I’m just a preacher, but I know the difference between reverence and ridicule. Recently, an image circulated on social media that depicted Donald Trump in a manner that many have interpreted as portraying himself as Jesus the Christ. Some have laughed it off. Others have defended it as satire. But for those of us who take our faith seriously, this is not a joke, Trump has crossed a line that no real believer will cross!
The Bible is clear, Isaiah 42:8 reads, “I am the Lord, that is My name; And My glory I will not give to another, Nor My praise to carved images.” In simple terms, God does not share His glory with anyone. Jesus Christ is not a symbol to be borrowed, a role to be played, or a costume to be worn for political theater. He is the Son of the living God, crucified, buried, and Risen with all power in His hands.
When we blur that line, when we allow human figures to be elevated into divine imagery, we step into dangerous territory. Scripture warns in Matthew 24:4-5 to “take heed that no one deceives you”. Deception doesn’t always come through outright lies; sometimes it comes wrapped in imagery that subtly shifts our allegiance from Jesus Christ to personalities.
There are those who will argue, “But don’t people portray Jesus in movies and church plays?” And that is a fair question but it is not the same thing. When an actor portrays Jesus Christ, the assignment is representation, not identification. The goal is to point beyond the actor to the Savior. When the role ends and the costume comes off the audience should be left not praising the performer but reflecting on Jesus. However, when imagery attaches a Christ-like identity to a real person outside of a clear narrative, outside of a teaching context it risks doing something altogether different. It can distort the line between the Creator and the created. It can divert attention from the cross to a personality. If the truth be told, there is a difference between pointing people to Jesus and positioning yourself to be seen like Jesus. One leads to worship while the other can lead to confusion and any true believer knows that “God is not the author of confusion, but of peace, as in all churches of the saints.” Let me be clear: this is not about politics, it is about principle. Whether one supports or opposes Donald Trump is irrelevant to this concern. It does not matter whether you are a Baptist, Roman Catholic, Eastern Orthodox, Oriental Orthodox, Episcopal, Lutheran, Presbyterian, Methodist, Evangelical, Pentecostal, Charismatic, or Seven Day Adventist, what is at stake is the sanctity of Christ Himself.
1st Timothy 2:5 tells us, “There is only one mediator between God and humanity, and His name is Jesus.” No president, no pastor, no public figure can stand in that place. To suggest otherwise, even symbolically, diminishes the uniqueness of Christ. And if we, as people of faith, remain silent when Christ is trivialized, we risk becoming complicit in the very irreverence Scripture warns against. In a culture where everything is turned into content, we must draw a line and declare: Jesus the Christ is not content. Jesus the Christ is not a caricature. Jesus the Christ is not a costume. He is King of Kings and Lord of Lords. And He deserves our reverence not our reinterpretation.
Let the record be clear: there is only one who walked up Golgotha’s hill, only one who stretched His hands wide, only one who hung His head and died, and only one who got up early Sunday morning with all power in His hands. And His name is Jesus, not a symbol, not a substitute, not a stand-in. Jesus the Christ.
