Olympic gods

In 1 Corinthians 9:25, the Apostle Paul compares the fading crown of the athletes in his day with the imperishable crowns that believers receive in eternal life. The original readers of this letter knew exactly what he was referring to.

The city of Corinth was the location of the Isthmian Games, which were held the year before and the year after the Olympic Games in that era. The "perishable crown" was a wreath made of celery, of all things, which of course would fade away very quickly. That was the only tangible reward - no gold medal, no endorsement contract. A celery wreath. The athletes would train for months to compete at the highest levels, and one in each sport would earn this wreath that would fade and wither within days.

The Games were infused with paganism. Before each event, the athletes would dedicate themselves to the gods, or to a specific god, to seek their favor and give them honor.

Today, as we watch the Winter Olympics in Vancouver, I have been struck by how much more brazen athletes are becoming about praising themselves and lifting themselves up. Gone is the ethic of competing for country and the humility of amateur athletes. Now, there is no shame in grandstanding and applauding oneself.

In effect, the self-glorifying athletes are replacing the pagans gods with themselves. It's really no different - except that the pagan god they honor with their sport is not a mythical character. Rather, it is a creating being. Although different in form, the end result is basically the same.

Paul says in the previous verse of 1 Cor 9, "Do you not know that all the runners in a stadium compete, but only one receives the prize? So run to win. " But not for a perishable wreath or for one's own glory. Rather, for the crown that never fades - the glory of the Lord shared with us.