Unholy Sh+t: radical political leader arrested on trumped-up charges by the opposition

BREAKING NEWS: A radical political leader is arrested on trumped-up charges by his opponents, more at eleven!

This week, a radical political leader who essentially declared himself king was arrested by his opponents. He was known for kicking against the norm, fighting the establishment, hanging out with women of the night, and constantly using foul language in his speeches. When he started his journey into politics, he drew 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 to a kangaroo court in order to silence him because he refused to speak on his own behalf.

No, I’m not talking about Donald Trump. And if you think I am or are drawing any comparisons, 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 of 2023, 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 precisely that on 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. However, when Trump finally faced the courtroom for his hush money trial, it was Easter Week of 2024. Listen, I don’t think we need religion in politics, but for the love of all that is holy, could anyone in the government have looked at a f+cking calendar and thought, “Well, that is probably going to cause a problem.” In the days following the guilty verdict of the former president, many evangelicals went on all the talk shows to espouse that Jesus and Donald Trump were facing the same type of persecution.

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. Let’s evaluate them, shall we?

Jesus was known for hanging out with sex workers. He once famously said, “Truly I tell you, tax collectors and prostitutes are entering the kingdom of God before you.” Whereas Donald Trump also spent a lot of time with sex workers but chose phrases like, And when you're a star, they let you do it. You can do anything.,. Grab 'em by the pussy. You can do anything,” or referring to Stormy Daniels as “Horse-face.” You know, just like Jesus.

Jesus was betrayed by a close friend and confidant, Judas. The scriptures tell us that Judas was charged with looking after the financial situation of the apostles. Part of why Judas betrayed is because he was stealing from the offerings, and he considered Jesus wasteful (John 12:6). Conversely, Trump was also betrayed by his attorney, who took care of the financials for Don the Con. Judas became remorseful for what he did, ultimately taking his own life over the guilt of turning in an innocent man (Matthew 27:3-10). Michael Cohen, on the other hand, has written two books and published a podcast series explaining how corrupt Trump is; he seemingly has zero remorse for being, in his words, disloyal to a man he described as “like a mobster.”

Finally, Jesus did not speak on his behalf during his court proceedings, nor did he receive an actual trial. He was a minority under an occupied totalitarian government and convicted by an angry mob comprised of religious leaders, Roman citizens, and others who had betrayed him. In contrast, Trump is a powerful elite who has ascended to the top office in the land, receiving a fair trial under a judicial system where he was convicted by a jury of his peers and where he has zero fear of the death penalty for white-collar crimes.

Interestingly, Donald Trump does bear 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). However, one of Jesus's most important parts is that he was blameless. This is an essential part of theology; the narrative of his arrest and crucifixion hinges on the fact that he was not guilty. At the trial, Pontus Pilate said, “I find no fault in this man.” Eventually, he decided to hand the justice system over to the people to let them decide the fate of the would-be king. 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 into English 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 so as 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 profound 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 is awaiting his fate. Most translations leave out of the story 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 call Jesus 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. They would know it was time to fight if he showed up on a war horse. 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.

Sadly, 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, still with 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 comparing 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 Institutional Church choose? I want to make it clear that this isn’t just about Trump. The world has faced this countless times when political leaders ascended to positions of gross power, from Nero to the Nazis and well beyond. One day, I fear, we will be able to replace the words I said about Trump with whatever new version of fascism comes across the horizon. Today, that is Trump.

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