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The Lamb Not The Strongman: Donald Trump is Not Jesus Christ

The Lamb Not The Strongman: Donald Trump is Not Jesus Christ

Last updated on: January 17, 2026 at 4:58 pm by Jeff Hood

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The Lamb Not The Strongman: Donald Trump is Not Jesus Christ 2026-01-17T16:58:09-06:00 Jeff Hood

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The Lamb

The next day, John saw Jesus coming toward him and said, “Look—the one who takes away the world’s sin! He’s the one I told you about, the one coming after me who is greater than I am, because he existed before me. I didn’t fully know him before, but God sent me to baptize with water so that he might be revealed to Israel.”

John also testified, “I saw the Spirit descend from heaven like a dove and rest on him. I didn’t know him at first, but God told me, ‘The one you see the Spirit resting on—that is the one who will baptize with the Holy Spirit.’ I have seen this happen, and I testify that he is God’s chosen Messiah.”

John 1:29-34

Behold the Lamb, Not the Strongman

John the Baptist stands waist-deep in the Jordan, soaked in dust and repentance, when history bends toward him. He does not point to himself. He does not crown a ruler. He does not flatter the crowd. He points—and says, “Behold, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world.”

Not the lion of empire.
Not the builder of towers.
Not the strongman who promises order through fear.

The Lamb.

The Lamb Draws A Line Through History

John’s proclamation is a line drawn through history. It separates true divinity from counterfeit power. It exposes every attempt—ancient or modern—to confuse domination with God.

John declares, “A man is coming after me who ranks ahead of me because he existed before me.” This is not a campaign slogan. This is not nostalgia. This is a confession of preexistent divinity.

Christ does not emerge from the will of the crowd. He is not lifted by polls, protected by courts, or sustained by spectacle. Christ is—before nations, before borders, before flags learned to demand allegiance.

Trump claims greatness by conquest, humiliation, and threat.
Christ claims nothing—and yet holds everything.

How the Spirit Reveals the Lamb

John admits twice, “I did not know him.” He does not recognize Jesus by proximity to power or usefulness to the state. He recognizes him only when the Spirit descends and remains.

And the Spirit does not descend on cruelty.

The Spirit does not remain where the poor are treated as enemies, where protest is met with force, where cities are spoken of as problems to be subdued rather than communities to be healed.

Minneapolis and the Cry That Exposed Empire

This brings us to Minneapolis.

Minneapolis has become a symbol—not because of chaos, but because it dared to cry out. It dared to name death. It dared to refuse silence.

And what has Trump done with Minneapolis? He has treated it not as a wound to be bound, but as a threat to be crushed. He has spoken of it as something to be dominated, occupied, disciplined—rather than mourned, listened to, or loved.

This is not accidental. This is how false gods respond to lament.

The Theology of Donald Trump

When people cry out for justice, the strongman reaches for force. When communities expose violence, the idol demands loyalty. When truth disrupts the myth of order, the empire sharpens its sword.

But John tells us what the Spirit-marked Christ will do: “He is the one who will baptize with the Holy Spirit.”

What Holy Spirit Baptism Is Not

Not with tear gas.
Not with troops.
Not with threats of punishment for dissent.

Holy Spirit baptism does not create submission—it creates transformation. It does not silence pain—it gives it voice. It does not protect systems of death—it dismantles them.

Pharaoh’s Logic, Caesar’s Theology, Trump’s Logic

Trump’s vision for Minneapolis—and for any city that resists him—is a vision of control. Control of bodies. Control of streets. Control of narrative. Control of fear.

That is not divine authority. That is Pharaoh’s logic. That is Caesar’s theology.

The Lamb of God takes away the sin of the world. He does not deny it. He does not exploit it. He does not punish the wounded for bleeding in public.

Christ moves toward the places where blood cries out from the ground.

What The Lamb’s Baptism Was/Is For

John says, “The reason I came baptizing with water was that he might be made known to Israel.” Not so that the nation might appear righteous. Not so that power might be preserved. But so that God’s true character might be revealed.

And God’s character is not revealed through domination.

The Idolatry of Trump

When Trump speaks of Minneapolis as a problem to be solved by force, he reveals not strength but fear. When he frames protest as treason and suffering as disorder, he reveals not leadership but idolatry. When churches bless this posture, they betray the Jordan and kneel at the throne of empire.

Let Us Be Clear

There is no divinity in punishing the poor.
There is no holiness in threatening cities.
There is no Christ in baptizing violence with religious language.

The Spirit Rests on the Slain Lamb

John says, “On whomever you see the Spirit come down and remain, he is the one.” The Spirit remains on the Lamb who will be slain—not on the ruler who demands others be sacrificed to preserve his image of order.

Trump demands loyalty. Christ demands repentance.
Trump promises security through force. Christ offers freedom through love.
Trump punishes dissent. Christ is crucified by it.

The Final Testimony of The Lamb

And John’s final testimony rings like a hammer against every false messiah: “Now I have seen and testified that he is the Son of God.”

Not the son of America.
Not the savior of whiteness.
Not the embodiment of law-and-order mythology.

The Son of God.

The Church’s Choice: The Lamb or The Trump

The church does not exist to stabilize the strongman. The church exists to bear witness to the Lamb.

When Minneapolis cries out, the church must not echo threats—it must echo God’s grief. When power reaches for weapons, the church must reach for truth. When empire calls violence “peace,” the church must say no.

Behold The Lamb—and Reject The Trump

So today, like John, we point.

We point away from the false divinity of Trump.
We point away from the worship of force.
We point away from the fear that calls itself order.

Behold the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world.
And reject every idol that demands blood instead of repentance, silence instead of justice, and power instead of love.

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About The Rev. Dr. Jeff Hood

The Rev. Dr. Jeff Hood is a Catholic priest (Old Catholic), theologian, and nationally recognized activist based in North Little Rock, Arkansas. A spiritual advisor to death row inmates across the country, Dr. Hood has accompanied more people to their executions than any other advisor in the U.S., including the first-ever nitrogen hypoxia execution in 2024. His work sits at the intersection of justice, radical compassion, and public theology. Dr. Hood holds advanced degrees from Auburn, Emory, Southern Baptist Theological Seminary, University of Alabama, Creighton, and Brite Divinity School, among others. He also earned a PhD in metaphysical theology and founded The New Theology School, where he serves as Dean and Professor of Prophetic Theology. Author of over 100 books—including the award-winning The Courage to Be Queer—Dr. Hood’s writings and activism have been featured in The New York Times, Rolling Stone, NPR, CNN, and more. A frequent collaborator with men on death row, he sees theology as a shared, liberative act. Dr. Hood has served on the leadership teams of organizations like the Texas Coalition to Abolish the Death Penalty and the Fellowship of Reconciliation. His activism has earned multiple awards, including recognition from PFLAG and the Next Generation Action Network. On July 7, 2016, Dr. Hood led the Dallas protest against police brutality that ended in tragedy. His actions that night saved lives, and his story is now archived in the Dallas Public Library. A father of five, husband to Emily, and friend to the incarcerated, Dr. Hood rejects institutionalism in favor of a theology rooted in people, presence, and prophetic witness. You can read more about the author here.

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