Jesus goes to the MAGA rally...

[lees1975]

https://baptistnews.com/article/jesus-at-the-maga-rally/

Several weeks ago, I had a strange and troubling dream. In my dream, I attended a massive rally. Thousands of people flocked to the stadium to hear their hero speak. As throngs of people entered the stadium, Jesus quietly entered and sat near the back. Nobody noticed him.

In the dream, the speaker rose to the podium. He spoke a long time about himself, his greatness and how he alone could save America from doom. He told one falsehood after another, but nobody seemed to care.

He spoke with contempt about immigrants of color “infesting” our country, claiming they were “rapists, drug dealers, murderers, gang members and pet eaters.” He called them “vermin,” claimed they were “poisoning our blood,” and said they had “bad genes.” When he promised to carry out a mass deportation of 20 million immigrants, people wildly clapped and shouted, “Send them back!” Racists and white nationalists in the crowd smiled.

For almost an hour, the man spoke in a nonstop spirit of falsehood, anger, negativity, resentment and grievance. And he was just getting warmed up. Far more vile words would come out of his mouth over the next hour.

But Jesus had heard enough. Deeply saddened, Jesus walked toward the exit of the stadium. Once again, nobody noticed him.

Before leaving the rally, Jesus took a final look at the crowd, who were totally enthralled by the speaker. Among the masses, Jesus saw thousands of people who claimed to be his devoted followers. They called him their “Savior and Lord.” They studied his teachings about love, compassion, forgiveness, kindness, decency, grace, marital fidelity, character, honesty, empathy, unity, humility, hope, mercy, justice, care for the poor and sick, welcome of the stranger.

And, every Sunday, when they went to church, they asked the question, “What would Jesus do?”

As the speaker continued to spew toxic narcissism, lies, discord, rage, division, hatred, vengeance, racism, cruelty and indecency — violating everything Jesus stood for — thousands of self-proclaimed Christians, in a frenzy of excited adoration, shouted and wildly clapped for the speaker, giving him one standing ovation after another.

As Jesus walked out of the stadium, he remembered another horrific night, many years earlier, in a place called the Garden of Gethsemane. On that fateful evening, just like tonight, Jesus’ disciples forsook, abandoned and denied him.

As he walked down the road in the darkness, Jesus wept.