Today's Scripture Reading (June 25, 2024): Hebrews 5
As the verdict came down against
Donald Trump in the Hush Money trial in late May 2024, I kept hearing news
networks using the phrase "a jury of his peers." The idea is that
Donald Trump was unanimously found guilty of paying Hush Money to a prostitute
to influence an election by a jury of his peers. The problem is that I am unsure
that the jury was made up of his peers. I am not sure that Donald Trump has a
lot of people who could be called his peers. Trump's peers probably would not
have found him guilty because they would have done the same thing if they had
been in his shoes. They have the money and are used to cutting corners to get
what they want. In actuality, the trial of Donald Trump looked more like the
King being judged by a group of peasants, with the King maintaining that the
peasants have no standing to put him on trial in the first place. These trials
only happened after an uprising against a monarchy during the history of our
planet. Kings like Donald Trump always maintained that the common people couldn't
judge those who ruled over the kingdom because they didn't understand them.
It is also the message I have heard
from the ultra-rich leading up to the Trump trial. I have listened to the wealthy
warn that New York could become a pariah avoided by the rich and their money,
who will move their companies out of the city and state for fear that they
might be the next Donald Trump. Of course, that is not entirely accurate
either. Rich people adjust their financial statements and lie about how they
spend money regularly. They routinely overestimate their assets in hopes of
getting a better interest rate. They frequently have people sign non-disclosure
agreements. But that isn't actually what got Donald Trump in trouble. What got
Donald Trump in trouble was that he was running for President at the time, and
the lie was to cover up something that Trump and his team thought might hurt
the billionaire's chances of getting elected. As it turned out, they were
likely wrong, and Trump could have paid Stormy Daniels or not paid Stormy and
let her go on the lecture circuit about their relationship, and he would still
have won the election. The intent to hide something from the voter was what got
him in trouble.
The author of Hebrews argues that
the priests are chosen from among the people, much like a jury is selected to
judge someone on trial. The idea is that a priest understands what it is like
to live in society. He knows what it is like to be in sin. However, the priest
also understands what God expects of us, and therefore, he can make the
sacrifice necessary to get the worshipper back in the right place with God.
The author's point is that the
perfect Priest is Jesus. Not only does he understand God because he is from
heaven and part of the Trinity, but he has also walked the path on this earth
just like we have. The only difference is that Jesus was tempted and yet did
not sin. He is the perfect priest and the one who understands God and us the
best.
Tomorrow's Scripture Reading: Hebrews
6
No comments:
Post a Comment