Jesus is not
the Politician of Politicians.
There has
been a fad among Christian teachers to proclaim that Jesus was political. It
seems they imagine this is a modern, relevant depiction. One that speaks to the
superiority of good governance, the republic of heaven, perhaps even the
greatness of American democracy. But this lowers His authority.
Scripture
tells us that Jesus Christ is the King of Kings. His rule is not political; it
is holy as He is holy. He is light unapproachable which represents perfection
(I Timothy 6:15,16). The best politics serve to maintain order and civility in
the societies of imperfect humans. The King of Kings comes to restore
perfection where it has been lost. Jesus is not our best choice for leadership
once we get it right. His authority is completely without our interaction,
without our vote. It is not “by [or] of the people”. It is entirely separate
from the people, thank God.
Jesus
declared, “For I did not speak on my own
initiative but the Father Himself who sent Me has given a command to Me – what
to say and what to speak. I know that His commandment is eternal life;
therefore the things I speak, I speak just as the Father has told Me.”
(John 12:49-50)
No politics
of man can approach this form of authority and rule. God’s rule is utterly
intolerant of that which does not conform to His commands. Its equality for all
lies in this intolerance. Every one of us is equally undeserving of His favor.
Scripture declares, “There is none
righteous, no not one.” Herein lies the beginning of our liberty: we are
free from trying to be something we cannot be. We cannot be righteous enough to
deserve God’s grace. Without His intervention for us we are all equally
condemned in His presence.
Jesus came
to say what the Father told Him to tell us all. He also came to die, an
innocent man executed as a criminal. He came to die for each of us in our
place. And when in His full humanity He was repelled by death, Jesus appealed
to His Father to be spared from this extraordinary unfairness, humiliation,
suffering and pain. In answer to this request God affirmed it was His command
that His Messiah and Son would not be spared.
Humans
reject God’s allowance of pain and suffering. They claim He is unfair and
capricious; that He does not exert His power to protect us. But scripture says,
“He who did not spare His own Son, but
delivered Him over for us all, how will He not also with Him freely give us all
things?” (Romans 8:32) This is the paradox to note: God does not protect us
as we want to be, but as we need to be. We need to be protected from His wrath
or, more properly, delivered from it. And in the death of Christ Jesus is His great
deliverance, His grace, blessing and help.
But
why is God wrathful? Well He is not in the human idea of that word. God is not
full of wrath. All that is not perfect is unable to be in His presence, except
here on earth. Therefore there is no eternal life with Him possible to His own cherished
creatures unless He restores perfect righteousness to each of us. This He does on
the Cross for those who accept His death on their behalf. God loves us and is
therefore angry at that which keeps us separate from Him.
To wish
Jesus to be our political leader is to wish for our own death. We are not fit
to live under His authority without His authoritative intervention. He is our
Savior, not our President. It would be wonderful if our politicians were more
like Him. It would be horrible if He were one of them, even as their Chief.
As cited
above Paul wrote to Timothy, “He who is
the blessed and only Sovereign, the King of Kings and Lord of Lords, who alone
possesses immortality and dwells in unapproachable light, whom no man has seen
or can see - to Him be honor and eternal dominion, amen.” John recorded His
vision of the apocalypse in the book of Revelation and includes “And on His robe and on His thigh He has a
name written: King of Kings and Lords of Lords.” (Rev. 19:11-17)
The
disciples of Christ clarify it is not a matter of how we vote but how we
believe. Peter said, “There is no other
name under heaven… by which we must be saved.” (Acts 4:12) Paul wrote, “That if you confess with your mouth Jesus as
Lord, and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you will be
saved.” (Romans 10:9)
He is Risen.
Happy Easter!
