Imagine the fishes and loaves five-hundred and thirty-nine MILLION dollars would buy. Let that sink in for a moment.
I’ll wait.
So, my Jesus knowing people, let’s talk about this. We all realize Jesus has come and gone, and he hasn’t been back so far, and we most certainly realize that it’s not exactly fair to compare either of the 2016 presidential candidates to Jesus Christ but I really want to ask a question.
If Jesus were running for president, what do you think he would ask us to do with 539 million campaign dollars?
If I were a bettin’ woman, I’d say he would ask us to take the money and go check on our neighbors, and if they are all okay, he would ask us to check on the sick, the orphans, the widows, and the elderly. I believe he would ask us to use our money to take care of our families and other families in our communities who are in need. I’m sure he would ask us to spend those resources on the disenfranchised, the marginalized and the weary. I believe he would ask us to use these millions to feed and clothe the homeless and our brothers and sisters in poverty–anywhere in the world that we can find them.
I believe he would encourage us to hold ourselves and others to the highest standards we know of. Time and again, he (and Moses) recommended we all to refer to a certain, plain-spoken Top-10 List as a good and solid place to start.
I imagine if Jesus were running for president you would see more table flipping and startled money handlers. I also believe you would witness compassion along with the courage to stand up to human oppressors and injustice. I think you would see impassioned campaign speeches driving to inspire humankind to acts of togetherness rather than division. I think we would be asked to find opportunities to create peace. I believe we would be asked to find a way to treat one another with dignity and respect.
And because we are human, I know it would take some serious effort for us to follow his advice, but I would bet on us to be able to rise to the call.
I would vote for Jesus. And I think I know just what he would do with the $539.2 million. He would hand it back and tell the us all to invest it in humanity–directly, and without discrimination.
Last, I wonder if Jesus wouldn’t have the last word in these presidential debates and ask God to forgive the two for not knowing what they do.
P. S. Just one more thing to weigh . . . if you don’t already know it, your Muslim neighbors would vote for Jesus, too. Ask them.