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.
Martin Thielen
Then the man began speaking about his political enemies. The crowd began to shout, “Lock them up!” He promised to inflict overwhelming vengeance upon his opponents. He told the crowd, “I am your retribution.” His speech was filled with profanity, including taking God’s name in vain.
As the dream continued, the man began denigrating foreign leaders, especially key American allies. At the same time, he praised murderous dictators, bragging about his good relationship with Vladamir Putin. He mocked climate change and called it a hoax. He spoke menacingly about the “deep state.” With the exception of one network, he attacked the news media in attendance and called them “enemies of the people.”
He claimed the last election was “rigged” and the election “was stolen from me.” He said one of his previous staff members should be “executed” for being disloyal to him. He denigrated women, demonized transgender people and affirmed tyrants. He condemned a woman who won a lawsuit against him for sexual assault, calling her a “wack job.” He told the crowd he would be “a dictator for a day.” And he claimed the violent January 6 insurrectionists had been falsely accused and promised to pardon them.
“Deeply saddened, Jesus walked toward the exit of the stadium.”
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.
Martin Thielen, retired minister, ex-megachurch pastor and bestselling author, is the founder and author of www.DoubtersParish.com.
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