Why does all Humanity need the Messiah—Jesus—to save us from our sins? Because “[a]ll we like sheep have gone astray”. (Isaiah 53:6).

What have we gone astray from? The image of God in each of us.

In the First Chapter of Genesis, we are taught that all Humanity is created in the image of God. (Genesis 1:26-27).

This first chapter of the Bible paints the image of God in broad strokes.

He is creative. Creating light and darkness. Creating land and sea. Creating vegetation. Creating the lights in the sky. Creating animals that fill the sea, the air, and the land. He creates Humanity—male and female. And “God saw all that he had made, and it was very good.” (Genesis 1:31).

Why do we go astray from this image of creatively making all types of good things?

Many things pull us off course much as the course of a ship changes from winds and currents, the course of a space probe changes due to gravity and the solar wind, and the course of a golf ball changes due to the slope of the green and the cut of the grass.

I often focus on how the Power of Money, the Power of Religion, and the Power of the Kingdoms of the World pull us off course as individuals and as a civilization.

I choose these three Powers because they correspond to the Three Temptations that Jesus overcame near the beginning of his public ministry: (1) his refusal to satisfy his physical hunger by turning stones into bread, instead of satisfying his spiritual hunger by consuming every word that comes from the mouth of God; (2) his refusal to show off by jumping from the highest spot on the Temple and having angels catch him; and (3) his refusal to pursue evil so that he could obtain the authority and splendor of the Kingdoms of the World. (Matthew 4:1-11; Luke 4:1-13).

In the Twenty-First Century, these temptations are paralleled by the temptations to follow Trump and MAGA.

Trump and MAGA give in to the temptation to obtain wealth instead of putting the words of Jesus into practice. (Matthew 6:19-21,24).

Trump and MAGA give in to the temptation to show off in the Oval Office with photos of clergy ”praying” over Trump. (Matthew 6:5).

Trump and MAGA give in to the temptation to obtain the authority and splendor of the Kingdoms of the World by doing evil things such as ignoring the needs of homeless people and hungry people. They ignore to their peril the warnings of Jesus against such hypocrisy:

[Jesus will say:] “Depart from me, you who are cursed, into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels. For I was hungry and you gave me nothing to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me nothing to drink, I was a stranger and you did not invite me in, I needed clothes and you did not clothe me, I was sick and in prison, and you did not look after me.”

“They . . . will answer, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry or thirsty or a stranger or needing clothes or sick or in prison, and did not help you?’

“And Jesus] will reply, ‘Truly I tell you, whatever you did not do for the least of these you did not do for me.’

Then they will go away to eternal punishment . . .” (Matthew 25:41-46).

I don’t like to only tell people what NOT to do. I like to tell people what TO DO so that their lives and civilizations creatively make all types of good things. For this reason, I like to encourage people to establish the ideal America first discovered by the hearts of Abraham, Moses and Jesus. In this ideal America:

—ALL people are blessed (Abraham; Genesis 12:3);

—ALL Pharaohs are challenged to set ALL people free (Moses; Exodus 8:1);

—ALL hurting people are healed (Jesus; Luke 10:25-37); and

—ALL means ALL (Genesis 12:3; Luke 10:25-37).

Since ALL people have gone astray, we need to follow the wise ways of Abraham to bless ALL people; to follow the wise ways of Moses to set ALL people free, and to follow the wise ways of Jesus to heal ALL hurting people.

THINGS TO THINK ABOUT

Do you believe that all we like sheep have gone astray? How? Why?

Have you gone astray like a sheep? How? Why?

Have you fed the hungry, given a cold drink to the thirsty, invited in strangers, given clothes to those without clothes, and looked after those who are sick or imprisoned? How? Why?

Directly, by your individual actions?

Indirectly, by supporting government actions (including government programs that do such things directly) and by supporting government tax credits and deductions that indirectly encourage individuals to do such things?

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For related ideas, please read my blogs “Spilling Coffee”, “The Way of Jesus: Every Knee Should Bow” and my books The Promised Land, at pages 17-18 “Prologue: Creating, Destroying and Saving Civilization”; “Hoping in the LORD, at pages 337-341 “Appendix A: Force Majeure: Does God Forgive Non-Christians?” and Lighting the World, at pages 52-90.