President Trump recently told NBC News that he does not rule out seeking a third term in the White House, saying there are methods for doing so and that he is “not joking.”

“A lot of people want me to do it,” he said. “But, I mean, I basically tell them we have a long way to go, it’s very early in the administration.” When asked whether he had been presented with plans to allow him to seek a third term, he said, “There are methods by which you could do it.”

What are such methods?

Why this question is complicated

At issue is the 22^nd Amendment to the US Constitution, which states:

No person shall be elected to the office of the President more than twice, and no person who has held the office of President, or acted as President, for more than two years of a term to which some other person was elected President shall be elected to the office of the President more than once.

Since Mr. Trump has been “elected to the office of the President” twice, it would seem that the question is a moot point. Some might argue that since his terms were nonconsecutive, the amendment doesn’t apply to him. However, it makes no distinction between consecutive and nonconsecutive terms in office.

Here’s where the story gets complicated: The amendment only prohibits a person from being “elected” to office more than twice but says nothing about a person becoming president in other ways.

Here’s one possibility: Someone could run for president in 2028 with Mr. Trump as their running mate, be elected, and then resign from office, returning Mr. Trump to the White House.

The 12^th Amendment states that “no person constitutionally ineligible to the office of President shall be eligible to that of Vice-President of the United States,” but it does not specify that such a person is “ineligible to be elected Vice-President.” Perhaps this simply imposes the Constitution’s stated criteria for presidential eligibility: that they be a natural-born citizen of the US, at least thirty-five years of age, and have lived in the US for at least fourteen years. The US Supreme Court would have to decide this issue.

A second option would be for Mr. Trump to be elected vice president in 2028, then the elected president to be declared “unable to discharge the powers and duties of the office,” in which case Mr. Trump would become Acting President via the 25^th Amendment.

A third option would be for a person to be elected vice president in 2028 and then resign. The newly elected president could then nominate Mr. Trump for the position and Congress could approve the nomination (as occurred via the 25^th Amendment with Gerald Ford in 1973), the president could resign, and Mr. Trump could take his place.

A fourth option would be for the Constitution to be amended to allow a person to serve three non-consecutive terms as president. A member of Congress proposed such an amendment in January, but it is highly unlikely in our era of intense political polarization.

A fifth approach would be for Mr. Trump to be appointed by the next president as an unofficial adviser, allowing him to continue to exercise the power of the presidency without the actual title.

“What I have written I have written”

In these weeks leading to Easter, I am continuing on occasion to spotlight aspects of the story that are often overlooked. Here’s another: when the Romans crucified our Lord,

Pilate also wrote an inscription and put it on the cross. It read, “Jesus of Nazareth, the King of the Jews.” . . . So the chief priests of the Jews said to Pilate, “Do not write, ‘The King of the Jews,’ but rather, ‘This man said, I am King of the Jews.’” Pilate answered, “What I have written I have written” (John 19:19, 21–22).

Pontius Pilate was much more right than he knew.

Jesus was born a king, as the Magi acknowledged by their words (Matthew 2:2) and worship (v. 11). He lived as a king (Isaiah 9:6–7; John 18:36), died as a king (as Pilate acknowledged), was raised as a king (Ephesians 1:20a), ascended to heaven as a king (vv. 20b–21), rules there now as a king (v. 22; Hebrews 1:3–4; Revelation 1:5–6), and will return as “King of kings and Lord of lords” (Revelation 19:16; cf. Daniel 7:13–14).

Here’s the problem: Americans like our leaders to be elected by us and thus responsible to us.

President Trump’s comments about a third term have been widely reported in part because some are concerned he might return to office in ways they believe the Constitution does not intend and voters did not choose. The current controversy over unelected “activist judges” who have issued orders blocking parts of the president’s agenda illustrates this concern from the other side of the aisle.

Americans view our leaders as extensions of ourselves who are accountable to us as they serve “we the people.”

It is therefore natural, though tragic, that many of us view Christ in the same way.

“Able to do far more abundantly”

Even though Jesus is the king of the universe who rules beyond our election or opinions, he limits his omnipotence to our free will. He knocks at the door of our hearts, waiting for admission into our lives (cf. Revelation 3:20). He forces neither his salvation nor his abundant life on us. Only when we elect him our “president” and king can we fully experience the best his omniscient, omnibenevolent omnipotence can do in and through our lives.

We often blame God for the suffering in our world, but how much of our pain would be alleviated if we lived by his word and will? If, for instance, we refused lust (Matthew 5:28–30), what would become of the plague of pornography, adultery, and sex trafficking in our society? If we reserved sex for marriage (Genesis 2:24–25; Hebrews 13:4), what would become of abortion, adultery, and divorce? If we venerated life as sacred as does our Lord (cf. Genesis 1:27), what would happen to crime, abortion, and euthanasia?

Clearly, “Righteousness exalts a nation, but sin is a reproach to any people” (Proverbs 14:34).

Unfortunately, as fallen people, our default position is to rule on the throne of our own lives. Unless we consciously dethrone ourselves each day, enthrone Jesus as our king, and then keep him there through our worship and obedience, we are our own kings.

By this measure, who is your king right now?

“Now to him who is able to do far more abundantly than all that we ask or think, according to the power at work within us, to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, forever and ever” (Ephesians 3:20–21).

Amen?

Quote for the day:

“No single piece of our mental world is to be hermetically sealed off from the rest, and there is not a square inch in the whole domain of our human existence over which Christ, who is Sovereign over all, does not cry: ‘Mine!’” —Abraham Kuyper

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Some years ago, my wife and I visited Assisi, Italy, joining massive crowds who came to see the tomb of the town’s most famous saint. Now crowds are pouring into this medieval hilltop town to celebrate another celebrity: a teenager named Carlo Acutis.

The Catholic church’s first millennial saint will be canonized on April 27 in St. Peter’s Square. Carlo was born on May 3, 1991, to a wealthy Italian family. He received First Communion at the young age of seven, then began attending daily Mass, teaching catechism, and serving the homeless. He also used his computer skills to create an online exhibit of more than one hundred miracles he hoped would encourage faith in Christ.

At the age of fifteen, he fell ill. Ten days later, he died of acute leukemia. His remains were later transferred to an Assisi cemetery as he had asked because of his devotion to St. Francis. His body is on view there, wearing jeans, a sweatshirt, and sneakers.

Over the last year, a million pilgrims made their way to his shrine. The teenager is so popular in large part because his story is so accessible. And because his faith was so compelling.

• Carlo urged us to fulfill God’s unique purpose for our lives: “All people are born as originals, but many die as photocopies.” His own purpose was clear: “To always be close to Jesus, that’s my life plan.”
• Accordingly, he taught us to seek holiness in all things: “The only thing we have to ask God for, in prayer, is the desire to be holy.”
• When we do, Carlo assured us that we can face death in faith: “Do not be afraid because with the Incarnation of Jesus, death becomes life, and there’s no need to escape. In eternal life, something extraordinary awaits us.”

“Not me, but God”

The greater our challenges, the more we need a power greater than ourselves.

A powerful earthquake struck Myanmar on Friday; the death count stands at more than 1,700 this morning, with nearly 300 others missing. More than eleven thousand acres have burned in North and South Carolina as wildfires continue to rage through the region. The Dow closed down seven hundred points on Friday as inflation fears escalate. Astronomers continue to warn that extinction-level asteroids are out there and could strike us one day.

How do we respond to such news with faith rather than fear?

According to Carlo Acutis, the key is to focus on the Lord rather than our circumstances: “Sadness is looking at ourselves; happiness is looking toward God.” His life motto was simple: “Not me, but God.”

“This was to fulfill the word”

To this end, let’s consider an element of the Easter story that is pivotal to the rest. When Jesus was on trial before Pontius Pilate, the governor tried to evade responsibility, telling the Jewish authorities, “Take him yourselves and judge him by your own law” (John 18:31a). However, they responded, “It is not lawful for us to put anyone to death” (v. 31b).

This was true. According to the Babylonian Talmud, the Romans had earlier revoked the Sanhedrin’s power to impose capital punishment. Had they executed Jesus, he would have died by stoning (cf. the mob action that murdered Stephen, Acts 7:58–60). But because they were afraid of the crowds (cf. Mark 12:12), they wanted Pilate to execute Jesus for them, which would be done by crucifixion.

John adds: “This was to fulfill the word that Jesus had spoken to show by what kind of death he was going to die” (John 18:32). Our Lord had earlier predicted that he would be “lifted up from the earth” (John 12:32), forecasting the manner of his death (v. 33).

Jesus’ death by crucifixion fulfilled remarkable Old Testament prophecies (cf. Psalm 22:7–8, 16–18; Isaiah 53:7–12), each of which would be worthy of an entire article and more. My point today is that the Holy Spirit revealed our Savior’s manner of death more than a thousand years before it took place. His betrayal, trial, execution, burial, and resurrection followed specific prophecy as part of God’s astounding plan for our salvation.

“Pray hardest when it is hardest to pray”

Our Father’s perfect providence extends not just to Jesus but to you and me today. He loves us as much as he loved his Son (John 17:23, 26) because “God is love” (1 John 4:8, my emphasis). His perfect nature allows him to want nothing less than our best, always (Romans 12:2).

The key is this: The less we understand his will, the more we need to trust it.

Oswald Chambers observed, “Faith is not intelligent understanding; faith is deliberate commitment to a Person where I see no way.” Bishop Charles Henry Brent agreed: “Pray hardest when it is hardest to pray.”

Here’s the theological logic behind this advice: When our circumstances are most difficult, we are most likely to question the love and power of God in our lives. But it is just then that we require his love and power the most. When our need is the greatest, his providential redemption is the most visible and triumphant. The doctor who stitches up a cut makes less an impression than the surgeon whose intricate skill saves our lives.

Carlo Acutis’ death at the age of fifteen is an example. Skeptics could ask how a trustworthy God could allow such a devoted Christian to die so young. Think of all he could have accomplished if he had lived to old age, they might say.

But in fact, God is redeeming his teenage death as part of his continuing allure and ministry, inviting millions to remember his story and draw closer to his Lord. You and I are in their number today.

We might consider Carlos’ early death a tragedy, but he did not. To the contrary, he testified:

“I am happy to die because I have lived my life without wasting a minute on those things which do not please God.”

Can you say the same today?

If not, why not?

Quote for the day:

“Our goal must be infinite, not the finite. The infinite is our homeland. Heaven has been waiting for us forever.” —Carlo Acutis

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