Two Different Kinds of Rallies (The Beatitudes) #159

The recent clan-like rallies that the Orange Cult leader is holding is a sad spectacle. Besides the half-filled arenas, he tells the downtrodden fanatics what they want to hear. Besides the $5000 per person bribe, conditioning federal aid on how a state votes, an $8B farmer aid package (that doesn’t quite offset the damage he inflicted) and others. It is nice to have your leader promise you presents and rewards. If you feel you’re a victim. Which he has exploited exceptionally well.  

It couldn’t be said that Jesus held “rallies.” But there is a similarity between the Orange Cult and the Beatitudes in that both gatherings give hope to the poor and those of lowly status. But Jesus isn’t bribing anyone with goodies. And Jesus’s adherents have obligations to love their neighbors, not hate them.

On the off chance that people aren’t familiar with the Beatitudes, Jesus blessed: the poor in spirit, those who mourn, the meek, those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, the merciful, the pure in heart, the peacemakers.  The crowd who heard this were among the poor and dispossessed, it wasn’t for the rich and haughty.  

But I think the most important part of the Beatitudes section of the Sermon on the Mount is the end. Here Jesus says that “great is your reward in heaven.” In short, Jesus urges patience and delayed gratification rather than a bonus bribe. In today’s political rallies, the obligation is to vote a certain way and if you do, well according to the Orange One, you will receive great blessings. It’s not easy to be a follower of Jesus and while there are blessings, there are also obligations and that’s among the biggest differences in the two kinds of rallies. 

Matthew 5:1-12