Every four years, so many sports I normally have no interest in—fencing, synchronised diving, gymnastics, javelin—become an exciting part of my week. This year the Paris Olympic Games are set to be viewed by over three billion people. As many have noted, it is also a chance for the world to feel a sense of global unity; after all, one of the Olympics’ catch cries is ‘Unity in diversity’.
Does the Olympics Really Achieve Unity?
The French Olympic organisers made it clear from the beginning that unity was going to be a key value fostered in the 2024 Games by celebrating inclusion, diversity and non-discrimination as people from over 200 nations gathered together.
But they are not consistently hitting the mark. The French team have banned Muslim women from wearing the hijab, forcing competitors either to go either against their religious convictions or not compete at all. In the Opening Ceremony, the depiction of the Greek god Dionysus in a scene that to many seemed to evoke da Vinci’s The Last Supper has also alienated many. Furthermore, the inclusion and non-inclusion of transgender athletes at the Olympics has again brought about legal battles and debate. There are ongoing global conflicts bearing on the competitors too. The Palestinian Olympic Chief made a statement that the Palestinians will not shake the hands of any Israeli competitors.
‘Unity in diversity’ is a noble goal but it seems like an impossible feat. As we see failed attempts, is it time to dump the dream?
Disunity in Sin
The heart of humanity’s division is sin. Self-centredness and the rejection of God plagues every person on earth (Rom 3:10–11). As we each seek to elevate ourselves, we push God to the side and step over others. This spoils our relationships with each other as we lie, covet, and refuse to say sorry or forgive. On a larger scale, nations are divided as leaders seek their own glory and as governments seek gain more land or to rid themselves of unwanted people.
Global unity is a noble ideal but it will always fall short because of human sinfulness. But Jesus does what no other religion, person or ideology can do: he deals with the sinful heart of our division.
Unity in Jesus
Jesus sees our fractured world and he mends what is broken. In Christ our sin, guilt and shame are taken away by Jesus’ death and resurrection.
For those who trust in and follow Jesus, racial, cultural, geographical, religious and socioeconomic barriers slowly dissolve (Col 3:11). Jesus’ plan was that people from all over the world would come to him and find unity in line with the unity that he and the Father share (Jn 17:11). Though sin and brokenness still persist in the church and in majority-Christian nations this plan means that God’s people will experience unity in the here and now. I see this beautifully played out in my church each Sunday. Every week I witness people who would otherwise have nothing to do with each other come together to praise the Lord and love and serve one another as Christ has loved and served them.
Toward the end of the Opening Ceremony, as representatives from each nation brought their flags together, I couldn’t help but feel emotional. When Jesus returns, he will gather all those he has saved, from every tribe and language and people and nation, free of division, in complete unity:
And they sang a new song, saying:
“You are worthy to take the scroll
and to open its seals,
because you were slain,
and with your blood you purchased for God
persons from every tribe and language and people and nation. (Revelation 5:9)
After this I looked, and there before me was a great multitude that no one could count, from every nation, tribe, people and language, standing before the throne and before the Lamb. They were wearing white robes and were holding palm branches in their hands. And they cried out in a loud voice:
“Salvation belongs to our God,
who sits on the throne,
and to the Lamb.” (Revelation 7:9–10)
He will gather the Colombian, the Sudanese, the German. He will gather the Uyghur and the Han Chinese, the Russian and the Ukrainian, the Israeli and the Palestinian. He will gather those who were same-sex attracted and opposite-sex attracted, both those who have and have not experienced significant discomfort with their biological sex. He will gather people from across various political and socio-economic spectrums.
The glorious hope we have is that when we meet with Jesus in complete and ultimate unity, we will find definitive agreement, resolution, reconciliation and peace with each other and with God in Christ. Though we know that perfect unity in the age is simply out of reach, we have the chance to mirror and strive for this unity in the here and now for God’s glory and as witness to a world thirsting for unity.
