Good day all. I woke up this morning feeling compelled to share this with as many as would listen with the hope of inciting discussion and thought especially among those brothers and sisters of mine who too often the world only sees like this...
As this election season comes to it's conclusion, I have been disturbed to see the political rhetoric of so many people who I love and respect. I understand that this election has perhaps two of the most polarizing candidates we've ever seen in this country, but the goal of this particular article is not to support one side or the other. Rather, my goal is to discuss our role as Christians in the realm of politics.
If Jesus is the measuring stick by which we are supposed to live our lives, I thought we might take a look at his example as found in scripture. Let's take a look at a few times that Jesus was himself confronted with politics.
In Matthew 4, we find the story of the temptation of Jesus:
8 Again, the devil took him to a very high mountain and showed him all the kingdoms of the world and their splendor. 9 “All this I will give you,” he said, “if you will bow down and worship me.”
10 Jesus said to him, “Away from me, Satan! For it is written: ‘Worship the Lord your God, and serve him only.”
Jesus as Messiah did not fit the description of what the Jews were looking for in their Savior. They had their hearts set on looking for someone who would set up a literal kingdom on earth. Jesus' revolution, however, was a spiritual revolution, not a political one. In fact, his actions often flew directly in the face of the establishment - especially the religious leadership.
For instance, in Matthew 22:
15 Then the Pharisees went out and laid plans to trap him in his words.16 They sent their disciples to him along with the Herodians. “Teacher,” they said, “we know that you are a man of integrity and that you teach the way of God in accordance with the truth. You aren’t swayed by others, because you pay no attention to who they are. 17 Tell us then, what is your opinion? Is it right to pay the imperial tax to Caesar or not?”
18 But Jesus, knowing their evil intent, said, “You hypocrites, why are you trying to trap me? 19 Show me the coin used for paying the tax.”They brought him a denarius, 20 and he asked them, “Whose image is this? And whose inscription?”
21 “Caesar’s,” they replied.
Then he said to them, “So give back to Caesar what is Caesar’s, and to God what is God’s.”
Or, in John 8, when confronted with the law as it pertained to an issue of morality:
2 At dawn he appeared again in the temple courts, where all the people gathered around him, and he sat down to teach them. 3 The teachers of the law and the Pharisees brought in a woman caught in adultery. They made her stand before the group 4 and said to Jesus, “Teacher, this woman was caught in the act of adultery. 5 In the Law Moses commanded us to stone such women. Now what do you say?” 6 They were using this question as a trap, in order to have a basis for accusing him.
But Jesus bent down and started to write on the ground with his finger.7 When they kept on questioning him, he straightened up and said to them, “Let any one of you who is without sin be the first to throw a stone at her.” 8 Again he stooped down and wrote on the ground.
9 At this, those who heard began to go away one at a time, the older ones first, until only Jesus was left, with the woman still standing there.10 Jesus straightened up and asked her, “Woman, where are they? Has no one condemned you?”
11 “No one, sir,” she said.
“Then neither do I condemn you,” Jesus declared. “Go now and leave your life of sin.”
Jesus gave teaching after teaching, used stories and parables to try to explain what the Kingdom of God was like. When facing his own death, Jesus had this conversation with the Roman governor:
33 Pilate then went back inside the palace, summoned Jesus and asked him, “Are you the king of the Jews?”
34 “Is that your own idea,” Jesus asked, “or did others talk to you about me?”
35 “Am I a Jew?” Pilate replied. “Your own people and chief priests handed you over to me. What is it you have done?”
36 Jesus said, “My kingdom is not of this world. If it were, my servants would fight to prevent my arrest by the Jewish leaders. But now my kingdom is from another place.”
37 “You are a king, then!” said Pilate.
Jesus answered, “You say that I am a king. In fact, the reason I was born and came into the world is to testify to the truth. Everyone on the side of truth listens to me.”
So how do we view Jesus' example in light of our political climate today? When again confronted with questions of the law, Jesus summarized it this way in Matthew 22:
34 Hearing that Jesus had silenced the Sadducees, the Pharisees got together. 35 One of them, an expert in the law, tested him with this question: 36 “Teacher, which is the greatest commandment in the Law?”
37 Jesus replied: “‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.’ 38 This is the first and greatest commandment. 39 And the second is like it: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’ 40 All the Law and the Prophets hang on these two commandments.
That being said, I find our role to be pretty simple: Love God, love people. Yet, even though we find Jesus having very specifically stated that his kingdom is "not of this world"
(A familiar sight on many evangelical bumpers) we seem bent on trying to force our moral mandate via legislation. We're so happy about freedom of religion and separation of church and state until it comes time to enforce values on others. I hope one day to learn what Jesus was writing on the ground that turned the accusers of the woman found in adultery away. Whatever it was, though he was within the rights of the law to have that woman killed, Jesus turned to grace.
I find his sentiments echoed by the Apostle Paul in Romans 2:
You, therefore, have no excuse, you who pass judgment on someone else, for at whatever point you judge another, you are condemning yourself, because you who pass judgment do the same things. 2 Now we know that God’s judgment against those who do such things is based on truth. 3 So when you, a mere human being, pass judgment on them and yet do the same things, do you think you will escape God’s judgment?4 Or do you show contempt for the riches of his kindness, forbearance and patience, not realizing that God’s kindness is intended to lead you to repentance?
I'm sure that many of you will be appalled by the suggestion that you fall into the same category with those whose actions you so vehemently protest. Yet we find that "all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God (Romans 3:23).
And so, I believe that Jesus would have some questions for those standing with their picket signs outside clinics and clubs, or for those simply protesting from the platform of social media. For those of you in arms regarding the issue of abortion - a hot button topic among evangelicals this time of year - he might be curious if you are offering adoption assistance? Will you provide counseling? Will you provide formula, diapers, groceries? Will offer shelter to those in need? Will you provide child care? Will you offer job training and employment assistance? On a broader scale, he might wonder what you are doing to help the poor? If we are going to be pro-life, we can't settle for merely being pro-birth.
To be clear, I am not anti-voting. I believe that we should and have the responsibility to vote. My concern is that we might choose to justify that which is inherently and morally abhorrent to stand on a side because of our desire to legislate judgment on others regarding a couple of hot button issues. Furthermore, no matter which way this thing goes, Scripture also makes it clear that we are to pray for and honor those in leadership. They will have to give account for their leadership at the appointed time. I hope that in all these matters we would follow the example of Christ and turn to grace. As Jesus explained it, our job in His kingdom is to love. I pray that we would excel in our employment of that mandate.
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