Part One: The Snake Jesus was political. There is no way around this statement other than to look at the historical facts. And it’s here, during Holy Week that his politics become the threat to a corrupt system that abandoned God’s will and righteousness for its own. His politics were a social politic; what we might call bleeding heart liberal. We might say Jesus upheld not so much the “letter of the laws” but the “spirit of the law.” It must come from the heart of God’s love for all people first and foremost. We like to believe that we are one such people, and have even gone out on a limb to declare that we are such a nation too. Our countries forefathers made the treacherous journey to begin anew a civilization grounded in biblical law and religious freedom. Many people continue to come to our shores today seeking the same. But as history would demonstrate, there needs to be a balance between “the letter” and “the spirit” of the law. They must work together...for the good of all. This was the politics of Jesus; do what needs to be done to keep the civic thriving but do so without neglecting or favoring any one group or individual over another. His politics were radical and threatened those in charge, especially Caesar and all who worked for the Roman Emperor. Today, Caesar is alive and well, and Jesus continues to be a threat to him and his politics. From this point onward I speak my opinion only and seek to rely on the Holy Spirit to guide the observations and interpretations expressed next. I do so because I believe we have a new Caesar in our midst - a man who believes he is the savior of the world and the gospel (good news) comes through him.
***Such was the political climate in 1st Century Palestine where the Jewish people built a wall around Jerusalem. The wall, as history tells us, did nothing to protect the people but most likely caused more harm than good. For one, it kept the Jews inside. Around AD 70 Caesar sent his Army to destroy Israel once and for all. The wall was a great barrier that made this hard to do. However, inside the city a civil war of sorts broke out and the Jews were killing each other. There was no way for the innocent to escape because of the wall. It was a catch-22 that led to the final downfall of God’s chosen people. And those political factions, especially the Sadducees, were never heard of again. This was exactly as Jesus had predicted before they killed him. ***
4 Comments
Diane W
3/27/2018 09:35:15 pm
Well, I always have to give my honest thoughts when asked. Remember God also told Moses to build an Arc to gather his family and two of every animal to protect them because of what was to come do to all the evil happenings in the world back then. I look at the wall more like the arc! The drugs, rapes, killings, abductions of children that are happening must be stopped. The easy smuggling of drugs and many uncensored illegals immigrants, who have no loyalty to our country, never have to go through the proper channels of learning our constitution or our laws before they become citizens and therefore learn US pride, are out of control. They drive without insurance, at your expense and mine because they have nothing to loose. When they hit us, we and everyone in our car pays the price for their lack of having insurance and not obeying the rules. We need to keep and build up our US pride and raise our country’s standards again so that those coming in will also respect us more and so that our youth will see that we respect America and care enough about their futures, that we will not lower our standards. We need to build up our youth’s gratefulness and pride for what they have and that so many of them now, simply take for granted living here in America. If we want our troubled youth to really understand how lucky they are to be living in America, we must show them by example, that rules must be followed and not just when they suit us. No one is supposed to be here illegally, that is a law! So why as adults, do we teach them that it is sometimes okay to break a law?
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Diane W
3/27/2018 11:03:46 pm
You cut the rest of my letter off. So here it is.
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Ian
3/28/2018 09:38:29 am
Diane, I posted a response on Facebook. Nationalism and pride are dangerous grounds to walk on for those who pledge Christ as their king. His rule is God’s rule and not ours. He understood our civic responsibility in keeping peace and order, but he taught real peace comes from God, real security comes from God, real love comes from God. I’d suggest reading Deuteronomy for more insight to the position that God expects from us as individuals and as a nation. There is much in there about neighbors, immigrants, protectionism, and even the biblical mandate for sanctuary cities. This isn’t Dems v. Republicans but God’s Kingdom coming into power through the reign of Christ. This of course is my opinion, which doesn’t mean yours is invalid. Thank you for your participation in this feed.
Diane W
3/28/2018 05:17:45 am
Sorry meant Noah said Moses by mistake. I‘Ve never been good with names.
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Ian MacdonaldAn ex-copywriter turned punk rock pastor and peacemaker who dedicates his life to making the world a better place for all humanity. "that they all might be one" ~John 17:21“Prius vita quam doctrina.”
~ St. Thomas Aquinas (1225–1274) * “Life is more important than doctrine.”
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