Just in time for election day in the United States, a satirical video is making the rounds on the internet. Taking Scripture and twisting the words, the creators of the three-minute skit, “GOP Jesus,” have a very direct message: Evangelical Christians who claim to live by the words of Jesus may not allow those words to influence the way they live. who vote .
“Truly I tell you: anyone who receives one of these little ones in my name could be letting in a murderer or a drug dealer,” says GOP Jesús while carrying a child in his arms. He then hands the girl over to a “disciple” and tells him, “We are going to take her to a detention center. You know, until we can figure out what’s going on. After passing the boy, he shakes his hands nervously as if he’s just touched something dirty.
Video Republican Jesus gives his version of the words in red
The video mocks Christian Republicans and their seemingly anti-Christian stance on issues ranging from immigration to health care to sexual abuse. “GOP Jesus” was produced by three comedians who started Friend Dog Studios.
The video’s slant is to show voting evangelical Christians the apparent hypocrisy of their vote while claiming to follow the example and instruction of Jesus. Among the scriptures that are altered in the video are the following:
“I was hungry and you gave me food. I was thirsty and you gave me to drink. And lo, now I’m all lazy and entitled. You should not have done that. (Referring to Matthew 25:35-40)
“Do to others what you suspect they might want to do to you.” (Referring to Luke 6:31)
“What will it profit a man if he gains the whole world, but loses his soul? Much. He has benefited a lot. A soul for everyone? It’s an incredible deal.” (Referring to Matthew 16:26)
“Why do you look at the speck of dust in your brother’s eye and ignore the beam in yours? Because of your emails. Yes.” (Referring to Luke 6:41)
“If a man hits you on the right cheek, turn on him and shoot him. That is the law.” (Referring to Matthew 5:39)
“If you want to be perfect, go ahead and sell all the assets you own and put the money into a solid mutual fund.” (Referring to Matthew 19:21)
“In this they will know that you are my disciples: What do you say? Merry Christmas! Christ! Christmas! That’s my name there and I put it there because I wanted us all to be able to celebrate the birthday of the big boy Jesus. OKAY?!?” (Referring to John 13:35)
Video Jesus addresses the issues of the day
One of the most significant scenes occurs when a woman from the Republican Party approaches Jesus to ask for his healing. “Of course she could,” GOP Jesus tells him, “but who would pay for it?” When the woman explains that she has no money, GOP Jesus responds: “Yes, it is a sad story, but it does not hold me responsible.”
GOP Jesus goes on to comment that it is easy for the rich, the richer the better, to enter the kingdom of heaven. He gives Masterpiece Cake Shop owner Jack Phillips a chance by altering Mark 12:31: “Love your neighbor as yourself. Unless you are better than your neighbor. Then tell them they’re weird and you don’t want to bake them a cake.”
Referring to the recent sexual abuse scandals that have rocked both the Catholic and Protestant churches, GOP Jesus alters Matthew 5:27-28 and says, “Any man who looks at a woman with lust in his heart should go ahead and do what you have to do.”
After scenes depicting GOP Jesus teaching his disciples, the video concludes by accurately quoting Scripture for the first time in three minutes. “You have a clever way of rejecting God’s law to defend your own teaching. – Regular Jesus, Mark 7:9.” Clearly, the conclusion the creators of the video are trying to reach is that we can say we are followers of Jesus, but does our vote reflect the heart of Jesus?
The video concludes by encouraging viewers to go vote.
Even if you don’t agree with the message of the video or the conclusions the video creators came to, there is one thing this video does really well. It challenges us as followers of Christ, regardless of our political affiliation, to seek the heart of Jesus and reflect it in our voting. This video definitely challenges us ALL to examine ourselves.