Unholy Sh+t: radical political leader is arrested on trumped up charges by his opponents…

This week a radical political leader who essentially declared himself king was arrested by his opponents. He was known for kicking against the man, fighting the establishment, hanging out with women of the night, and constantly using foul language in his speeches. When he first started his journey into politics, he was drawing huge crowds but was eventually betrayed by the guy who handled his money. When it finally came time for his arrest, the crowds were gone, he was completely abandoned, and he was sentenced in a kangaroo court in order to silence him.

No, I’m not talking about Donald Trump. And if you think I am, or if you are drawing any comparisons, then you may not really understand the vast difference between the Messiah and the Donald. 

Unholy Sh+t: An Irreverent Bible Study

Passion Week - A Special Holy Week Edition 

Today’s reading: Matthew 26:14-25

When I found out that Donald Trump would be arrested during Passion Week, I knew that it was only a matter of time before his staunch supporters would begin making comparisons. Not to disappoint, Marjorie Taylor Green did exactly that the day of his arrest, “Trump is joining some of the most incredible people in history being arrested today — Jesus was arrested and murdered by the Roman government." While it is true that Jesus was arrested, put on trial, and executed by the Romans, the similarities between Jesus and Trump just aren’t quite there. 

I can’t help but laugh that the same crowd who call me a heretic are now acting like it’s completely normal, and in no way heresy, to essentially put Jesus and Trump in the same billing when it comes to being arrested. However, this was an entirely predictable outcome. Of course, they would draw comparisons to Jesus.

Interestingly, Donald Trump does bare some similarities to a biblical character from Passion Week: Barabbas.

Jesus was a radical outsider but not for the same reasons as someone like Trump. Jesus was loving, accepting, and paid his taxes (Matthew 17:24-27). But probably one of the most important parts of Jesus is that he was blameless. This is an essential part of theology and the narrative of his arrest and crucifixion. 

The arrest of Jesus ultimately led to a trial where Pontus Pilate said, “I find no fault in this man.” Eventually, he decided to hand to justice system over to the people and let them decide. There was a custom at the time to release one prisoner during the season of Passover. Now, this is one of those moments where the translators of the Bible really failed us.

Most of us know that Jesus’ real name is Yeshua, which more accurately translates into Joshua. Those who translated the scripture decided that since there was already a Joshua in the Bible, they would give him the name Jesus not to cause confusion. They also did something similar when translating the story of the trial of Jesus. Unfortunately, this has resulted in us losing one of the most essential parts of the story.

Pilate presented the crowd with two people for potential pardon: Jesus and Barabbas. 

Barabbas was a populist figure in Rome. According to the scriptures, he was a political rebel who caused an insurrection against the Roman government that resulted in death. He has been arrested for his part in leading this rebellion and was awaiting his fate.

What most translations leave out of the narrative is that Barabbas is his surname, which means “son of the father” or “son of the teacher,” but his first name is Yeshua. 

When Pilate presents these two men to the crowd, he gives them a choice. They can only release one of them. What Pilate said, most accurately translated, is, “Which one do you wish for me to release? Jesus, son of the teacher, or Jesus, son of God?” What’s even more fascinating is that many also called Jesus by the name Barabbas because he is also the son of the father. This point would not have been lost on the crowd.

When Jesus entered the city on what is now known as Palm Sunday, those in attendance hoped that Jesus would be arriving to lead a rebellion. They are especially paying attention to how he would arrive. If he showed up on a war horse, they would know it was time to fight. Instead, Jesus rode in on a donkey: a sign of peace.

Many folks were disappointed because they hoped this new King of Kings would defy the Romans and bring about a new era. It became clear that Jesus wasn’t here for violence or to overthrow the government. This disappointed many in the crowd. 

So when it came time to choose between Jesus, the prince of peace, or Jesus, the violent insurrectionist, they chose the latter. 

Now, here we are yet again, some two thousand years later. We still have the Jesus of peace, one who calls us to love our neighbor, pray for our enemies, and care for those who are rejected by society. On the other hand, we have a violent insurrectionist touting a populist view who has also been arrested. Marjorie Taylor Green is not alone in her comparisons of Donald Trump to Jesus. But which Jesus is she comparing him to? Jesus, son of the teacher, or Jesus, son of God. Which one will the Church choose today? 

This means we are now faced with the same question Pilate asked on that fateful day, “Which Jesus do you want?”