This is gospel mischief at its finest. Father Nathan didn’t just break the fourth wall—he stole the donkey, leaned into the mic, and winked straight through the veil.
The post is a sermon disguised as stand-up, or maybe a drag show reenactment of the Passion with a theological mic drop. Either way, it slaps harder than Judas’ kiss.
Virgin Monk Boy approves.
I mean, “International Day of Riding A$$”? I nearly spit out my communion wine substitute (sparkling La Croix, obviously). This is exactly the irreverent reverence we need—a reminder that the Prince of Peace didn’t come strapped, he came… sarcastic. Riding a baby donkey. Like a celestial troll with a divine sense of irony.
The crowd wanted Braveheart. He gave them Holy Monty Python.
And to all the modern zealots still praying for a Christ with a Glock, this story’s got news for you: Jesus didn’t come to smite, he came to subvert. He flipped tables, not triggers.
Hosanna in the highest… and don’t forget to tip your donkey.
All the songs from Jesus Christ Superstar run through my head periodically, randomly, unbidden. Can't help it. I've never been religious or a believer in Jesus, but I attended Vacation Bible School as a kid, studied all the parables, learned the books of the Bible, and saw the musical a few times as a young g adult. Loved it. Now I love your essays. Does that mean I have some affinity for Jesus even as a non-believer? Hmm. I tried Catholicism once. Total failure. However I follow "Christian" values more closely than many of the so-called self-proclaimed "Christians" I know, including some family members.
My church youth group saw the movie version. I had the broadway version memorized. I could probably sing the whole thing through, even now. I don’t identify as Christian, mostly because of how Jesus’s fan club act.
Can you find another way to deal with the typos you see, please? I am one of those followers who has read about Father Nathan being a dyslexic author (he makes no secret of it; I think it's in his bio). Some writers welcome comments about typos. Some...don't. For some, getting words on the page at all is enough of a struggle that they don't have spoons left for editing. Or re-editing. Or re-re-re-editing.
If you saw that it was a mistake, you knew what he meant. Deal. Please. Keep the cringe to yourself as a random act of kindness.
Sigh! Can’t you just correct it in your head? If you have been following Father Nathan you can appreciate his passion and creativity without being the Spelling Police.
I don't hear that song because my family wasn't normal either. ("JC Superstar" was Eebol Blasphemy. Sigh) My first exposure was accidentally tuning in to the movie on TV, during "Gethsemane". Specifically, hearing Jesus cry "I WILL DRINK YOUR CUP OF POISON...", which didn't exactly provide the nuance or context my programmed brain needed. It took me years after I grew up to leave the church. I am still very much at sea about a lot of things. It's been a comfort to learn how not alone I am about faith and God and the rest of it.
It's not like I haven't heard this story since I was a tot. It's not like I heard it to the point where I didn't want to hear it anymore.
But here I am, going, "Wait, what, no? Don't stop now! Tell me more!"
Yes! I know how this story ends (begins?) but I want to hear it from your lips. See it through your eyes.
This is gospel mischief at its finest. Father Nathan didn’t just break the fourth wall—he stole the donkey, leaned into the mic, and winked straight through the veil.
The post is a sermon disguised as stand-up, or maybe a drag show reenactment of the Passion with a theological mic drop. Either way, it slaps harder than Judas’ kiss.
Virgin Monk Boy approves.
I mean, “International Day of Riding A$$”? I nearly spit out my communion wine substitute (sparkling La Croix, obviously). This is exactly the irreverent reverence we need—a reminder that the Prince of Peace didn’t come strapped, he came… sarcastic. Riding a baby donkey. Like a celestial troll with a divine sense of irony.
The crowd wanted Braveheart. He gave them Holy Monty Python.
And to all the modern zealots still praying for a Christ with a Glock, this story’s got news for you: Jesus didn’t come to smite, he came to subvert. He flipped tables, not triggers.
Hosanna in the highest… and don’t forget to tip your donkey.
I definitely hear it in my head. I loved listening to the LP as a kid and love the movie.
All the songs from Jesus Christ Superstar run through my head periodically, randomly, unbidden. Can't help it. I've never been religious or a believer in Jesus, but I attended Vacation Bible School as a kid, studied all the parables, learned the books of the Bible, and saw the musical a few times as a young g adult. Loved it. Now I love your essays. Does that mean I have some affinity for Jesus even as a non-believer? Hmm. I tried Catholicism once. Total failure. However I follow "Christian" values more closely than many of the so-called self-proclaimed "Christians" I know, including some family members.
My church youth group saw the movie version. I had the broadway version memorized. I could probably sing the whole thing through, even now. I don’t identify as Christian, mostly because of how Jesus’s fan club act.
Ouch. Can you edit this, please? I am one of those editors that cringe at grammatical and spelling errors. Can't help it!
"All eyes are on Jesus to see what he will do: call for peace or insight a riot." Should be "incite a riot."
Can you find another way to deal with the typos you see, please? I am one of those followers who has read about Father Nathan being a dyslexic author (he makes no secret of it; I think it's in his bio). Some writers welcome comments about typos. Some...don't. For some, getting words on the page at all is enough of a struggle that they don't have spoons left for editing. Or re-editing. Or re-re-re-editing.
If you saw that it was a mistake, you knew what he meant. Deal. Please. Keep the cringe to yourself as a random act of kindness.
Sigh! Can’t you just correct it in your head? If you have been following Father Nathan you can appreciate his passion and creativity without being the Spelling Police.
100% can hear that song in my head right now.
OMG. A post that references both JC Superstar AND the Chronicles of Narnia!! This is one of the reasons I love this holy man.
I don't hear that song because my family wasn't normal either. ("JC Superstar" was Eebol Blasphemy. Sigh) My first exposure was accidentally tuning in to the movie on TV, during "Gethsemane". Specifically, hearing Jesus cry "I WILL DRINK YOUR CUP OF POISON...", which didn't exactly provide the nuance or context my programmed brain needed. It took me years after I grew up to leave the church. I am still very much at sea about a lot of things. It's been a comfort to learn how not alone I am about faith and God and the rest of it.
Thank you.