I’m a Podcaster, and I Have Something to Say to that Pastor Who Has Something to Say

  📍 I just cannot go another day without saying something on my podcast about this controversy regarding the Olympics and the opening ceremonies and this blatant mockery of the of the depiction of the Last Supper from the artist Leonardo da Vinci. Although, it has been pointed out by my friend, Tom Woods, that it is not true.

Leonardo. Nobody ever called him Da Vinci, we'll just call him Leonardo. I'm going to read for you something that you may likely have read already. It's from a guy who calls himself a pastor. His name is Jacob Whitehead. And he's made it public. It's on Facebook, so it's fair game as far as reading it and commenting on it.

Plenty of people have commented on it. There have been a few things lacking in the comments, both from Mr. Whitehead's commentary on what happened, as well as the comments regarding Whitehead's his own commentary. Now I'm going to preface my comments here by saying that I didn't actually watch the opening ceremonies of the Olympics. Friday was my birthday, the 26th of July, and I was preoccupied with spending time with family. And the Olympics hasn't been something that I've really followed for I think Atlanta, 96, is the last time that I really watched the Olympics in any depth.

So I didn't really have a compelling reason to watch the opening ceremonies anyway, which is always without exception, rife with political correctness and this hyper social agenda that has nothing to do with athletics and bringing people together.

It's always a blatant collectivism in the name of. These code words, unity and diversity, that are the, like the mantras of the humanist religion that is the predominant religion of the world, which takes on many stripes, many of which are a lot of Christian denominations.

What happened at the Olympics, a portion of the opening ceremonies was a depiction of Leonardo's painting titled The Last Supper. Which, of course, is Jesus and the Apostles having a meal together, it was basically the first communion where they partook of the sacramental elements, the bread and the wine, which, through the work of the Holy Spirit, was his body.

The people who organized this opening ceremony at the Olympics, they made a blatant mockery of this. It takes you three seconds looking at the photo to realize what they have done. And what their intent is, and to say that they had any intent other than to use a very sacred painting.

Let me say this, a painting which depicts one of the most sacred moments in time in the history of mankind for Christians. If you can't see that was their intent you're willfully blind. So because this man, Jacob Whitehead has gotten 162, 000 shares, 43, 000 likes, 505 comments, so he hit a nerve with a lot of people.

Some people commented critically of his words. The overwhelming majority were supportive and were applauding him for his words. Because it's relevant and a lot of people agreed with it. I'm going to read it in its entirety, and then share my comments on his comments. So here we go. Jacob Whitehead,

posted July 27th. So this is one day, 24 hours after this thing that happened with the Olympics. I'm a pastor, and I have something to say. Christians that get online and spew hate toward non believers anger me much more than non believers spewing hate toward my religion. I have no idea what the table at the Olympics is.

Was supposed to represent as the official statement contradicts the larger opinion But what I can say is that every single person at that table would have been invited to Jesus's table Jesus not only spent his time on earth with sinners. He invited them to the very table Everyone assumes the Olympic table represents Matthew was a tax collector.

Peter was about to deny him Thomas was about to doubt his resurrection. Judas was about to betray him. Jesus ate with them anyway. Jesus was with, quote, sinners all of the time. In fact, it's one of the reasons the church people hated him and wanted him dead. Please allow this to serve as a reminder that people who are not Christians are not our responsibility to regulate.

Jesus gave us an example to follow of welcoming everyone and pointing them toward the love of Jesus. Remember that God's kindness is meant to lead us to repentance, not the shouting of his angry, quote, followers. This doesn't mean I condone any religion, especially my own, being mocked. In fact, it is wrong, but my heart doesn't hurt for what they are doing to Jesus.

My heart hurts for people that are likely not in a loving relationship with their Creator. Jesus doesn't need me to shout about sinners sinning. He wants me to shout about the hope and the love they're missing out. Before you share an angry post or shout at people that Jesus died for, think for a while and ask yourself if he would do the same.

To be honest, you already know the answer. He wouldn't. He didn't. He died for them just as much as he died for you. Angrily shouting at people that don't know Jesus is in direct contradiction to the example he gave us on the cross. Westboro Baptist sandwich signs should anger you much more than this.

Jesus flipped tables on people in the temple, not people outside of it. Remember that. Okay, so the very first thing that he says it's the second thing he says, I have no idea. What the table at the Olympics was supposed to represent. Are you serious? You have no idea what the table at the Olympics was supposed to represent. So are you saying that you can't see that this is a depiction of Leonardo's painting?

Which, in itself, is a depiction of the most sacred moment in history, according to Christians. You can't see that, but you're a pastor.

And then he says, as the official statement contradicts the larger opinion. Fortunately, the larger opinion appears to be that they see this photo for what it is, or this scene for what it is, which is a drag queen is representing, is sitting in the place of Jesus. In Leonardo's painting, and there's a bunch of transvestites and cross dressers and all manner of undesirable elements of humanity sitting in the place of the holy apostles.

The larger opinion seems to be in accordance with what I just said. Words to the effect of what I just said, thankfully. So for this person to say, I have no idea what the table was supposed to represent, that discredits you right there.

Next statement. What I can say is that every single person at that table would have been invited to Jesus's table. Let's talk about that for a moment. How many times did Jesus actually invite someone to his table? The only time that I can actually think of it is this scene at the event which we call the Last Supper, the first breaking of bread, the first offering of the Sacrament of Communion.

Now, I'm looking at this photo, and I can say, based on my understanding of the Church, and the Scriptures, and the traditions of the Church, that not one of these people would be invited to that table. That table was reserved for a very select few. The Apostles, who went on to build the Church.

Those people in that photo, which I'm looking at right now, their intent is not to build the Church. If they have an intent regarding Christianity I would assume that their preference would be for Christianity to not exist, to be wiped off the face of the earth. So for this pastor to say that those people would be invited at the table where the first communion was offered to the holy apostles, I don't want to say that it's blasphemous, but it's highly problematic to even suggest such a thing.

Jesus did sit at table with sinners, this is true, at their invitation. The people with whom he dined and with whom he accepted invitations were sincere. They saw Jesus for who he was. who is the savior of the world, the promised messiah had been prophesied by the prophets centuries prior. So he accepted the invitations of the various people who invited him into their homes. Some of them were Pharisees, some were not, some were just tax collectors, which angered the religious establishment.

Nobody at that table would have been invited to, into that upper room where they shared a meal. And then the sacramental elements were offered to the holy apostles.

Okay, Matthew was a tax collector. Peter was about to deny him. Thomas was about to doubt his resurrection. Judas was about to betray him.

Jesus ate with them anyway. This is all true. The difference between Matthew and Peter And Thomas, is that these were all holy men. These were all very sincere men they gave up everything that was near and dear to them.

They even risked their identity as Jews. They risked being cast out of the synagogues because they followed Jesus, who was considered a heretic. By the religious establishment of the day.

So yes, Matthew was a tax collector. Peter was about to deny him. He did deny him. And then we're told that he went out and he wept bitterly because he realized he was an error. He had betrayed his Lord. He repented. Thomas was about to doubt his resurrection. You're right. A few weeks later, he doubted.

And he had to see living proof that Jesus was alive. They all repented. They all,

through the process of sanctification, became holy men. And they all died gruesome deaths. Because of their allegiance to Jesus.

Now look at this glutton sitting in the middle of this table with a false a halo behind her head, which is a depiction of the halo that is traditionally put on icons behind Jesus.

This whole scene is Despicable and yet this so called pastor is giving it a free pass. He's saying yeah, It's okay for the Olympic organizers to make a mockery not just my faith But the faith of billions of people around the world.

We don't mind We'll just sit back and we won't say anything. Fortunately a lot of people have said plenty about it and what I'm saying here, not that it means anything, but this is my commentary. on what I have concluded is a very important issue. At first I was, I thought, what's the big deal? What's why are people so upset about this?

But the more I thought about it, the more I realized this is really serious. And this is worthy of our anger.

So let's continue. Jesus was with, quote, sinners all of the time. You're right. And they were all sinners. With very precious few exceptions they were all repentant, and they all wanted to be around him. They all desired to be around who they believed was the Messiah, the chosen one, the one that they had been waiting for centuries.

And all of a sudden, there he is, and he's in our midst. We want to be around him. Yeah, they were sinners. I'm a sinner. I begin every day with the Messiah. The the prayers. Holy God, Holy Mighty, Holy Immortal, have mercy on us. And then I say the Jesus prayer. Lord Jesus Christ, Son of the Living God, have mercy on me, a sinner.

Forgive my sins that I've committed, knowingly and unknowingly, in word, thought, and deed. Cleanse my soul of all unrighteousness, and the filth of this world to which I've been exposed. Yeah, I'm a sinner. I'm sanctified by God's grace. So yeah, Jesus was with sinners all of the time. Amen. If he's going to be around people, he's going to be around sinners, because everyone sins.

Here's, this is a good one. In fact, it's one of the reasons the church people hated him and wanted him dead. Why don't you say that to the priest at your local Catholic church? Walk into your Orthodox church nearby and say that the church people hated Christ and wanted him dead.

The ignorance is astounding. There was no church back then. There were Pharisees. There was the religious establishment made up of high ranking Jews who viewed Jesus as a threat to their own status quo and their own hubris. So yes, they didn't want him around. Jesus was about to upend the status quo. Yeah, I can see why they wouldn't want him around.

Why they'd even want him dead. But to call them church people time to go back to Bible school, buddy. All right, this is where it gets interesting and the virtue signaling and the Shaming of people who disagree with him is so blatant that it's almost not worth Repeating but I'm gonna read but I'm going to say it just because it needs to be said he continues Please allow this to serve as a reminder That people who are not Christians are not our responsibility to regulate.

Jesus gave an example to follow of welcoming everyone and pointing them toward the love of Jesus. Remember that God's kindness is meant to lead us to repentance, not the shouting of his angry followers. So let's talk about this for a moment. God's kindness is meant to lead us to repentance. He's gracious, he's merciful, but he's also a jealous God. He's a God that will not be mocked, said the Apostle.

He continues and this doesn't mean that I condone any religion, especially my own being mocked Now this is important because there may be people listening to me on this podcast who are not christians and my challenge to you is You should be concerned about this. It may not be your religion. That was mocked at the olympics You But they did take a major religion that is respected and revered by literally billions of people on this earth.

And they just made an absolute mockery at the Olympics. This isn't at some show in some dive bar somewhere. This is the Olympics. And they made a mockery of one of the most sacred moments in the history of the church. We should not take this lightly, and we should not turn the other cheek and just say, It's okay.

You can trample on everything that is near and dear to us. That's fine. We understand. You're just worldly people, and you're just going to do worldly things. We get it. It's no problem. That was my initial reaction to that, but after thinking about it and discussing it with others, there's some real problems here.

And if you're not a Christian, my challenge to you is, if these people are willing to mock Christianity in such a public forum, as the Olympics, Where are the boundaries? Where will they stop?

He concludes, Before you share an angry post or shout at people that Jesus died for, think for a while and ask yourself, If he would do the same. To be honest, you already know the answer. See this virtue signaling and this virtue shaming people who might disagree with him into submission is just, it's just plain childish.

The man, if you want to call him a man, lacks emotional maturity. It's such a petty and childish thing. of dominating a conversation and dominating a dialogue. So this is what he says. He died for them just as much as he died for you.

Angrily shouting at people that don't know Jesus is in direct contradiction to the example he gave us on the cross. Okay, now let's talk about this. How many people who have been critical of the Olympics are just angrily shouting, like using those, that terminology. Angrily shouting. Am I angrily shouting on this podcast?

Now, I'm raising my voice a little bit. And am I a little bit angry? Yes, I am angry that this has happened. I don't believe that my anger is unjustified. I think that my emotions are under control. And my words are rational. And they are well thought out. And my comments are grounded in the scriptures.

And my limited knowledge of the history of the Church and the teachings of the Church and the Church Fathers. I'm doing the best that I can with what I've got, but to say that I'm just angrily shouting you know what? These people are blatantly mocking Christianity, and they need to be held accountable. They need to hear from Christians, what you did is not okay, and we're not going to watch the Olympics anymore.

I can't speak on behalf of anybody who's at the Olympics, Christians who are participating in the Olympics. I can't speak for them, what they should do. They will respond according to their own conscience but for us to just sit back and just give them a free pass on what they've done is, I don't think that's an appropriate response.

We are to expect this from the world. We're to expect it. This is the cross that we bear when we identify with Jesus as one of his followers, one of his disciples, when we identify with his body. Meaning, the church. Yes, we are to expect being mocked and being ridiculed. It comes with the territory.

It does not mean that we should just sit back and just take it without saying something in response.

Westboro Baptist sandwich signs should anger you much more than this. According to who? You?

Okay. Jesus flipped tables on people in the temple, not people outside of it. Remember that. Love that parting shot. Remember that. More virtue signaling more emotional immaturity from this so called pastor. Why am I beating up on this guy? It's not that this man said it. It's that so many people agree with it.

So many people who identify as Christians say, Yes, this is exactly what needed to be said. You have just perfectly articulated what was going on in my head as I was processing this scene. 162, 000 people have shared this, and I'm going to look at the comments here with people who have shared it. I've been attempting to find the words that best describe my feelings and it can never do justice to what I feel in my heart.

This pastor has nailed it for me. Yes. Let's lead by example. Here's the best Christian take I've seen so far. He's right. Word. I like this too. Let's see here. There's this guy's a better person than I am. Great perspective. And then a lot of people are responding to these things who, these people who shared it.

I'm not saying this just so I can beat up on this Jacob Whitehead. I've never met the guy, and I probably never will meet him. And I don't really have an axe to grind with him personally. I do have an axe to grind with the sentiment that is shared. In his comments, and that is apparently supported by a great many Christians.

That's what I find problematic. The fact that there's so many people who say they're Christians who agree with him and say, Yes, that's exactly right. This is my take. And I'm on record saying, No, this is not exactly right. Are some serious problems with your comments, theologically, historically, even semantically, that worthy of our time, and it's worthy of our attention, and using whatever means we have, get the word out.

On how awful this scene was at the Olympics. So this is my two cents post inflation on this issue with the Olympics and what happened at the opening ceremonies.

I realize that to bring religion into the topic potentially divides my three listeners and I understand that, but if you have any comments at all, I would welcome them. Just find me on Instagram, James D Newcombe. That is my handle and I did post a live video on it on this topic yesterday. If you have any comments about anything I've said, either on the live feed or what I've said in this podcast, please connect on Instagram.

Send me an email, james at jamesdnewcomb. com and I'd love to hear from you. And as long as it's, respectful and as long as it's with the intent of having productive dialogue, I'll listen to anything that anyone says. Thanks for listening and we'll be in your air ball soon.