​I see that that ungodly man/monster, Caligula, has once again shown his ignorance and brutal lack of basic human decency and compassion. Speaking of the recent teargassing of refugees at the U.S. southern border, he ignorantly declared,
 
“You really say, ‘Why is a parent running up into an area where they know the teargas is forming and it’s going to be formed and they were running up with a child?’” (Turn around, go back home': Trump claims migrants commit more crime than US citizens, theguardian.com)
 
I wonder—no, actually, I don’t wonder; I know what blasphemy would escape his vile lips—what would he have to say to those Israelite parents who took their children into the Red Sea, its waves looming turbulently above their heads, in order to escape oppression and murder, and breath the air of freedom and security?
 
Pure madness.
 
Or, what about those desperate parents of the people formerly known as Mormons who sent their teenage sons into rivers packed with floating winter ice… over, and over, and over again until they were frostbit and, and a few cases, dead?
 
How irresponsible can one be! Such parental neglect!

​Two thousand years ago the Roman Empire conspired with Jewish leaders to murder an innocent man, an innocent man who would become the founder of one of the great world religions.
 
The revelations that flow from this death are manifold.
 
From this death, we learn how vulnerable innocents are when they fall into the hands of evil empires.
 
We learn to be skeptical of an empire’s claim to a legitimate monopoly of force—especially the right to take life.
 
We also learn to be skeptical about an empire’s claim that those it kills are, by definition, guilty.
 
It appears that in the case of the American Empire, the death of this innocent man and the revelations to be found in that death were in vain.
 
The American Empire’s leader, Caligula (or should we call him “Pilate”?), has determined that he and his administration will conspire with the government of Saudi Arabia in covering up the murder of an innocent victim. By so doing, Caligula and his administration become accomplices to a murder. This complicity, by Caligula’s own self-condemning witness, is for the purpose of gain, mammon.
 
“Despite mounting evidence of the crown prince’s role, some of which the president has seen in briefings, Trump indicated that the importance of U.S. economic and national security interests — and in particular billions of dollars in arms purchases he said the Saudis would make — outweighed the need to establish whether Mohammed was involved and, if proven, impose punishment…” (Dawsey, Harris, DeYoung, “Trump defends Saudi Arabia’s denial about the planning of Khashoggi’s death,” washingtonpost.com).
 
Now, it is certain that this American Pilate never claimed to know or love Rome’s original innocent victim. He is quite obviously an infidel, as he makes known every day and every time he opens his mouth to speak forth his vile blasphemies.
 
American “Christians,” however, do claim to know and love the innocent victim, Jesus. Yet, they elected and continue to steadfastly support this American Pilate; this accomplice to murder; this criminal; this seller of innocent victims. If they continue to support him; if they do not stand up against him and hold him accountable for this crime, American “Christians” make themselves accomplices in the murder of the innocent victim. They crucify the original victim anew.
 
One is reminded of the original innocent victim’s words. 

​I read the following today concerning socioeconomic attitudes of “Tea Partiers,” so many of which are Evangelical and like to think of themselves as Christian,
 
“Liberals were asking them to feel compassion for the downtrodden in the back of the line…. They didn’t want to; they felt downtrodden themselves and wanted only to look ‘up’ to the elite. What was wrong with aspiring high? That was the bigger virtue, they thought. Liberals were asking them to direct their indignation at the ill-gotten gains of the overly rich… the right wanted to aim their indignation down at the poor slackers, some of whom were jumping the line” (Arlie Russell Hochschild, Strangers in their Own Land, Chapter 14).
 
My response to such attitudes is given away in the title of this post.
 
“Which way does Jesus look?”
 
When he came down to meet your needs, to rescue you, was he not under the necessity of looking down and back at you. Is it not, as the Psalmist declares a “humiliation” for him to “behold the things that are in heaven, and in the earth!”[i] Where would you be without his backward glance in your direction?
 
It is one thing to be weak. To find it difficult to follow Jesus and do as he did and does. That is forgivable, and worthy of mercy and grace.
 
But to deny the very doctrine of Christ? To deny, and even hold up to ridicule and hatred the very existence of his invitation—"If any man will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow me”?[ii] This is not so easily forgiven. This calls out for justice.
 
Be weak, acknowledge the difficulty. But do not rebelliously deny the reality of the call. Stop pursuing the false and idolatrous “American Dream.” It is a lie. An Illusion. It will ruin you. Make you unprofitable for Christ. If you are going to dream, dream of God. Of following him. Of being like him.


[i] Psalms 113.6

[ii] Matthew 16.24

It would be one thing if the evil little man simply lacked inspired imagination. Perhaps his “Christian” advisors could provide a little prophetic imagination. But, alas, both he and they lack a shred of inspired or prophetic imagination, let alone even a scintilla of human decency. Oh, but rest assured, they do have an imagination. They have an imagination enflamed by the fires of hell and inspired by satanic designs.
 
And what has Lucifer put into the little man’s head today?
 
If any of those “criminals” traveling as part of the refugee caravan dare throw stones at our heavily armed soldiers, our brave soldiers will be given license to riddle their bodies with bullet holes.
 
Tit for tat.
 
Who does Caligula think we are… Modern day Israel?
 
I am not sure that scripture provides a better description of any man than the description of a wicked man that is found in Psalm 10—a description that is oh so very apt to our wicked American Caligula.
 
“The wicked in his pride doth persecute the poor:
   let them be taken in the devices that they have imagined.
For the wicked boasteth of his heart’s desire,
   and blesseth the covetous, whom the LORD abhorreth.
The wicked, through the pride of his countenance,
   will not seek after God:
      God is not in all his thoughts.
His ways are always grievous;
   thy judgments are far above out of his sight:
      as for all his enemies, he puffeth at them.
He hath said in his heart, ‘I shall not be moved:
   for I shall never be in adversity.’
His mouth is full of cursing and deceit and fraud:
   under his tongue is mischief and vanity.
He sitteth in the lurking places of the villages:
   in the secret places doth he murder the innocent:
      his eyes are privily set against the poor.
He lieth in wait secretly as a lion in his den:
   he lieth in wait to catch the poor:
      he doth catch the poor, when he draweth him into his net.
He croucheth, and humbleth himself,
   that the poor may fall by his strong ones.
He hath said in his heart, ‘God hath forgotten:
   he hideth his face; he will never see it.’ (Psalm 10.2-11)
 
I’m telling you, if there are any real Christians out there who have our modern-day Pharaoh’s ear, they had better warn him about the perils of hardening his heart against the Lord God in this fashion.
 
“The enemy said, I will pursue, I will overtake,
   I will divide the spoil;
      my lust shall be satisfied upon them;
I will draw my sword,
   my hand shall destroy them.

 
Thou didst blow with thy wind,
   the sea covered them:
        they sank as lead in the mighty waters” (Exodus 15.9-10).