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About Jesus - Steve (Stephen) Sweetman In
Stark Contrast
Before reading further, I repeat Paul's
words to Timothy as seen in 2 Timothy 2:7.
"Reflect on what I am saying, for the Lord will give
you insight into all this". I recently wrote about Jesus saying that
"the kings of the Gentiles lord it over them; and those who exercise
authority over them call themselves Benefactors"
(Luke 22:25). In modern
terms, Gentile rulers were self-seeking, authoritarian dictators who
weaponized anything and everything to advance their own hedonistic
interests. Their morality
was law, and those who dared to oppose suffered the consequences. The context of Luke 22:25 is Judas
negotiating a financial deal with the Jewish authorities to betray Jesus
followed by the disciples arguing over who would be the greatest in
God's kingdom. Both
situations revealed the same self-seeking, dictatorial hedonism
characteristic of the Gentile rulers Jesus referenced. That
is why Jesus spoke so personally and directly to His disciples saying,
"not
so with you. Instead, the
greatest among you should be like the youngest, and the one who rules
like the one who serves". The
contrast between these two ways of life could not be more stark. Jesus then added, "I
confer on you a kingdom" (verse 29). This
is God’s kingdom that bears no resemblance to the kingdoms of men. It
is God's kingdom we are commanded "to seek first" (Matthew
6:33). For that reason, we
must seriously consider how, and to what extent, we participate in the
political kingdoms of men. Any
such participation must visibly demonstrate humble servitude, not the
arrogant dictatorialism I increasingly see among many who claim to be
Christians today. Many claiming to be Christians today align
themselves with arrogant, authoritarian political parties, and in the
process mirror the arrogance and authoritarianism of their leaders. To
be clear, a claim of being Christian does not validate the claim.
Jesus said that "by
their fruit you will recognize them" (Matthew 7:16,
20). When there is no
visible evidence of the fruit of the Spirit, including humble servitude,
the Christian claim is rightly called into question. The word of the Lord to us, then, is that
we are to live our lives of humble servitude, serving rather than
dictating, anyone who stands before us at any given moment. Regardless
of our Christian calling, profession, or political involvement,
self-seeking authoritarianism is not an option for disciples of Jesus.
More importantly, the present trend to exchange the gospel of
Christ with political activism is blasphemous. Postscript
When I speak of political participation,
I'm not referring to voting according to a personal preference. I
am referring to active political involvement, as I was engaged in while
living in Scripture does not directly address our
democratic processes. I,
therefore, conclude that active political participation is a personal
choice, one that must always be guided by the humble servitude Jesus
demands of us. Finally,
consider how 2 Corinthians 6:14 might apply to any active participation
in battlefield of authoritarian politics.
Paul told us "not to be yoked together with unbelievers. For
what do righteousness and wickedness have in common?" I
will leave that for you to reflect on. Just
remember that everything we do must stand in stark contrast to the ways
of our world.
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