of responses similar to Paul: “some mocked him, …others said, ‘We’d like to hear from you again about this’…However, some people joined him and believed.” (Acts 17:32-34)

The scriptures intentionally name only two of the people who turned their lives over to Christ:

A woman called Damaris, whose name means “calf” and Dionysius, who is considered the Patron Saint of Athens by our Catholic brothers and sisters. So the question is, is God flexing his Divinity by saving and specifically mentioning two pagan converts whose names point directly to false gods/idols? Or is it just a coincidence?

Speaking of coincidences…was the opening ceremony’s very specific table line up (including a man exposing himself behind a minor child), a vague nod to Leonardo da Vinci’s Last Supper painting or pure coincidence?

I don’t think it’s fair to simultaneously belittle Christians for their lack of knowledge about Greek mythology, the ol’ and oft-mentioned Bacchanal(?), and the “obvious” connection of Dionysius to the naked blue man on a fruit platter…while also denying an even more obvious natural connection to a much more ubiquitously known cultural icon that is the painting of the Last Supper.

But since we are all suddenly Greek mythology experts, enter: CASSANDRA. She was a renowned, beautiful and intelligent Trojan priestess, who was cursed by the god Apollo to always tell the truth – but have nobody believe her.

There is actually a current syndrome named after her that is also known as Ongoing Relational Trauma, diagnosed to people who experience very toxic relationships involving the “crazy cycle” of unhealthy treatment, the emotional response to it and all the while being told that what they are seeing, feeling and experiencing is just not true. We’ve even developed a modern term for it: gaslighting.

This is where collective human empathy should come into play. We have ALL been in relationships and/or conflicts where our senses, our physical response, and our past patterns of experience are warning us that something is just not right, but the perpetrator, the bystanders and even our own friends and family belittle our experience or flat out tell us that it is just not true.

And I will beat you to it: I am GRIEVED to admit that there is unfortunately a very long line of unrepentant “Christians” who are absolutely guilty of this. *Gently grabs your face in my hands and looks you in the eye with empathy…* I am truly sorry that you have been forced to experience this crazy-making trauma. Truly.

But when we choose to do everything we can just to poke holes in the point of view of the people we hate without considering that some of what they are saying might actually be true, we are destined to become like the gaslighters who have hurt us. Even the people who drive you crazy sometimes say true things.

And there was enough proof circulating that there was at least a nod to the Last Supper (advertised ahead of time even), if not a coy, shoulder shrug all the way to possible backpedaling by the creator and performer who played the blue guy. And even if not, it was complete cultural ignorance to set up the scene in such a way that people around the world made connections to the Last Supper – not just the annoying Christians on your social media feed.

Finally, growing out of being a “Hole Poker” is part of human maturing. My kids start “hole poking” my parenting, when they are feeling selfish, lazy, angry, entitled, or fueled by their lopsided sense of injustice. We do it in error believing that if we find the one thing that is wrong, we are not responsible for doing the work of considering and acknowledging the multiple things that could be/are true. Let’s extend grace even to our perceived enemies. Let’s grow up together, friends.

Finally, the good news about God not just being a Loving Father but also a Just Judge, is that those who have legitimately and unrepentantly hurt us will get what’s coming to them, have no doubt about that. AND He is Jehovah Rapha, God Who Heals, so I would love to listen and pray with you about how He can bring you peace and healing for your hurts. Jesus really can save us not just from our own sin, but from the people who have sinned against us.

So I hope this is received with my heart for being a bridge builder. But even if it’s not, I will try not to be outraged! Let’s be determined to opt out of the ongoing outrage machine, particularly as we move into election season. #LordHaveMercy

May we all live by Jesus’ command from the Sermon on the Mount (Matthew 5:43-48, the Message translation):

“You’re familiar with the old written law, ‘Love your friend,’ and its unwritten companion, ‘Hate your enemy.’ I’m challenging that. I’m telling you to love your enemies. Let them bring out the best in you, not the worst. When someone gives you a hard time, respond with the supple moves of prayer, for then you are working out of your true selves, your God-created selves. This is what God does. He gives his best—the sun to warm and the rain to nourish—to everyone, regardless: the good and bad, the nice and nasty. If all you do is love the lovable, do you expect a bonus? Anybody can do that. If you simply say hello to those who greet you, do you expect a medal? Any run-of-the-mill sinner does that.

“In a word, what I’m saying is, Grow up. You’re kingdom subjects. Now live like it. Live out your God-created identity. Live generously and graciously toward others, the way God lives toward you.”

Image: St. Paul in the Areopagus in Athens, Greece by Mariano Fortuny (1871-1949, Spain)