A while back, we were having dinner with friends in a local restaurant when we heard a woman at the next table complain—very loudly—about her pastor. She didn’t want to hear about politics from the pulpit. She said that he should stick to talking about the gospel. After all, that’s why she goes to church.
This woman made another curious comment. She exclaimed that they “shouldn’t politicize Jesus.”
Don’t politicize Jesus? Well, it’s a little late for that. Look at the announcement that the prophet Isaiah made about the coming Messiah:
“For a child is born to us,
a son is given to us.
The government will rest on his shoulders.
And he will be called:
Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God,
Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.
His government and its peace
will never end.
He will rule with fairness and justice from the throne of his ancestor David
for all eternity.
The passionate commitment of the Lord of Heaven’s Armies
will make this happen!”
Isaiah 9:6-7 (NLT) Emphasis mine
Wow. That’s a lot of polarizing speech about someone we feel shouldn’t be political.
We know that this passage talks about both Jesus’ first and second coming to earth. Jesus indeed rejected the idea that He had come to lead the charge to free Judea from the rule of the Roman Empire. He didn’t deny it would happen, but just not at that time. See Acts 1:6-7.
Politics, according to the Cambridge Dictionary, is “The relationships within a group or organization that allow particular people to have power over others.” It’s human nature for individuals and institutions to jockey for position.
As a result, wherever there are people, there will always be politics.
LINKS:
Don’t politicize Jesus?