Was Jesus Political?

Quid pro quo. Immigration. LGBTQ rights. Women’s reproductive health. Medicare for all. Wealth tax. Impeachment. All of these issues are are part of our daily lives now. And anyone with an opinion has written something about any or all of of them. As our national attention turns to next year and our quadrennial elections, I have a question that emerges from my own Christian critical thinking: Was Jesus political?

I believe answering this question helps clarify how one might interpret Christian Scriptures in light of the political issues that continue to be raised, including the central question of separation of church and state. Many Christians would say, “No,” that Jesus wasn’t political and that the church should stay out of the political arena. Others would say, “Yes,” and point to the radical nature of Jesus’ message of inclusion and the reign of God that ultimately triumphs over all other forms of government.

In a way those who say no and those who say yes are both right. I think that those who say no are mostly referring to politics in the more specific cases of, for example, pastors telling their congregants how to vote on particular issues. In those instances the church should stay out. On the other hand, to say yes is to recognize that to be Christian, to be the church, means pledging allegiance to the Reign of God above all else, and that means speaking truth to power despite great risk.

When a person says, “I believe in God,” they are saying the one they turn to for guidance, understanding, life planning, and decision-making is God. If that isn’t the case, then what is the point of believing in God?

Believing in God from a Christian perspective means living the life of God on Earth in the hope of the ultimate reconciliation and healing of all creation initiated by Jesus and sustained by the Holy Spirit. It means participation in the work of revealing the Reign of God now, looking forward to a future when that reign will be complete.

Anything other than that is simply “noisy gongs and clanging symbols.”

Emphatically I say that Jesus was political, but political in the more profound understanding of the role of the Reign of God. Jesus was not political in that he would somehow be a Democrat or Republican. But that Jesus announced a reign of God (or Kingdom of God if you prefer) is clearly a political announcement.

Now the reign of God, if taken seriously, is not about some kind of world dominance where Christians rule over everyone else, enacting a sort of rigid legal system based on judgment and exclusion. That is certainly not what Jesus modeled. His model of God’s kingdom was a vision of a beloved community where the greatest of them were the servants of all others, where love triumphed over hate.

So in order to understand Jesus’ mission—that is participate in bringing about the Reign of God—is to see our current issues in an entirely different light. To understand Jesus’ mission requires asking different questions. And demanding different responses.

The Church, and by this I mean the entire Christian body, was meant for such a time as this. The Church was meant to be the presence of God in such a time as this. To bring Good News to the poor, food for the hungry, clothes for the naked, hospitality for strangers, healing to those who are sick and in need. It’s what Jesus did. And because of what he did he was executed as a seditionist.

And for Christians to do these things is to be as political as you can get.

Quid Pro Quo

Note: My words today are inspired by the book Grateful by Diana Butler Bass. It’s well worth the read.

Quid pro quo. Latin. Put simply, a “favor for a favor.” How ironic is it that this phrase, so much a part of our national conversation, was also a key element is Jesus’ criticism of the status quo during his ministry. And here it is, still in operation today. So, where did this interchange between parties come from? It turns out we inherited it from the Romans over 2000 years ago.

Part of the genius of the Roman Empire was its ability to sustain power through the means of patronage. Patrons, the super wealthy, would provide protection, sustenance, and the like in exchange for the recipients loyalty, and praise. The Latin word for this was gratus which is where we get the word gratitude. Oh, and a physical representation of the recipient’s indebtedness came in the form of taxes.

The system worked quite well, but eventually became corrupted by the introduction of quid pro quo. That is, the super wealthy (they represented about 3% of the total population in the Roman Empire) would “take care” of each other by exchanging gifts and services with each other, none benefitting those outside their circles of wealth. In other words, the system became a rigged game where the rich only got richer and the rest never really benefitted.

Enter Jesus.

His mission of announcing a new kingdom, God’s kingdom, turned this whole system of quid pro quo upside down. Here is an example. Luke 14: 12-14.

“He said also to the (wealthy patron) who had invited him, “When you give a luncheon or a dinner, do not invite your friends or your brothers or your relatives or rich neighbors, in case they may invite you in return, and you would be repaid. But when you give a banquet, invite the poor, the crippled, the lame, and the blind. And you will be blessed, because they cannot repay you, for you will be repaid at the resurrection of the righteous.”

There is no room for quid pro quo in God’s kingdom.

True disciples of Jesus know this. It’s how they conduct their lives. It’s called self-sacrificial love. They don’t do things because they think they will be rewarded. They do them because those are the things Jesus said they should do. Feed the hungry. Welcome the stranger. Visit the sick and those in prison. You know, those things.

The Apostle Paul continues the message by writing that, in Christ, we are no longer woman or man, slave or free, religious or not religious. We are one. Bound together by love, self-sacrificial love. We become transformed persons exhibiting the gifts of the Spirit of Christ. Gifts that include the embodiment of love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, gentleness, faithfulness, generosity, and self control.

You see, Jesus message challenged the whole system of patronage and quid pro quo. And that is why he had to be eliminated. Executed for sedition. But his message stuck. Have you ever wondered how Christianity ever survived three centuries of persecution by the Romans? How, despite the fact there were no Christians in the year 30, Christians had become the majority population in the Roman Empire by the early 4th Century even though Christians did not control the government, educational system, the military, and had no economic power?

Because they, the ones under the thumb of the system of patronage and quid pro quo, took Jesus’ message to heart and began to live the way Jesus taught. And then Emperor Constantine became a Christian. Rescuing the patronage system. Which brings us to today. Quid pro quo.

And the question lingers. Has Christianity lost it’s way?