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Was Jesus Political? Sep 8th 2008

I’m thinking of a doing a series on politics and the Bible because I get asked lots of questions about my political stances. I think it might be helpful to have a resource to point people to when they ask me (particularly the more conservative of my friends that think it crazy that I would even consider voting anything BUT republican). And so, I’ll kick things off by rehashing an old article that sets the stage: Political Language in the New Testament.

In that particular post, I mention some of the “Gospel” language that comes directly from the imperial language. Here are some examples (if you aren’t interested in clicking the link):

Gospel:

• Imperial definition: an important pronouncement such as the birth of an heir or a battle won

• Gospel definition: the good news that Jesus came proclaiming (Repent! The Kingdom of God is at hand!)

Basilea:

• Imperial: The empire of Caesar

• Gospel: The kingdom of God (YHWH at the head)

Son of God:

• Imperial: Caesar’s popular title

• Gospel: Jesus’ title

Ekklesia:

• Imperial: Town meeting or public assembly where citizenship was bestowed, political concerns discussed, elders appointed, Caesar was worshipped

• Gospel: The name for the Church

Parousia:

• Imperial: The return of Caesar to a town

• Gospel: The second coming of Christ

Savior:

• Imperial: Specific title of Caesar Augustus who “healed the chaos of Rome and brought it into a new golden age”

• Gospel: Simply put, Jesus

Growing up — I was never told about any of these connections but none the less they are there, clearly visible in the New Testament. Our political words are different than those of the Roman empire so its honestly easy not to see the connection. And honestly — it is understandable to see no direct correlation between Jesus and politics because of the culture we live in. Religion is just another consumed good — individualized and privatized. It doesn’t seem to penetrate all of life as it did in New Testament times. And so, the assumption would go, his language speaks to only private matters of the heart and doesn’t encompass all that we are. But thank God this isn’t the case — the message of Jesus and the Kingdom of GOD does speak to all of life (including the political). By co-opting this language in the gospels, Jesus sets Himself against Caesar and the empire; the kingdom of GOD becomes a visible, viable alternative to the empire power structure. To use one example from above, whereas Rome hails a parousia event as the blessing of Caesar’s return to a town, Jesus turns this on its head by instilling a wild hope in an ultimate coming of Christ that establishes His reign for good (answered at least in part by His impartation of the Holy Spirit).

By taking these political words and radically re-defining them, Jesus very much says something about politics, if we care to listen. The answer to the question posed by this post is most definitely “Yes!” Naturally following this (and what I plan on exploring) is how it informs our own politics as Christians.

tags: faith, jesus, politics

1. James said on Sep 19th 2008:

   Hi, I found your blog on this new directory of WordPress Blogs at blackhatbootcamp.com/listofwordpressblogs. I dont know how your blog came up, must have been a typo, i duno. Anyways, I just clicked it and here I am. Your blog looks good. Have a nice day. James.

2. James said on Oct 7th 2008:

   do you know your blog is listed on this blackhat site? blackhatbootcamp.net/listofwordpressblogs/

3. Ben said on Oct 14th 2008:

   Thought you might find this link interesting. This is a new song by the band Everclear called “Jesus was a Democrat.” This is definitely one of the most controversial songs to come out before the election! It is free to download and listen to. Check it out:

   http://www.everclearonline.com

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