The Agon

As you know, this year is an Olympic year. I’m looking forward to watching them on TV because I love the Olympics, but also, because they’re being held in Beijing. I’m anxious to see how China cleans up its capital city for the event.

Recently, I watched a documentary about the early Olympics. The first recorded Olympic race was held in 776 BC and the games continued until AD 394. They were renewed in 1896 and have continued (excepting three years during World Wars I and II) to the present time.

The early games included foot races, jumping, discus throwing, javelin throwing, wrestling, boxing, and chariot races. These contests were called agon in Greek.

This word is also used in the New Testament. Hebrews 12:1 says, “…let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles, and let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us.” The word “race” here is that same word, agon.

Similarly, in I Timothy 6:12, Paul encourages Timothy to “Fight the good fight of the faith” and in II Timothy 4:7 and 8, Paul, in his later years, declares, “I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith.” In the phrase, “fight the good fight,” the Greek verb is agonizo and the noun is agon from which we get our English words agonize and agony. Paul states that he has “agonized” and won the “agon.”

Sometimes, I think I can really relate to Paul. Life seems like agony at times. I hate support-raising. It seems like agony to me. But that’s the phase I’m in right now in my life and ministry and that’s what’s needed for us to be able to go and share the good news of God’s grace with the Italian people.

Struggling with sin. Struggling “against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms” (Ephesians 6:12). These are all a part of the agon we are called to fight, too.

I’m know that what I’m going through is nothing compared with what Paul went through with his beatings and imprisonments. But, I still find a kindred spirit there.

And, what of Christ? Luke records (in 22:44) his struggle on the Mount of Olives: “And being in anguish, he prayed more earnestly, and his sweat was like drops of blood falling to the ground.” Anguish here, is – you guessed it – that Greek word agon again. Jesus was in agony, but not just agony, he was in agon. That is, he was in a fight, a struggle, a competition for a prize. And do you know what that prize was? It was us. It was our salvation.

For the Christian, the goal of the agon is always salvation, whether ours or others'. Let us agonize the good agon together, for the salvation of many around the world!