After IOWA – I briefly entertained the horrifying concept that America had finally crossed the terrible boundary and traversed into the dark forest threshold of populism (i.e. mob rule) by clearly gaveling the selections of Huckabee and Obama. In my lifetime we had only sideswiped that reality briefly with the scare of Ross Perot in the presidential election of 1992…or if you live in Minnesota – Wellstone entering politiks in 1991 and later Jesse ‘The Body’ entering the ropes of the ring forcefully as “The Gov” in 1998. As a native Minnesotan I became well aware of populism and its folly. Can one blame the messenger, that we – expect a particular thing from them? Is not “populism” more a definition of the crowd – than the effort of the messenger?

Populism is exactly like the emotionally agitated and expectant populist crowds that clamored around in full support of Jesus upon his well publicized triumphant entry into Jerusalem on the Passover Eve. It might has well have been a political convention because that is what it was – for the crowd; for they were welcoming a political King.


Populists have a rigidly self-defined expectation of what product they are voting for along with an absolute definition of how it should be played out. In other words, they are “fickle” voters – not even worthy of the label “supporter”. They have an amazing capability of assigning their personal wants or desires upon the mantle of any candidate who is even meagerly capable of expressing elementary rhetoric promising impossibilities.


This was the story around Jesus. He was promising an overthrow of the earthly kingdom and to the people listening on the street that meant breaking the yoke of Rome – they had a direct expectation and image of what was to transpire. When what they expected to happen didn’t happen – they scattered and fled…because populist support (an oxymoron) fails when populists do not get exactly what they expect, exactly when they expect it.


Here in Minnesota, Jesse the Body was elected to get his license tab fees reduced and a shutdown of the emission testing centers. Luckily – that resonated with many of the populists who voted for Jesse just because he was an entertainer (see: the religion of celebritism). As prediction would have it – once Jesse succeeded in delivering on those two promises…he left unchallenged in office by climbing into his cheaply licensed Lincoln Navigator and disappeared in a puff of unregistered emissions.


Jesus, on the other hand, was whipped and beaten “into submission” his supporting populists assumed – because he offered nothing in attack. Finally, handed from his own people over to the Romans – he offered even less for defense. The final blow comes when they proclaim to Pilate, “We have no King but Caesar”…which is the final sealing denial of Jesus fate as they proclaim a Gentile King over their Messiah. Of course they did…because they didn’t want to be left holding the bag as partisans who supported an overthrow of Rome.

In THAT story, neither the populists, nor the Jewish leaders, nor the evil gentile Roman Kingdom under Caesar – were blamed…no person or party was blamed because it was His life to freely give. Satan never saw the right upper cut coming; “None of the rulers of this age understood it, for if they had, they would not have crucified the Lord of glory.” 1 Corinthians 2:8-16.

The earthly kingdom WAS defeated as Jesus promised as He took the keys from Satan who had held the kingdom of earth since Adam turned it over the keys to him for his birthright. As you know – this is the “Good News” which Satan continues to fight from an underdog position – a position which many of Adam’s descendants support.

Amazing. Devout followers must ask how or why they are following political saviors.

Are you of Apollos? (note how so very CLOSELY IN CONTEXT this question follows the verse above).

-end