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"Jesus and Politics"
Jim Hamilton
August 31, 2008
St. Mark’s Episcopal Church
Over these two convention weeks, and the months following,
the news media are going to bombard us with commentary, pundit
regurgitation, sweeping speculation and prepackaged opinion
about the future of American leadership. The general consensus
is we need change. That change is a call back to something essential
to the core of American identity…and each party, candidate
and lobbyist is going to try to tell you what that is, who you
are (or should be), and why your passion should be swayed their
way. The hysteria can be extremely confusing. The religion of
Americanism often overlaps and mimics our call as Christians.
The bumper stickers, flags and pins invoke God with initial
earnestness but tend to degrade into a presumption of divine
endorsement. The debate moves deftly from who is on God’s
side to whose side God is on. And with that shift, God becomes
a talking point in someone’s political platform.
Jesus was an orator, a persuader of hearts. And, he had miracles
to emphasize his point. His lackeys and braintrust were fully
invested in his political career. And, they had lofty goals,
revolution. It was at this point in Matthew’s recollection
of the story that the hometown boy from Nazareth’s campaign
had hit its stride. It was at this point that many were expecting
a well crafted platform of his positions. Those closest to him
had learned in private conversation that he was even more than
a great leader of people; he was the Messiah that had been promised.
They could lay all their hopes and dreams on his success. No
longer would they be overtaxed for wars fought abroad. The gap
between the super rich would be replaced by the egalitarian
kingship of David and the rules of jubilee and justice. This
man would upset the order of Rome and retake the Temple for
God.
Now Jesus had just come back from a successful ‘hearts
and minds’ tour. His feeding programs were wildly successful.
He had begun to show some backbone to opposition, the mark of
a maturing statesman. Judas Iscariot, the financial advisor
to the candidate, had likely been playing with the budget to
accommodate the inevitable upcoming rally outlining Jesus’
policy and programs. It had been penciled into the schedule
that in six days a team of his closest supporters were to head
out on retreat to strategize. Then the bottom dropped out and
so did the hope of the fledgling party. Jesus announced that
he was not only aware that there was a plan set out for his
assassination, but he was prepared for its inevitability. He
was not planning on seeing through a revolution. He was planning,
preparing to be killed.
The boldest of the party, a man named Peter that Jesus had
all but promised a place on the campaign ticket, was quick to
redress the candidate. “God forbid it, Lord,” adding
the Lord at the end to make sure that Jesus didn’t think
he had overstepped his place. He continued with a little more
tact, “This must never happen to you.” Maybe Peter
thought that Jesus only needed his fears assuaged. Maybe Peter
was truly trying to argue with Jesus, redirect his campaign
to make sure that this preoccupation with martyrdom was just
a minor blip and would never be newsworthy. Maybe Peter was
trying to knock some sense into Jesus. Whatever it was that
Peter was trying to do; it hit a chord with Jesus. The response
was pointed, abrupt. Jesus swung around to face Peter. “Get
behind me, Satan!” he barked as Peter bumbles back. “You
are a skandalon, a trap, a snare, a rock for me to stumble on;
for you set your mind on earthly things but not on divine things.”
Those of you who were watching the Democratic Party convention
this past week will know that it is customary to take breaks
between speeches to play little compilation movies introducing
the candidates or headliners. Usually there is some classic
rock soundtrack playing over baby pictures or yearbook mugshots.
Presumably they are intended to provide a human face to the
talking heads on stage. In the spirit of these montages, I would
like you all to head back with me to the beginning of Jesus’
ministry, all the way back to the fourth chapter in Matthew’s
version of the story.
John the Baptist had just made a rousing endorsement of Jesus,
the young hopeful, with a strange liturgical act of cleansing.
The crowds could tell that something important was happening
even before the heavens boomed with a voice saying, “This
is my Son, the Beloved, with whom I am well pleased.”
Then Jesus went on a soul-searching journey into the desert
where he was tempted by Satan. If you remember, Satan had a
three point plan as to how to break Jesus. He was digging up
the dirt on Mary’s son and tailoring the perfect temptations
to slip him up.
First, Satan tried to get a very hungry Jesus to eat something.
Surely Jesus had the power to create a little sustenance to
break this fast he was on. See, Satan was tempting Jesus to
avoid personal pain and discomfort. And, he was tempting Jesus
to take charge of his own situation and focus on immediate,
carnal results. Jesus was hungry and the easy solution is to
eat something. How many of us would throw our ideals out the
window if the slightest bit of physical discomfort entered into
the equation? My wife Beth told me a story recently about a
physician resident who was complaining about the move some politicians
were proposing toward socialized medicine and how it would be
disastrous for the country. But Beth wasn’t buying it.
“Now, come on, tell me the truth,” she said, “You
are just worried about the size of your paycheck.” Impressively,
he came clean and admitted that, yes; he was mostly worried
about the fairness of his hoped for income. But most cases of
this type of temptation are far more complicated, it is hard
and even embarrassing to admit to the selfish motivations behind
some of our actions.
Jesus’ response, “It is written, 'One does not
live by bread alone, but by every word that comes from the mouth
of God.’” Jesus shifts the focus from personal,
physical, earth bound hunger to the deeper hunger for spiritual
feeding from God and by ordering oneself to a plan that focuses
not on self but on God’s plan for ultimate justice for
everyone.
In our current lesson we learn, “If any want to become
my followers, let them deny themselves and take up their cross
and follow me.”
Second, Satan tried to get Jesus, who was concerned about the
impossible task of persuading the world of his true identity
and purpose, to prove it (and I believe this is the most appropriate
instance I have ever used this phrase) in one fell swoop. If
only Jesus would throw himself from the spire of the temple
then it would reveal beyond a shadow of a doubt that he was
the son of God. Angels would swoop in to save him and everyone
at Temple, the most religiously zealous, would witness his importance.
How tempting must that have been? It was a brilliant plan. Jesus’
most adamant future opponents would instead be his sponsors.
It would look like an act of confidence in the piety of the
ordained class and he would have all their support in spreading
God’s message. Shortcuts in the name of results are tempting.
Jesus’ response, “Again it is written, 'Do not
put the Lord your God to the test.'” Jesus knows his scripture,
and he knows that this reference back to when the Israelites
complained against God saying that Moses had taken them into
the wilderness to die of thirst calls to mind all the lessons
and hardship necessary for growth that the people of Israel
took from their extreme long-cut from Egypt to Canaan. Looking
for a short cut around pain and suffering belies distrust in
God’s plan. It also elevates the end result above the
act of faith and trust in God that gets you there.
In our current lesson we learn, “For what will it profit
them if them gain the whole world but forfeit their life?”
Finally, in Satan’s well crafted coup de grace, he offers
Jesus the opportunity to rewrite the plan all together. He can
become that political leader, the benevolent dictator who heals
the world with justice and power. If only Jesus will bow to
Satan and show fealty to his more direct, success oriented plan
then Jesus can be the Messiah that all his followers want, the
great hope from Nazareth.
I have heard many interpretations suggest that this is a stroke
to Christ’s ego, saying that Jesus will be great instead
of dying a nobody in a routine Roman execution. Instead, I see
the correlation here to Peter’s temptation of Jesus. The
temptation is efficacy, to be effective. Jesus rebukes Peter
because he stumbles onto Satan’s most persuasive argument
to tempt Jesus. Jesus so desperately wants to heal the world,
save it from pain and hardship, teach us to be in true and anxiety
free relationship with God. Jesus wants this so much that he
even prays on the cross for forgiveness of even those who caused
him so much physical and emotional grief. The human Jesus so
desperately wants to be the kind of Messiah that we all think
we need; to do for us all the hard work that we should be doing
ourselves. This last temptation of Satan and the temptation
of Peter is the most confusing because it plays upon Christ’s
love for us.
Jesus’ response to Satan was, “Away with you, Satan!
for it is written, 'Worship the Lord your God, and serve only
him.'” And his response to Peter was, “Get behind
me Satan! You are a stumbling block to me; for you are setting
your mind not on divine things but on human things.”
This past week I received a little reader from a conservative
religious organization that, among other things, tried to tell
me how to vote like a Christian. It was ham-handed in its endorsement
of one party over the other. It was concise in its claim that
the only issues were abortion and gay marriage. And it made
the assertion that these directives come from God. Now, I am
young and I take to heart Paul’s warning to “not
claim to be wiser than (I am).” So, I will not tout one
agenda over another.
Though as a side note, I will say that Paul is quite clear
as to his social agenda in today’s passage from Romans,
“extend hospitality to strangers…do not repay evil
for evil…if your enemies are hungry feed them…”
and more should, I feel, directly influence how you use what
agency you have to change the world we live in.
I hope I have been less ham-handed in my assertion that Jesus
was not a politician, despite all the hope that he would be
by his party and all the temptations that may have made him
a revolutionary. Using Jesus to forward a political agenda is
wrong-headed, even if the cause is one in sync with the ministry
that Jesus has called us to do. To cast Christ in that role
is to be a stumbling block ourselves. Instead, take up your
cross whatever that hard and sometimes deserted journey toward
God’s will in your life might be, and follow in Christ’s
footsteps. Get behind Jesus, not in submission because you are
a stumbling block to yourself and others, but because Jesus’
example leads the way toward God’s true intention for
your life.
This election season do your best to bring the mandates of
Christ’s mission in your life to the polls. Hopefully
you will be swayed by prophetic words like those of Paul when
he says, “Let love be genuine; hate what is evil, hold
fast to what is good; love one another with mutual affection;
outdo one another in showing honor.” But, no matter the
outcome, be comforted to know that God will take care of the
end of the road. Christ modeled this counter-cultural action
for us. Our role is to deny ourselves and find our lives in
the journey and trust in a God who loves us.
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