Politics and Jesus -- Jason Brown

I'm writing on the eve of our country's presidential election. By the time many of you read this, the votes will have been cast and the outcome decided. In addition to deciding the fate of twelve propositions (at least in California!), we will have elected the next President of the United States -- someone who definitely needs our prayers.

I'm thinking a bit about one of the offers the devil made to Jesus in the desert. The devil offered Jesus all the Kingdoms of the world and their splendor (Matt. 4:8). Jesus refuses the offer. But the immediacy and certainty of his refusal doesn't negate the fact it was a genuine temptation. It makes me wonder, "What exactly was tempting about this?"

To me, having the political power the devil offered to Jesus seems very tempting. It's not a temptation in the sense that owning a beautiful car is a temptation. It's a temptation in the sense that acquiring and exercising political power is always how people have brought about social transformation. It's a temptation because I lack creativity and can't imagine another way of bringing heaven to earth. It's a temptation because it's virtually impossible to believe that the Kingdom of God could actually come apart from possessing earthly power. So as the devil holds out the only historically verifiable means of "getting the job done", it's pretty hard to say, "No!" How else could a group of people bring about the worldwide transformation they desire? And yet, Jesus refuses the devil's offer.

I'd like to hear your thoughts on what our Savior's refusal means. What about his refusal is perplexing? What about his refusal is hopeful? What light does this shed on a Christian's relationship to political power? I know that talking about such things is risky and uncertain business, but it's worth it. Let's agree to be loving as we share what we believe to be true.

Posted on Mon, November 3, 2008 by Jason Brown

7 comments (Add your own)

1. Almita wrote:: I believe the main point of Jesus' refusal was not the rejection of power, but the price that was demanded to receive that power. He would have had to disobey God's word and yield to Satan's demand to serve him. I have often wondered why Jesus didn't just say to the devil, "This world belongs to me. I don't need to make any deals with you." But I have to remember that He was in the flesh and this was a real temptation (especially when He undoubtedly knew what the future and it's suffering would hold for Him.) If He had succumbed to Satan's temptation, Jesus would have been ineligible to pay our sin debt and that would have been tragic for all of us. Jesus knew that His power (political and otherwise) rested fully in His obedience to His Father's will. As His follower, I too, must recognize that any power for change that I can affect comes from Christ. In answer to your question,"How else can a group of people bring about the worldwide transformation they desire?" - I believe it to be by seeking, through prayer and scriptures, to know and follow the Father's will - just like our Savior did when HE walked this earth. Lord Jesus, help us to recognize our need and responsibility to pray, pray, pray!
Tue, November 4, 2008 @ 10:04 AM
2. Da Sciple wrote:: jb,

I LIKE WHAT YOU SAI ON MY BLOG RECENTLY ABOUT JESUS WORKING IN A MORE GRASS-ROOTS ON THE GROUND APPROACH - IN WHICH HE CHOSE TO MAKE DISCIPLES AND NOT LAWS. AS I TRY TO GO THIS ROUTE IN AN ATTEMPT TO "FOLLOW" JESUS I OFTEN GET SIDE TRACKED AND TEMPTED TO SEEK AFTER WORDLY POWER AND INFLUENCE SO THAT MY VOICE BE HEARD.

AN EXAMPLE OF THIS I THINK IS LIKE THE YES ON 8 SIGN IN MY FORNT YARD --- IS IT REAAAAALY NECESSARY?!?!?

I DUNNO...
Tue, November 4, 2008 @ 10:10 AM
3. Ricky Williams wrote:: There are a lot of good questions in there Jason. I have a sort of gut level intuition that your application of Matthew 4:8 is correct, namely, we should avoid, or at least not be dependent upon, earthly power as a means to 'get the job done.'

Even though this seems right to me, it's really scary. Do I just sit back and let earthly power go to whoever will take it? We've seen some pretty messed up things happen in this world when the wrong person gets a hold of earthly power. This is a legitimate fear that I know have to deal with in my heart if I will follow Jesus down the path of saying no to power instead of pulling all of these savvy attempts to gain as much power as possible.

Anybody else feel this same fear in their own hearts?
Tue, November 4, 2008 @ 10:12 AM
4. Greg Wallace Dolmage wrote:: Jesus seems to be always giving up power. He talks about not storing up wealth, but giving wealth away. He turns the other cheek. He goes to Jerusalem and gets crucified. He rejects Satan's temptation.

Best case scenario: we see in the political realm somebody who climbs to the top so that they can help. It is like the person who climbs to the top of a wall and reaches down to help the next guy. This doesn't sound too bad at all.

I picture Jesus, however, being the guy who allows people to stand on his shoulders to get over over the wall.

So, maybe what we need is both. Somebody to pull this world up and another to push it up. The problem is that everybody already has the idea of the "reach down" form of helping. Jesus did not choose this. He was a radical. That is why the voice that says, "The last shall be first and the greatest shall be the least" needs to be echoed throughout the church. We all know that having power helps get things done, but most of us do not think like Jesus.

So I assume that there will always be somebody who tries to use power to do good. The church, however, must fight against the grain and do good by giving up power. We must be a servant to all.
Tue, November 4, 2008 @ 1:03 PM
5. chris d. wrote:: I've been thinking about this post for a few days now and I'm overwhelmed by Jesus' example.

Jesus (God) came from a place of the upmost power and authority, made himself human, and gave up every right owed to him. Remember, Jesus was born in a BARN. Jesus washed feet like a slave. Jesus made himself the scapegoat by taking a shameful, embarrassing death.

His refusal of earthly authority, the power of the kingdom of earth, is consistent with his whole life from birth to death. And we are his disciples. We look at his life and somehow have make it our own.

So, how do we get the job done? We offer our bodies, our time, our resources, our whole lives, right? We do it because Christ is in us and that's what he did. What I struggle with lately is this: what is my relation to the politics. What am I supposed to do? Jesus refused political power. It seems like he completely separated political power and his life. Since I follow him, do I do that too?

I know it's sort of taboo but deep down I wonder if Jesus would even take part in something like an election, or voting for propositions. Can the support the kingdom of man and the kingdom of God? These are questions I think about a lot and I'd love some feedback.
Wed, November 5, 2008 @ 9:59 AM
6. Michael wrote:: Chris, I'm right there with you.

This political season I was and still am torn between Jesus warnings of serving two masters and Paul's claim that we are citizens of Heaven. Never does Jesus ever talk about a kingdom or political spectrum as means for change other than Heaven's (but on that same note Jesus didn't break the laws of the land; he told the crowd to pay their taxes). And Jesus' message is not about needing more to do more but instead by taking what God has equipped you with and giving it all to change things and to follow Jesus' example. I suppose one could support the kingdom of man through voting and voicing our opinions so long as we realize that real change can't come from these man-made powers but instead from our own efforts of serving God's Kingdom in humility; but then that almost seems like a waste of time and effort. Am I off here?

Now I suppose there are times when serving the Kingdom of God can lead to earthly power. Martin Luther King is a good example of that. Jesus also gained political weight through his teachings (John 11:45-54).
Sat, November 8, 2008 @ 12:42 PM
7. Rachel wrote:: Jesus commanded us to be salt and light. Doesn't that include EVERY area of life, including politics?

Why would God tell us to pray for our leaders and then want us to totally disengage from the political process - especially since government wields so much control over our lives?

We have examples from history of people of Christian faith who accomplished great social and political changes like Martin Luther King, and William Wilberforce who helped end the brutal slave trade in England through a very long and painful "political" process. We wouldn't have the constitutional freedoms we enjoy today were it not for the Christian faith and fervent prayers of our founding fathers and their huge reliance on Biblical principles; (see www.wallbuilders.com for the Judeo-Christian roots of our constitution and early government, a part of American history conveniently left out of our secular humanistic textbooks).

The truth be told, Christians have powerfully impacted the culture in the areas of science, education, social reform, health, conservation, the arts, government and more, but their contributions have been censored.

I believe that God “anoints” people to serve as salt and light in every area of our culture, both in their sharing of the gospel and in their godly (and preserving) influence.

The choice for me isn't politics or prayer. It's politics and prayer, with prayer (and fasting) always coming first.

P.S.: The battle for Prop. 8 was bathed in prayer, including a 40 day fast culminating in a 12 hour prayer service the Saturday before the election. Dr. Jim Garlow, the pastor who led the campaign said it was only through prayer that they got the victory against such overwhelming odds. You can find out the details at www.focusonthefamily.com, the 11/6/08 radio broadcast. Much was at stake because of the real threats to our religious liberties that same-sex marriage poses. (E.g. Parents in Massachusetts have lost the right to remove their kids from class when same-sex marriage is discussed because it is viewed as a protected “legal right.”)
Tue, November 11, 2008 @ 1:45 PM

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