I enjoy following the Olympics. The competition, the athletes’ backstories,\u00a0the surprises, the heartbreaks, and even the behind-the-scenes operation of the games.<\/p>\n
During periods of Olympic interest, it strikes me to ask, Why didn’t Jesus talk about sports?<\/p>\n
Jesus talks about life — farming and fishing, fields and trees,\u00a0building a tower. Sports were not off-limits to the religious people of the day. So why doesn’t Jesus talk about sports?<\/p>\n
Simply put, sports did not make a significant\u00a0imprint on Jesus’ experience or culture.<\/p>\n
One reason is that Jewish participation in Roman sports posed some major incompatibilities in the participant’s\u00a0“uniforms.”<\/p>\n
So even though archeologists have uncovered a\u00a0sports complex\u00a0(hippodrome) located in ancient Jerusalem, this find does not factor into Jesus’ story.<\/p>\n
Jesus apparently had other interests and occupations, even though sports were a part of ancient life.<\/p>\n
Knowing the context helps us frame and tell\u00a0Jesus’ story.<\/p>\n