Trump and Economics in the Gospels - Feasts, Bread and Wine, Offerings and Gifts

​As we approach the inauguration we thought we would complete this series on Trump and Economics in the Gospels first begun in 2017.

At Christmas time 2020 we are in a time of feasting at Christmas though COVID-19 has made this one different than most. Feasts are hard to come by for many as food lines are ever present in the news throughout the USA, and throughout the world for many. Many are short of food at this, the time when feasts are usually had by most and loved ones gather.

The traditional feasting one would expect at the White House this time of year is non-existent though we are assured that Mar-a-Lago is offering feasting options. https://www.maralagoclub.com/dining.

In the time of the Gospels, as today, there was apparently a lot of big eating going on.  Feasts are some of the most commonly referenced activities, from the wedding where Jesus turned water into wine to the Last Supper.

Putting aside Trump’s most infamous feast, the fast food banquet for the Clemson Tigers, we find an intriguing analogy to Trump in Pontius Pilate’s pardon of one prisoner at the time of the Passover feasting. Of course, when Trump is pardoning so many one prisoner seems quaint.

Matthew 27:15 During the feast the governor was accustomed to release one prisoner to the crowd, whomever they wanted.

As we continue with the pardon theme we find an intriguing intersection with this segment of the study when Trump pardons two turkeys: Bread and Butter, Trump pardons two turkeys: Bread and Butter - BBC News.

Bread and Wine hold especially significant importance in the Gospels as the preeminent food and drink, and given their preponderance their production presumably accounted for significant portions of the economic output of the time.

Of course, this is no real surprise to most Christians as the two foods are sacred and discussed over and over again in churches throughout the world as the body and blood of Jesus – capable of saving souls and an everlasting gift to God’s people.

Trump, when a Presbyterian (He is reportedly now a "nondenominational Christian.")  is quoted as saying:

"We I take, when we go, and church and when I drink my little wine -- which is about the only wine I drink -- and have my little cracker, I guess that's a form of asking for forgiveness, and I do that as often as possible because I feel cleansed,” https://washingtonmonthly.com/2015/07/20/trump-the-believer/

In a specific economic context, there was obviously a great deal of wine production.  As mentioned previously, it must have contributed appreciably to the overall GDP of its day.  We can see references to vineyards throughout the parables and mentions of vines, grapes, wineskins, winepress, etc.  Intriguingly, John the Baptist is supposed to never drink the stuff:

Luke 1:15 for he will be great in the sight of the Lord. He must never drink wine or strong drink, and he will be filled with the Holy Spirit, even before his birth.

Trump is also famous for not drinking, aside from communion wine apparently as we saw in the aforementioned quote.

Trump at this writing is either going to be seen as a Santa or a Grinch, depending upon his veto of the latest COVID relief bill. Given the trillions of new national debt one can argue that he has facilitated some of the most extreme largess in American history. Unfortunately, it is all financed with public debt engineered with modern economic tools and theory unknown in Jesus’ time.

In conclusion, Trump would likely be glad about the following passage.

Mark 4:25 For whoever has will be given more, but whoever does not have, even what he has will be taken from him.”

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Feasts, Bread and Wine, Offerings and Gifts
At Christmas time 2020 we are in a time of feasting at Christmas though COVID-19 has made this one different than most. Feasts are hard to come by for many as food lines are ever present in the news throughout the USA, and throughout the world for many. Many are short of food at this, the time when feasts are usually had by most and loved ones gather.

The traditional feasting one would expect at the Trump White House this time of year is non-existent though we are assured that Mar-a-Lago is offering feasting options. https://www.maralagoclub.com/dining.

In the time of the Gospels, as today, there was apparently a lot of big eating going on.  Feasts are some of the most commonly referenced activities, from the wedding where Jesus turned water into wine to the Last Supper. 

Eating and feasts are central to stories throughout the Gospels.  In particular are several miracles and parables that feature feastings.

Feasts
Putting aside trump’s most infamous feast, the fast food for the Clemson Tigers (https://www.foxbusiness.com/politics/trumps-clemson-fast-food-feast-cost-3k-report), we find an intriguing analogy to Trump at present in the reference to pardon Barabbas at the time of feasting. When Trump is pardoning so many one seems quaint. Also makes one wonder might Trump have pardoned Jesus.

​The word feast is mentioned in many contexts and acts as a point of reference in the following well-known instance.
 
Matthew 27:15 During the feast the governor was accustomed to release one prisoner to the crowd, whomever they wanted.

Similarly, the following mention is very familiar.
 
Luke 2:43 But when the feast was over, as they were returning home, the boy Jesus stayed behind in Jerusalem. His parents did not know it,

More likely what we might imagine Trump to be is this passage. 

Luke 16:19 “There was a rich man who dressed in purple and fine linen and who feasted sumptuously every day.

Wedding (16)
Weddings are another type of feasting mentioned with some frequency in the Gospels - and are the scene for several parables. 

Wedding Guests (4)
Luke 5:34 So Jesus said to them, “You cannot make the wedding guests fast while the bridegroom is with them, can you? 5:35 But those days are coming, and when the bridegroom is taken from them, at that time they will fast.”

Wedding Celebration
Luke 12:36 be like people waiting for their master to come back from the wedding celebration, so that when he comes and knocks they can immediately open the door for him.

It’s hard to see Trump in the following passage being exalted.
 
On Seeking Seats of Honor
 
Luke 14:7 Then when Jesus noticed how the guests chose the places of honor, he told them a parable. He said to them, 14:8 “When you are invited by someone to a wedding feast, do not take the place of honor, because a person more distinguished than you may have been invited by your host. 14:9 So the host who invited both of you will come and say to you, ‘Give this man your place.’ Then, ashamed, you will begin to move to the least important place. 14:10 But when you are invited, go and take the least important place, so that when your host approaches he will say to you, ‘Friend, move up here to a better place.’ Then you will be honored in the presence of all who share the meal with you. 14:11 For everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, but the one who humbles himself will be exalted.”

Banquet (16)
How might Trump imagine himself in this passage:

Luke 14:12 He said also to the man who had invited him, “When you host a dinner or a banquet, don’t invite your friends or your brothers or your relatives or rich neighbors so you can be invited by them in return and get repaid. 14:13 But when you host an elaborate meal, invite the poor, the crippled, the lame, and the blind. 14:14 Then you will be blessed, because they cannot repay you, for you will be repaid at the resurrection of the righteous.”

This one seems prescient when one considers the trading in of NYC supporters for the more loyal Trump voters.

The Parable of the Great Banquet
Luke 14:15 When one of those at the meal with Jesus heard this, he said to him, “Blessed is everyone who will feast in the kingdom of God!” 14:16 But Jesus said to him, “A man once gave a great banquet and invited many guests. 14:17 At the time for the banquet he sent his slave to tell those who had been invited, ‘Come, because everything is now ready.’ 14:18 But one after another they all began to make excuses. The first said to him, ‘I have bought a field, and I must go out and see it. Please excuse me.’ 14:19 Another said, ‘I have bought five yoke of oxen, and I am going out to examine them. Please excuse me.’ 14:20 Another said, ‘I just got married, and I cannot come.’ 14:21 So the slave came back and reported this to his master. Then the master of the household was furious and said to his slave, ‘Go out quickly to the streets and alleys of the city, and bring in the poor, the crippled, the blind, and the lame.’ 14:22 Then the slave said, ‘Sir, what you instructed has been done, and there is still room.’ 14:23 So the master said to his slave, ‘Go out to the highways and country roads and urge people to come in, so that my house will be filled. 14:24 For I tell you, not one of those individuals who were invited will taste my banquet!’”

​Bread and Wine

Aa we continue with the pardon theme we find an intriguing intersection with this segment of the study when Trump pardons two turkeys: Bread and Butter (Trump pardons two turkeys: Bread and Butter - BBC News).

Bread and Wine hold especially significant importance in the Gospels as the preeminent food and drink, and given their preponderance their production presumably accounted for significant portions of the economic output of the time.

Story after story, parable after parable, and mention after mention discuss bread and wine, and the factors of production that go into their manufacture.  This includes discussions of wheat, grain, yeast, grapes, vines, vineyards, etc.  The two products are ubiquitous in the texts.
A review of prior chapters will also show that storerooms were built; fields were planted; labor managed; and capital was allocated to the production of these two foodstuffs.

Of course, this is no real surprise to most Christians as the two foods are sacred and discussed over and over again in churches throughout the world as the body and blood of Jesus – capable of saving souls and an everlasting gift to God’s people.
 
Luke 22:19 Then he took bread, and after giving thanks he broke it and gave it to them, saying, “This is my body which is given for you. Do this in remembrance of me.” 22:20 And in the same way he took the cup after they had eaten, saying, “This cup that is poured out for you is the new covenant in my blood.

Trump, when a Presbyterian (He is reportedly now a "nondenominational Christian." https://www.foxnews.com/politics/trump-identifies-non-denominational-christian)  is quoted as saying:

"We I take, when we go, and church and when I drink my little wine -- which is about the only wine I drink -- and have my little cracker, I guess that's a form of asking for forgiveness, and I do that as often as possible because I feel cleansed, (https://washingtonmonthly.com/2015/07/20/trump-the-believer/)

On the other hand, John the Baptist apparently did not eat or drink either.
 
Luke 7:33 For John the Baptist has come eating no bread and drinking no wine, and you say, ‘He has a demon!’

Bread (58)
It’s obvious from the Gospels that there was A LOT of bread being baked.  Bread is featured in the retellings of miracles…
 
Matthew 15:33 The disciples said to him, “Where can we get enough bread in this desolate place to satisfy so great a crowd?” 15:34 Jesus said to them, “How many loaves do you have?” They replied, “Seven – and a few small fish.”
15:36 he took the seven loaves and the fish, and after giving thanks, he broke them and began giving them to the disciples, who then gave them to the crowds. 15:37 They all ate and were satisfied, and they picked up the broken pieces left over, seven baskets full

Featured in iconic prayers…
 
6:11 Give us today our daily bread,

In tales of talks with the devil himself…
 
Matthew 4:3 The tempter came and said to him, “If you are the Son of God, command these stones to become bread.” 4:4 But he answered, “It is written, ‘Man does not live by bread alone, but by every word that comes from the mouth of God.’”

Bread is also featured at a meal after the resurrection…
 
Luke 24:30 When he had taken his place at the table with them, he took the bread, blessed and broke it, and gave it to them. 24:35 Then they told what had happened on the road, and how they recognized him when he broke the bread.

Jesus even refers to himself as bread …
 
John 6:35 Jesus said to them, “I am the bread of life. The one who comes to me will never go hungry, and the one who believes in me will never be thirsty.
 
John 6:51 I am the living bread that came down from heaven. If anyone eats from this bread he will live forever. The bread that I will give for the life of the world is my flesh.”

Bread is also used as a vehicle for Old Testament scripture to be fulfilled…
 
John 13:18 “What I am saying does not refer to all of you. I know the ones I have chosen. But this is to fulfill the scripture, ‘The one who eats my bread has turned against me.’
 
John 13:26 Jesus replied, “It is the one to whom I will give this piece of bread after I have dipped it in the dish.” Then he dipped the piece of bread in the dish and gave it to Judas Iscariot, Simon’s son.

Unleavened Bread (5)
Passover was the time when Jesus came to Jerusalem.  The Passover meal, featuring Unleavened Bread, was the setting for the drama that ensued in Jesus’ final days. 
 
Mark 14:1 Two days before the Passover and the Feast of Unleavened Bread, the chief priests and the experts in the law were trying to find a way to arrest Jesus by stealth and kill him.
 
Mark 14:12 Now on the first day of the feast of Unleavened Bread, when the Passover lamb is sacrificed, Jesus’ disciples said to him, “Where do you want us to prepare for you to eat the Passover?”


Sacred bread (3)
In the following passage Jesus feeds himself and his disciples a bread reserved for the priests.
 
2:26 how he entered the house of God when Abiathar was high priest and ate the sacred bread, which is against the law for any but the priests to eat, and also gave it to his companions?”

Loaves (23)
Loaves are mentioned almost exclusively in the recounts of the miracle feedings of the multitudes.
 
Matthew 14:15 When evening arrived, his disciples came to him saying, “This is an isolated place and the hour is already late. Send the crowds away so that they can go into the villages and buy food for themselves.” 14:16 But he replied, “They don’t need to go. You give them something to eat.” 14:17 They said to him, “We have here only five loaves and two fish.” 14:18 “Bring them here to me,” he replied. 14:19 Then he instructed the crowds to sit down on the grass. He took the five loaves and two fish, and looking up to heaven he gave thanks and broke the loaves. He gave them to the disciples, who in turn gave them to the crowds. 14:20 They all ate and were satisfied, and they picked up the broken pieces left over, twelve baskets full.

Wheat (11)
Hard to imagine Trump in this scene…

Wheat, being the primary raw material for bread receives many mentions in the Gospels.  Wheat is featured in the parables, and in the story about Jesus and his disciples as they walk through a field…
 
Matthew 12:1 At that time Jesus went through the grain fields on a Sabbath. His disciples were hungry, and they began to pick heads of wheat and eat them.

…and about how wheat grains will be separated from its chaff.
 
Luke 3:17 His winnowing fork is in his hand to clean out his threshing floor and to gather the wheat into his storehouse, but the chaff he will burn up with inextinguishable fire.”

Grain (14)
Presumably grain refers to wheat in the Gospels, though it is not always specified as such.  Like wheat, grain is used throughout in the parables, in stories, and in the following passage about the end times.

Luke 17:34 I tell you, in that night there will be two people in one bed; one will be taken and the other left. 17:35 There will be two women grinding grain together; one will be taken and the other left.”

Barley (2)
In John barley loaves are specifically mentioned.
 
6:9 “Here is a boy who has five barley loaves and two fish, but what good are these for so many people?”

Yeast (8)
Another raw material of bread, yeast is also used as a metaphor and figures prominently in His warnings about the Pharisees and Sadducees, as well as King Herod.
 
Mark 8:14 Now they had forgotten to take bread, except for one loaf they had with them in the boat. 8:15 And Jesus ordered them, “Watch out! Beware of the yeast of the Pharisees and the yeast of Herod!”


The Parable of the Yeast
Matthew 13:33 He told them another parable: “The kingdom of heaven is like yeast that a woman took and mixed with three measures of flour until all the dough had risen.”

Flour (2)
And once again in Luke flour is mentioned in the same parable.
 
Luke 13:21 It is like yeast that a woman took and mixed with three measures of flour until all the dough had risen.”

Manna (2)
Manna is also referred to…
 
John 6:49 Your ancestors ate the manna in the wilderness, and they died. 6:50 This is the bread that has come down from heaven, so that a person may eat from it and not die.

Wine (29)
Wine is most definitely the preferred drink of the Gospels, the subject of many people’s favorite miracle in all the Bible, the story of Jesus turning water into wine. 

Trump is famous for not drinking, aside from communion wine apparently as we saw in the aforementioned quote. Jesus on the other hand didn’t seem to have a problem with wine at least, given his miracle at the wedding.
 
John 2:1 Now on the third day there was a wedding at Cana in Galilee. Jesus’ mother was there, 2:2 and Jesus and his disciples were also invited to the wedding. 2:3 When the wine ran out, Jesus’ mother said to him, “They have no wine left.” 2:6 Now there were six stone water jars there for Jewish ceremonial washing, each holding twenty or thirty gallons. 2:7 Jesus told the servants, “Fill the water jars with water.” So they filled them up to the very top. 2:8 Then he told them, “Now draw some out and take it to the head steward,” and they did. 2:9 When the head steward tasted the water that had been turned to wine, not knowing where it came from (though the servants who had drawn the water knew), he called the bridegroom 2:10 and said to him, “Everyone serves the good wine first, and then the cheaper wine when the guests are drunk. You have kept the good wine until now!” 2:11 Jesus did this as the first of his miraculous signs, in Cana of Galilee. In this way he revealed his glory, and his disciples believed in him.

In a specific economic context, there was obviously a great deal of wine production.  As mentioned previously, it must have contributed appreciably to the overall GDP of its day.  We can see references to vineyards throughout the parables and mentions of vines, grapes, wineskins, winepress, etc.  Intriguingly, John the Baptist is supposed to never drink the stuff:
 
Luke 1:15 for he will be great in the sight of the Lord. He must never drink wine or strong drink, and he will be filled with the Holy Spirit, even before his birth.
 
In the story of the good Samaritan wine is used as a medicine.
 
Luke 10:34 He went up to him and bandaged his wounds, pouring oil and wine on them. Then he put him on his own animal, brought him to an inn, and took care of him.

References in the Gospels are also fascinating as they show a discernment of wine’s quality as in the wedding story when the steward comments about the wine’s high quality.  On the other hand, the next passage discusses how sour wine was given to Jesus as his last taste in life (before the resurrection that is)…
 
John 19:29 A jar full of sour wine was there, so they put a sponge soaked in sour wine on a branch of hyssop and lifted it to his mouth. 19:30 When he had received the sour wine, Jesus said, “It is completed!” Then he bowed his head and gave up his spirit.
Curiously, wine is not specifically mentioned as being made sacred as the blood of Jesus in the Gospels, as celebrated in the Eucharist.

Vine (6)
In the Gospels, vine is used as a reference to wine, as in “fruit of the vine” or as a reference to Jesus himself.
 
John 15:4 Remain in me, and I will remain in you. Just as the branch cannot bear fruit by itself, unless it remains in the vine, so neither can you unless you remain in me.

Grapes (2)
Trump and good fruit? Bad fruit?

Of course, you can’t make wine without some grapes.
 
Luke 6:43 “For no good tree bears bad fruit, nor again does a bad tree bear good fruit, 6:44 for each tree is known by its own fruit. For figs are not gathered from thorns, nor are grapes picked from brambles.

Wineskins (6)
Nowadays “wineskin” refers to a piece of software used to run Windows on a Mac.  A bota bag is perhaps the closest analogy to what is referred to in the Gospels.  Apparently one would have to be quite foolish to put new wine into an old wineskin... 
 
Mark:22 And no one pours new wine into old wineskins; otherwise, the wine will burst the skins, and both the wine and the skins will be destroyed. Instead new wine is poured into new wineskins.”

​Offerings and Gifts 
Trump at this writing is either going to be seen as a Santa or a Grinch, depending upon his veto of the latest COVID relief bill. Given the trillions of new national debt one can argue that he has facilitated some of the most extreme largess in American history. Unfortunately, it is all financed with public debt engineered with modern economic tools and theory unknown in Jesus’ time.

The Gospels are full of stories about, and allusions to, offerings and gifts.  These accounts are both literal as well as find their way into parables and lessons to make a point.

Gift (16)
The Gospel accounts start off with gifts to the baby and continue on with promises of gifts from God to his children.
 
Matthew 7:11 If you then, although you are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father in heaven give good gifts to those who ask him!

Trump and gifts to his children? Somehow it seems doubtful he shops at the Trump Store where shoppers can “Experience the World of Trump.” https://www.trumpstore.com/

There are examples of gifts made at the altar.
 
Matthew 5:23 So then, if you bring your gift to the altar and there remember that your brother has something against you, 5:24 leave your gift there in front of the altar. First go and be reconciled to your brother and then come and present your gift.

And what you give will be the measure received.
 
Luke 6:38 Give, and it will be given to you: A good measure, pressed down, shaken together, running over, will be poured into your lap. For the measure you use will be the measure you receive.”

Trump would likely be glad about the following passage.

Here we have one of the few passages in the Gospels where being rich seems like a good thing.

The Parable of the Lamp
Mark 4:21 He also said to them, “A lamp isn’t brought to be put under a basket or under a bed, is it? Isn’t it to be placed on a lampstand? 4:22 For nothing is hidden except to be revealed, and nothing concealed except to be brought to light. 4:23 If anyone has ears to hear, he had better listen!” 4:24 And he said to them, “Take care about what you hear. The measure you use will be the measure you receive, and more will be added to you. 4:25 For whoever has will be given more, but whoever does not have, even what he has will be taken from him.”

Offering (6)
Synagogues have got to pay the bills too – no different than today.
 
Mark 1:44 He told him, “See that you do not say anything to anyone, but go, show yourself to a priest, and bring the offering that Moses commanded for your cleansing, as a testimony to them.”
 
Luke 21:5 Now while some were speaking about the temple, how it was adorned with beautiful stones and offerings, Jesus said, 21:6 “As for these things that you are gazing at, the days will come when not one stone will be left on another. All will be torn down!”

The Widow’s Offering
Luke 21:1 Jesus looked up and saw the rich putting their gifts into the offering box. 21:2 He also saw a poor widow put in two small copper coins. 21:3 He said, “I tell you the truth, this poor widow has put in more than all of them. 21:4 For they all offered their gifts out of their wealth. But she, out of her poverty, put in everything she had to live on.”

Sacrifice (3)
Sacrifices were common in the Jewish world with burnt offerings being offered regularly.
 
Mark 12:33 And to love him with all your heart, with all your mind, and with all your strength and to love your neighbor as yourself is more important than all burnt offerings and sacrifices.”

A Tenth of Everything
Tithing 10% is well established.
 
Mark 18:12 I fast twice a week; I give a tenth of everything I get.’