The Politics of King Jesus

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Photo Credit: The Baptism of Jesus by He Qi

On the first Sunday after Epiphany we celebrate the baptism of Jesus. This reveals that Jesus is the expected Messiah, and not only the Messiah, but God himself and the fulfillment of God’s promises in the Hebrew Scriptures—the one who would bring about God’s reign—his holistic salvation, deliverance, and peace.

To live with Jesus as King has radical, and fundamental implications. It would be impossible to describe all the ways in which the reality that Jesus is King transforms our lives. That would take an entire class—or a lifetime—that is the essence of the Christian life.

The failure to understand that the arrival of Christ changes everything is what allows his name to be co-opted in the ways that many of us rightfully see and lament today and throughout history such as the most recent demonstrations of white supremacy and Christian nationalism where confederate flags and “Jesus Saves” signs were mixed with flags that said “Jesus is My Savior and Trump is My President.” There are also many ways that this goes unnoticed in our own lives and requires our constant returning to Christ.

The arrival of Jesus as king exposes the other kings and gods that we serve. We must repent of all the other places we look for hope, security and comfort whether it is the stock market or our bank accounts, our job prospects or relationships, or our ability to control our circumstances. We must repent of our own desire for safety and convenience that so often come at the expense of other people. That is not to say that some of these places we look for hope aren’t good, or don’t have very real implications on our lives—but they very easily become idols.

We cannot let idolatry prevail in any area—anything that competes for the supremacy of Christ and his reign. There is no room for Jesus + white supremacy or Jesus + Nationalism. Whiteness is not central to Christianity. Neither is America. We do not expect our deliverance to come from political leaders.

We have been grafted into Israel, into God’s people—the kingdom is an international, multi-ethnic people.

Those of us who are white at this point in history must repent of any ways that we have and continue to be been complicit in perpetuating any other idea. This doesn’t just show up in extremist mobs, but every time we—every time I—center and consider my own understanding, interpretation, expression and needs as the only normal expression of Christianity and continue to marginalize the lives of people of color.

To say Jesus is King acknowledges where our true hope lies, but it does not pull us out of the world—it is fundamentally political. It redefines the political and our allegiance to Christ. It transforms our action in the world according to kingdom values. As those baptized with Christ we are part of the new age and new creation ushered in by Christ and are empowered by his Spirit to witness to his reign of righteousness, justice & peace in every sphere of our lives. We don’t build the kingdom–God does that. God has already achieved the reconciliation of all things in Christ and is making all things new, but he has given us the ministry of reconciliation. That is the mission of God and the vocation of God’s people who follow Jesus as King and live as part of the kingdom.

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