The Politics of Jesus

Changing the world through weakness, not power

Was Jesus political?

What were the political issues of His day?

Poverty The Economy War Racism Competing parties

(stories) What’s the question

UNDER the questions?

“Political?”

Greek “politikos” Means “affairs of the

city” or “common good”

Concerned with the “polis” or city

There is ALWAYS some transcendent claim being made

Competing Stories

We think in stories Find one we think

explains life and live out of it

Good and bad guys Conservative and liberal Temptation to divide the

word into US and THEM…

But underneath it, we all are searching for PEACE

1. THE DOMINATION STORY: PEACE AND SECURITY

THROUGH BEING IN CONTROL “If only we were in charge!” 2. THE REVOLUTION STORY: PEACE AND SECURITY

THROUGH VIOLENT OVERTHROW OF OPPRESSORS. “If only THEY weren’t in control!” 3. THE PURIFICATION STORY: PEACE AND SECURITY

THROUGH SHAMING/BLAMING, SCAPEGOATING, AND EXCLUDING A MINORITY.

“If only THOSE PEOPLE would change - or disappear.”

Stories in the 1st Century

4. THE VICTIMIZATION STORY: PEACE AND SECURITY (and

identity) THROUGH PRESERVING THE MEMORY OF A PAST INJUSTICE.

“If only our oppressors would be brought to justice.” 5. THE ISOLATION STORY: PEACE AND SECURITY THROUGH

WITHDRAWING FROM THE CORRUPT, DOOMED MAJORITY. “If only we could be left alone to be ourselves by ourselves.” 6. THE ACCUMULATION STORY: PEACE AND SECURITY

THROUGH ACCUMULATING POSSESSIONS IN A COMPETITIVE ECONOMY.

“If only we could buy, enjoy, and stockpile what we desire.”

Stories in the 1st Century

1. Domination story = Caesar, Pilate (with

Sadducees and Herodians) 2. Revolution story = Zealots 3. Purification story = Scribes and Pharisees 4. Victimization story = Galilean farmers,

Samaritans, “sinners” 5. Isolation story = Essenes 6. Consumption story = rich landowners,

stewards, “Gentiles”

Stories in the 1st Century

Stories in the 1st

Century Domination: Us over them Revolution: Us versus them Purification: Us versus

some of us Victimization: Us in spite of

them Isolation: Us away from

them Accumulation: Us

competing with them Are these stories still at

work today?

Where did Jesus land? The Kingdom of God Part of a long story Genesis 1 (God is King) Genesis 3 (Man is King) Genesis 4 (Founding of

society) Genesis 11 (Babel) Genesis 12 (Abe) Exodus (“kingdom of priests,”

a “set apart” people”) 1 Samuel 8 (Like the nations) Prophets (Come Back!!)

The Kingdom

Jesus comes on the scene and starts talking about the “kingdom” of God

Word means “king’s dome”

The place where God reigns

Jesus came to establish what it would look like when God reigns over a life or a community

ALWAYS looks like Jesus

31 “Your Majesty looked, and there before you stood a large statue—an enormous, dazzling statue, awesome in appearance. 32 The head of the statue was made of pure gold, its chest and arms of silver, its belly and thighs of bronze, 33 its legs of iron, its feet partly of iron and

partly of baked clay. 34 While you were watching, a rock was cut out, but not by human hands. It struck the statue on its feet of iron and clay and smashed them. 35 Then the iron, the clay,

the bronze, the silver and the gold were all broken to pieces and became like chaff on a threshing floor in the summer. The wind swept them away without leaving a trace. But the rock that struck the statue became a huge mountain and filled the whole earth 36 “This was

the dream, and now we will interpret it to the king. 37 Your Majesty, you are the king of kings. The God of heaven has given you dominion and power and might and glory; 38 in your hands he has placed all mankind and the beasts of the field and the birds in the sky. Wherever they

live, he has made you ruler over them all. You are that head of gold. 39 “After you, another kingdom will arise, inferior to yours. Next, a third kingdom, one of bronze, will rule over the

whole earth. 40 Finally, there will be a fourth kingdom, strong as iron—for iron breaks and smashes everything—and as iron breaks things to pieces, so it will crush and break all the

others. 41 Just as you saw that the feet and toes were partly of baked clay and partly of iron, so this will be a divided kingdom; yet it will have some of the strength of iron in it, even as

you saw iron mixed with clay. 42 As the toes were partly iron and partly clay, so this kingdom will be partly strong and partly brittle. 43 And just as you saw the iron mixed with baked clay,

so the people will be a mixture and will not remain united, any more than iron mixes with clay. 44 “In the time of those kings, the God of heaven will set up a kingdom that will

never be destroyed, nor will it be left to another people. It will crush all those kingdoms and bring them to an end, but it will itself endure forever. 45 This is the

meaning of the vision of the rock cut out of a mountain, but not by human hands—a rock that broke the iron, the bronze, the clay, the silver and the gold to pieces. “The great God has

shown the king what will take place in the future. The dream is true and its interpretation is trustworthy.”

Daniel 2

13 ”Later they sent some of the Pharisees and Herodians to Jesus to catch him in his words. 14 They came to him and said, “Teacher, we know that you are a man of integrity.

You aren’t swayed by others, because you pay no attention to who they are; but you teach the way of God in

accordance with the truth. Is it right to pay the imperial tax to Caesar or not? 15 Should we pay or shouldn’t we?”

But Jesus knew their hypocrisy. “Why are you trying to trap me?” he asked. “Bring me a denarius and let me look at it.” 16 They brought the coin, and he asked them, “Whose image is this? And whose inscription?” “Caesar’s,” they replied. 17 Then Jesus said to them, “Give back to Caesar

what is Caesar’s and to God what is God’s.” And they were amazed at him.”

Mark 12

24 ”After Jesus and his disciples arrived in Capernaum, the

collectors of the two-drachma temple tax came to Peter and asked, “Doesn’t your teacher pay the temple tax?” 25 “Yes,

he does,” he replied. When Peter came into the house, Jesus was the first to speak. “What do you think, Simon?” he

asked. “From whom do the kings of the earth collect duty and taxes—from their own children or from others?” 26 “From

others,” Peter answered. “Then the children are exempt,” Jesus said to him. 27 “But so that we may not cause offense, go to the lake and throw out your line. Take the first fish you catch; open its mouth and you will find a four-drachma coin.

Take it and give it to them for my tax and yours.”

Matthew 17

The Kingdom

“My kingdom is not of this world.”—John 18:36

Essence NOT location What does this mean? That the ways and means

of Jesus are not like the kingdoms we have seen

A kingdom founded on weakness at the cross

The HIGH POINT of the revelation of God, of this HIDDEN (Col. 3) kingdom

11 Put on the full armor of God, so that you

can take your stand against the devil’s schemes. 12 For our struggle is not

against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities,

against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms. 13 Therefore put on the full armor of God, so that when the

day of evil comes, you may be able to stand your ground, and after you have done

everything, to stand.

Ephesians 6

11 Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the schemes

of the devil. 12 For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities,

against the cosmic powers over this present darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places.

13 Therefore take up the whole armor of God, that you may be able to withstand in

the evil day, and having done all, to stand firm.

Ephesians 6

Welcome to the

Machine Systems and structures People and problems Sin with momentum Think Genesis 1-3 again and

again Think the Matrix, the Hunger

Games, etc. Ecclesiastes 1:9

“What has been is what will be, and what has been done is what will be done, and there is nothing new under the sun.”

What does Jesus say?

Pagan Time

Kingdom Time

Old aeon (age)

New aeon (age)

Both are happening at the same time right now

Old age marked by fallen powers, in which violence checks violence

New age marked by suffering love and

the rule of the kingdom of God, this is what it means to live apocalyptically

I’m from the future

Humanity as it is

Jesus comes into reality as the

representative of the New

Humanity

New Humanity

11 Therefore, remember that formerly you who are Gentiles by birth and called “uncircumcised” by those who call themselves “the circumcision”

(which is done in the body by human hands)— 12 remember that at that time you were separate from Christ, excluded from citizenship in Israel and

foreigners to the covenants of the promise, without hope and without God in the world. 13 But now in Christ Jesus you who once were far away have

been brought near by the blood of Christ. 14 For he himself is our peace, who has made the two groups one and has destroyed the barrier, the

dividing wall of hostility, 15 by setting aside in his flesh the law with its commands and regulations. His purpose was to create in himself one new humanity out of the two, thus making peace, 16 and in one body

to reconcile both of them to God through the cross, by which he put to death their hostility. 17 He came and preached peace to you who were

far away and peace to those who were near. 18 For through him we both have access to the Father by one Spirit. 19 Consequently, you are no longer

foreigners and strangers, but fellow citizens with God’s people and also members of his household, 20 built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, with Christ Jesus himself as the chief cornerstone. 21 In him the

whole building is joined together and rises to become a holy temple in the Lord. 22 And in him you too are being built together to become a dwelling in

which God lives by his Spirit.

Ephesians 2

15 For this reason, ever since I heard about your faith in the Lord Jesus and your love for all God’s people, 16 I have not stopped

giving thanks for you, remembering you in my prayers. 17 I keep asking that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the glorious Father,

may give you the Spirit of wisdom and revelation, so that you may know him better. 18 I pray that the eyes of your heart may be

enlightened in order that you may know the hope to which he has called you, the riches of his glorious inheritance in his holy people, 19 and his incomparably great power for us who believe.

That power is the same as the mighty strength 20 he exerted when he raised Christ from the dead and seated him at

his right hand in the heavenly realms, 21 far above all rule and authority, power and dominion, and every name that is invoked, not only in the present age but also in the one

to come. 22 And God placed all things under his feet and appointed him to be head over everything for the church, 23 which is his body, the fullness of him who fills everything in

every way.

Ephesians 1

12 Not that I have already obtained all this, or have already arrived at my goal,

but I press on to take hold of that for which Christ Jesus took hold of me. 13 Brothers and sisters, I do not consider myself yet to have taken hold of it. But one thing I do: Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead, 14 I

press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus. 15 All of us, then, who are mature should take such a view of things. And if on some point you think differently, that too God will make

clear to you. 16 Only let us live up to what we have already attained 17 Join together in following my example, brothers and sisters, and just as you have us as a model, keep your eyes on those who live as we do. 18 For, as I have often

told you before and now tell you again even with tears, many live as enemies of the cross of Christ. 19 Their destiny is destruction, their god is their stomach, and

their glory is in their shame. Their mind is set on earthly things. 20 But our citizenship is in heaven. And we eagerly await a Savior from there, the Lord

Jesus Christ, 21 who, by the power that enables him to bring everything under his control, will transform our lowly bodies so that they will be like his glorious body.

Phil 3

1Now when Jesus saw the crowds, he went up on a mountainside and sat down. His

disciples came to him, 2 and he began to teach them.He said: 3 “Blessed are the poor in spirit,    for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.

4 Blessed are those who mourn,    for they will be comforted.

5 Blessed are the meek,    for they will inherit the earth.

6 Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness,    for they will be filled.

7 Blessed are the merciful,    for they will be shown mercy.8 Blessed are the pure in heart,

    for they will see God.9 Blessed are the peacemakers,

    for they will be called children of God.10 Blessed are those who are persecuted because of righteousness,

    for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.11 “Blessed are you when people insult you, persecute you and falsely say all kinds of evil

against you because of me. 12 Rejoice and be glad, because great is your reward in heaven, for in the same way they persecuted the prophets who were before you.

Matthew 5

13 “You are the salt of the earth. But if the salt loses its saltiness, how can it be made salty

again? It is no longer good for anything, except to be thrown out and trampled underfoot. 14 “You are the light of the world. A town built on a hill cannot be hidden. 15 Neither do people light a

lamp and put it under a bowl. Instead they put it on its stand, and it gives light to everyone in the

house. 16 In the same way, let your light shine before others, that they may see your good

deeds and glorify your Father in heaven.

Matthew 5

Salt and Light

The claim: “Jesus taught that

participation in God’s reign requires the disciplined practices of a Christ-following countercultural community that obeys God by publicly engaging in working for justice and refusing to trust in the world’s powers and authorities.”—Kingdom Ethics, Stassen

Salt and Light

Entire SOM is about obedience

Focus is not on the salt, but on its losing its saltiness…

Losing distinction and identity from the world…

Greek for “tasteless” can also mean “foolish”

Foolishness begins and ends the SOM

Salt and Light

Salt is used in the Bible: purity, covenant loyalty, seasoning…

Giving away what is distinct about you ruins the salt.

“Trampled on” You’re a joke. You’re

not taken seriously. The church today?

Salt and Light

Isaiah 2: 1-5 This is what Jesus is doing here

in the SOM! “Teach us how to live!” The result of all these

teachings are…set apart people doing good deeds!

Through serving and weakness, not through our power!

This is how the CHURCH is different!

People, not issues! Why is this so hard? Control.

Love your enemies?!

Matthew 5:38-48 “You have heard it

said…” Jesus as the

authoritative interpreter of the Law

In context, this command is of disciples of Jesus not governments

Historical Context

The hand In Jewish culture, the hands had

huge significance Right=Clean (eating, Right hand

of God) Left=Unclean (didn’t eat with this

hand) Two ways to hit: slap or hit Slap was to show who was

superior Only hit an equal Could slap with the LEFT or

backhand with the RIGHT Both DEHUMANIZE Turning the cheek calls out the

system, causes confusion…

Historical Context

Tunic and Coat Economy is falling apart Families are selling land AND

working on it to pay debt 2 garments: Tunic and Coat Deuteronomy says you can

give your coat as a pledge to pay someone back

Nakedness=Shame Noah’s sons These actions would bring

shame on the person suing…

Historical Context

Referring to Roman soldiers’ packs

A soldier traveling through a town could force someone to carry their pack one mile…

There were laws against allowing someone to carry the pack more than one mile…

Soldiers would get in HUGE trouble

Who has the power now? Turns everything upside

down

The Third Way

These are practical, tangible ways to call out inhumane systems

Not pacifism (flight) Not violence (fight) These things, this way,

unmasks worldviews Provokes imagination Offers a chance to

restore BOTH parties (the oppressor and the oppressed)!

Us vs. Them

Most pervasive narrative in our culture

Demonizes Dehumanizes Distances Look at how PERSONAL

the language is in this passage

Institutions cannot love

Why we hate this.

Fear. The question is NOT, “What

will happen if everyone did this?”

The question is, “What will happen if I do this and THEY don’t.”

Again, this is not a call to pure pacifism

It’s a call to be a people for the peoples of the world

The idol of safety We’ve mostly turned Jesus into

someone who looks like us, not the man who died on the cross

The God Who Loves

Enemies God is the ultimate enemy

lover (Romans 5:8-10) Jesus was slapped, stripped,

and forced to carry a burden that was not His own!

He gives EVERYTHING at the cross!

1 Peter 2:21-25 Luke 23:24 (Imperfect tense

there suggests he KEPT praying it)

Doing this humanizes people, it brings us face to face with their humanity

Col. 2:13-15

Love works.

Rwanda, South Africa, India, Civil Rights Movement

Call to discipleship means to renounce every personal right

Especially a convenient restriction on love

Where are the NEW stories to live by?

Myth of Redemptive Violence?! Been there.

Hit back harder until peace is achieved (Dark Knight Rises)

“Returning hate for hate multiplies hate, adding deeper

darkness to a night already devoid of stars. Darkness cannot drive out darkness; only light can do that. Hate cannot drive

out hate; only love can do that. Hate multiplies hate, violence multiplies violence, and toughness multiplies

toughness in a descending spiral of destruction. So when Jesus says “Love your enemies,” he is setting forth a

profound and ultimately inescapable admonition. Have we not come to such an impasse in the modern world that we must love our enemies– or else? The chain reaction of evil–hate begetting hate, wars producing wars–must be broken, or we shall be plunged into the dark abyss of annihilation.”

MLK Jr.

Imagination.

We live in a culture were people imagine for us

Romans 12-13 Bracketed with LOVE This is different from

choosing sides, it’s choosing to love

Whatever that means… People are hurting… 1 Peter 5:8

Be alert and of sober mind. Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour.

A Community of

Imagination This is what the church is

called to be… Romans 12-13 Transform your mind! 1 Peter 2:9-12 Live as aliens! HONOR

EVERYONE! “Christians are to live in ways

that don’t make sense without God.”

See things differently… Ephesians 2 Is there life BEFORE death?

Allegiance to King and a

Kingdom Exodus 32 Read and discuss. They didn’t quit

worshipping Yahweh Acts 2 “One is either a good

German or a good Christian. It is impossible to be both at the same time”—Adolph Hitler

Practices, Reminders, and The

Story Our stories define our

words Love, bike, alien, kick Christians have stepped

into the story of Jesus His story gives content to

words like “love” and “righteousness”

We need to be reminded… This is what “church”

does…

Practices, Reminders, and The

Story Ways of remembering… Practices that remind and

provoke… And work toward and end… Confrontation (Matt. 18) Breaking Bread (1 Cor. 11,

Acts 2) Giving (Luke 3, Acts 2-4) Love (John 13:35) Unity (Eph. 4, John 17) NOT things to do, but things

we ARE Gal. 2:20

“How can anyone anyone change the world and

society at its roots without taking away freedom? Can it only be that God begins in a small way, at one single place in the world? For there MUST be a place,

visible, tangible, where the salvation of the world can begin: that is, where the world becomes what it

is supposed to be according to God’s plan. Beginning at that place, the new thing can spread abroad, but not through persuasion, not through indoctrination,

not through violence. Everyone must have the opportunity to come and see. This place is church.”

Scott and Cavanaugh

Practices, Reminders, and The

Story Wanted to spend time on one

practice in particular… Baptism Signifies many things:

remission of sins, gift of the Holy Spirit, Death of the old self, appeal of a good conscience

Gal 3:26-29, 2 Cor. 5:16-21, Romans 6, Col. 2:9-15

“Baptism was and is nothing less than a declaration of allegiance to God’s transcendent kingdom and a rejection of this present age.”—Hicks and Valentine

Sinking Sand (Matt. 7:25-

29)

Alone and Together