Jesus and Politics

After the recent historic Supreme Court ruling that it is now lawful in all states for homosexuals to marry, it seems the nation is in an uproar voicing its individual opinions. I am personally a believer in Christ, so my attention is more drawn to how other believers are handling this news than to non-believers.

It seems there are extreme law-abiders who want to voice and convince those around them that homosexuality is a sin and they will speak up and be persecuted if need be to give voice to that truth. Others are the extreme-loving believers who want to voice that no matter how anyone chooses to live, they will still love them because God loves them and they will not judge those who live how they see best. The last group I see most often are those who declare that Jesus did not take positions on political issues and so they won’t either. They will focus on loving people and let the political issues sort themselves out.

When I see believers seem to be so confused on how to respond to the governmental decisions we see today, it makes me want to dig into the Word to know for myself how I believe and if it lines up with the Word of God. I like to go specifically to what Jesus himself said because there’s not as much confusion there. It is pretty obvious how God believes and what He would do if we have documentation of His exact words.

The heavy law-abiding believers base a lot of importance in following the commands in the Bible. There was a group like this in the Bible who asked Jesus a question concerning a law that was in place during that time. Now this is a law that those in authority made, so you would say that it was a political question. They asked if a man should be allowed to divorce his wife. This was a political question concerning the law concerning marriage rights. Sound familiar? Did Jesus shy away from talking politics or did he respond to their concerns? Let’s see:

Mark 10:3-4

Jesus answered them with a question: “What did Moses say in the law about divorce?”

“Well, he permitted it,” they replied. “He said a man can give his wife a written notice of divorce and send her away.”

So, Jesus and they both know that divorce is not lawful in the commandments from God, but Jesus starts out asking what is the ruling in the land now. They answered that even though God had given the command to not do it, the command had been not followed in the ruling by those in authority when the law was made. Sound familiar? Jesus continues to explain why this ruling happened…

Mark 10:5-9

But Jesus responded, “He wrote this commandment only as a concession to your hard hearts.

Jesus said that the reason those in authority made that ruling was because the hearts of the people were hardened against the law God had given. To them, it made no sense at all to follow that command any longer. Sound familiar? But, instead of focusing on how terrible it was that such a law was made, Jesus brought the focus to the fact that people’s hearts were hardened against God’s will for their lives.

Maybe the greater travesty for believers should be that the court ruling is a reflection of just how hard so many people’s hearts are against God’s plan for them instead of the law itself that was made which reflects that. Our greater concern should maybe be for the lost, the blind, and the confused rather than the law that actually reveals to us the great number of those around us who are.

Jesus continues on:

Mark 10:6-9

But ‘God made them male and female’ from the beginning of creation. ‘This explains why a man leaves his father and mother and is joined to his wife and the two are united into one.’ Since they are no longer two but one, let no one split apart what God has joined together.”

Jesus went on to say that yes this is the ruling, but a ruling by a man doesn’t change God’s opinion, God’s will, or God’s instructions for us. But means despite that, or in spite of that, or even so… And Jesus starts out saying despite the fact that man created a new law, in spite of man making this a law, even so… what God has instructed is not shaken: He made man for woman and woman for man. Let no one split apart what God has brought together.

Do we not realize that divorce is legal in America? Do we not realize that God said that once we have become one with our spouse we should not divorce? The high divorce rate is a reflection of just how hard even Believers’ hearts have grown and that to me is so much more disheartening than the fact that divorce is legal.

The Bible told us this would come:

2 Timothy 2:3

For people will love only themselves and their money. They will be boastful and proud, scoffing at God, disobedient to their parents, and ungrateful. They will consider nothing sacred.

Anytime we stiffen our neck and declare: But I have a right to ____… even when it causes actions that are contrary to what God has told us is permissible to us, we can guarantee that pride is involved. We can guarantee that we are loving ourselves rather than laying down our life for the benefit of someone else. Anytime we assert that we know better than God and are not willing to listen to what He has shown us, we can guarantee pride is involved. And anytime pride is involved, a hard heart is as well.

Once we no longer hold sacred what God has shown us is, we can guarantee that the happiness we are so sure we deserve will forever be just out of reach, tormenting us with promises of a better way that will never be fulfilled. And this should grieve us. It should grieve us that people are living in darkness and eternal souls are being fought over by principalities we do not see.

Today, I am saddened… but not because of a law that does not reflect God’s law. We have already had those for quite some time now. I am saddened to see so many people around me loving themselves, loving their things, bragging about how much they know all the while mocking, ridiculing, and making fun of my God. I am saddened to see young people act so disrespectful to those who gave them life, and young and old alike griping about everything but being thankful for very little. And today I am saddened that nothing is so sacred, so special and so set apart, that we would never do anything to disrespect, dishonor, or tarnish it.

I hurt for the wife whose husband loves his desires more than he loves her. My heart is moved for the husband who is constantly criticized but never thanked by his wife. I am moved for the kids whose parents are more concerned with getting stuff than spending time with them. I am moved for the parents who have given everything they have to invest in their kids and the kids turn around and spit in their face by their actions. I am saddened for every person out there whose heart has been broken by someone who pursued happiness for themselves without care for who was getting hurt and scarred in the process. This is what hardness of heart brings and this is of much graver concern to me than a law that reflects it.

Father God, thank You for showing us through Jesus that You are not opposed to addressing political issues. Thank You for pointing out how political rulings are only a reflection of what is going on in the hearts of so many. I pray for our nation, Lord. I pray that eyes of understanding would be opened and I pray that we as a nation would humble ourselves before You and care about You once again. I pray for those living in darkness who think that their happiness is the ultimate goal. I pray that they may know You and be flooded with light so that they can know Your hope and Your love which is too great to even understand! Please help me be a reflection of You in all that I do. Please help me not be so focused on the law that I forget to care about souls, and please help me not use “love” as an excuse to disregard what You, Love, have shown us.

#politics