What difference does The Last Supper make?

An ad for Ireland bookmaker Paddy Power is drawing fire. The photo above is from the ad which shows Jesus and his disciples gambling during The Last Supper. Judas has 30 chips in front of him. An article in the Belfast Telegraph states

Fr Micheal McGreil, a Jesuit and sociologist, was one of the first clergy to hit out at the ad, claiming it showed a "lack of respect of the beliefs of the vast, vast majority of Christians in Ireland, both Catholic and Protestant"...Commenting on the ad, Fr McGreil said: "You should never abuse something sacred in this way. It's the vulgarity of rank materialism. Even if people don't believe themselves, they have to respect the beliefs of others. It's vulgarity at its worst to misuse a sacred image like this, especially one that is about giving, not taking."

Of course, the ad has been widely successful. The ad agency and their client alike wanted attention and they have gotten it. Even if forced to pull the ad, they will have won, profiting from a well known image of Jesus.

I guess we should be flattered that Jesus carries so much cultural weight still in 2005. That is a triumph in its own right for a humble teacher who preached to thousands, but still had only a small core of followers at his death.

The problem is not the ad—the advertisers are just trying to get attention for their product. The problem stems from us Christians taking what we know to be Holy as unimportant. As others parody our faith, it's a chance to remember how much the real matters more to us than any fake.

Our devotion is not to DaVinci's Last Supper any more than it is to this Paddy Power ad. Our devotion is to a risen Lord who continually calls us to renew the faith that is in us. This ad gives us yet another chance to remember how much Jesus' last meal with his disciples still means to us.

Two items in the archives are the sermon The Next to the Last Supper and for those looking for more on an actual communion service, we have an annotated communion service called A walk through the service.

peace,
Frank+
The Rev. Frank Logue, Pastor + King of Peace Episcopal Church