The Politics of Jesus
Jesus and politics? Today “politics” is a negative word: a “politician,” my dictionary says, is “a person experienced in the art or science of government.... a person primarily interested in political offices from selfish or other narrow interests....” This definition is so far from our understanding of Jesus’ goals and actions that we find it difficult to see him as active in “politics” or even interested in the political system. Yet although Jesus’ goals, his teaching and his actions, were obviously spiritual, they had great political impact in his own culture – and they still have implications for our political life today.
Jesus’ passion for the kingdom? We have seen that Jesus’ passion was for the kingdom of God. As The Last Week reminds us, Jesus came to incarnate the justice of God by demanding for all a fair share of a world belonging to and ruled by the covenantal God of Israel. But “kingdom” is a very political word – it has to do with how a society organizes itself, how it is governed, and who does the governing. When Jesus spoke of “the kingdom of God,” therefore, he was using a word with great political meaning.
The two processions: Borg and Crossan help us see the political struggle in which Jesus was involved by contrasting two processions into Jerusalem. The first procession – one we are very familiar with – was Jesus’ procession into Jerusalem on what we call “Palm Sunday.” The second procession – one we may not have known about – was a Roman procession into the city. In the same week that Jesus and his disciples entered Jerusalem (and possibly even on the same day) Pilate and his legions also came to take up temporary residence in the Governor’s Palace. Pilate’s procession was designed to impress the citizens of Jerusalem with the power of Rome (a power very necessary at Passover, when throngs of people came to Jerusalem to sacrifice and to protest). Mark’s gospel (Mark 11:1-11) shows us that Jesus planned his own procession into Jerusalem; that is, it was a political act, and it made a deliberate contrast to the very political act of the Roman governor and his legions.
Roman imperial theology: Pilate’s procession also conveyed Roman imperial theology: the Roman Emperor was called the “son of God,” “Lord and Savior” who brought “peace on earth” through conquering and subjugating the warring peoples around the Mediterranean Sea. The Galilean who entered the city on a humble donkey would also be proclaimed as “Son of God, “Lord and Savior”, whose goal was to bring “peace on earth” – not through warfare and oppression, but through the liberating Spirit of God. So, when the first Christians called Jesus “Son of God” and “Lord and Savior” they were proclaiming their allegiance to an alternate Lord and their true guide to “peace on earth.”
Domination systems: Borg and Crossan use the phrase “domination system” to describe the most common way that societies were organized in pre-modern times. Ancient agricultural societies had three major features: political oppression – the many were ruled by the few; economic exploitation – the laws and customs guaranteed that a high proportion of society’s wealth went to a very few; and religious legitimization – the religious leaders, beliefs and customs supported the political oppression and economic exploitation. (We might question whether the “domination system” is not still alive and well in the 21st century.)
Sin: What is “sin” in a domination system? Is sin a personal failure, or personal refusal to follow God’s laws? Or is sin also corporate failure, and corporate denial of God’s laws – by cooperating with the domination system? Borg and Crossan write, As individuals, the wealthy and powerful can be good people – responsible, honest, hard-working, faithful to family and friends, interesting, charming, and good-hearted. The issue is not their individual virtue or wickedness, but the role they played in the domination system. They shaped it, enforced it, and benefited from it.
Again, we may question whether the “domination system” is not still alive and well today:
* Where in our world today are the many still ruled by the few?
* Where in our world today do the few still receive the benefits of wealth?
* Where in our world today do religious leaders and religious systems continue to justify political oppression and economic exploitation?
Wednesday, April 29, 2009
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Today we are thinking of Obama's first 100 days in Office. A group of my brethren are processing into Washington DC... to offer Obama a loaf of bread as they petition an end to the Iraq war and give their reasons. Some are forming a circle around another circle who intend to emphasize their cause by stepping over the line on the sidewalk to be arrested and to give their reasons to the Court. They will break bread and offer their prayers and gather the baskets of bread left over and take the twelve to homeless shelters in D.C.. and joining them are 91 disabled in wheel chairs who have handcuffed themselves to the White House gate and will also be arrested. Their point is to emphasize our funds are going to the wrong needs of our world. As fate would have it I am supposed to have an interview with Medicare today and my "husband" in religion is one of these who are being arrested and who has been arrested over 500 times and spent all his efforts over 50 years on fasts, jail, Court, prayer meetings like this to help people realize that our system of war and politics and courts is not the Kingdom that Jesus preached and which Mark tells us to live. Like Gandhi these are prophets for our day who give their lives for the Kingdom...
ReplyDeleteWow that person sets the bar high in calling for justice.
ReplyDeleteI watched a compelling interview by Bill Moyers with David Simon, the producer of THE WIRE series. He has some powerful things to report about the drug problem in the slums and the panoply of socio-political ill effects from the Plutocracy in America. We have a long history of political oppression beginning with the Native American peoples. And after absolute subjugation and demoralization by repeated failure to make good on the promises inherent in our Constitution and our treaties and agreements, those in authority call the oppressed lazy and good for nothing.
We all have a part in this oppression/neglect if we do not make efforts to speak up for the poor and powerless, to vote up for them, to be willing to pay more property taxes and make demands about the quality of schooling, the reinstatement of affirmative action.
Start be watching Bill Moyers two interviews with David Simon.