I'm seeing memes which compare the conviction of Donald Trump to the conviction of Jesus. The argument goes like this: (1) Jesus was falsely convicted; (2) Donald Trump was falsely convicted; therefore (3) Donald Trump is a Jesus figure. The comparison is fallacious. Other than the fact that both convictions occurred as a result of a criminal prosecution, there are no parallels between the conviction of Jesus and the conviction of Trump.
First, Trump is not now, nor has he ever been, the Son of
God.
Second, if Jesus had been a mere human being,
instead of the Son of God, Jesus’ conviction would have been lawful. It was a violation
of the lex iulia maiestas for a citizen or subject of the Roman Empire
to go around claiming to be a king without the permission of the Emperor. Violation
of the lex iulia maiestas was a capital offense. If a merely human Jesus had claimed to be a king, he would have been guilty of a capital crime. But Jesus
wasn’t merely human; he was the Son of God. God’s jurisdiction is superior to
the Emperor’s; therefore God’s Son can claim to be a king without violating a
law which applies to mere humans.
Third, Trump loudly proclaiming that he was railroaded does
not make it true. I prosecuted and convicted several thousand criminals, and
most of them claimed to have been railroaded.
Fourth, Jesus was not allowed to appeal his conviction, but
was immediately crucified. Donald Trump has the right to appeal his conviction
to a higher court. In due course, an appellate court will determine whether
Trump’s conviction was proper or improper.
So, how is Donald Trump like Jesus Christ? Not at all.
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