It is about the transformation of this world—what life would be like on earth if God were ruler and the lords of the domination systems were not. No, He would still be declaring the message He spoke about when He came during the first century. Easter also has a political meaning: it meant that God said yes to Jesus’ passion for a transformed world and no to the powers of domination that killed him. They were mostly composed of more-or-less literate elites who had the luxury of engaging in overt positions of political and religious cooperation or opposition. Biblical scholar Walter Wink says that the teachings of Jesus, particularly his vision of the kingdom of God, were a prescriptive remedy to the domination system. If Jesus had wanted to avoid the political meaning of kingdom language, he could have spoken of the “family” of God, or the “community” of God, or the “people” of God. The word ‘politics’ comes from the Greek word politikos, meaning “of, for, or relating to the polis.” Polis literally means ‘city’ in Greek. The Spirit of the Lord is on me, because he has anointed me to preach good news to the poor. Lines of determined shoppers jostle for advantage in the mall. Politics & Religion in Jesus' Time. Pharisees were leaders in the local synagogue. When we discuss the politics of Jesus, we must first understand the political structures of first-century Roman Palestine, which was an occupied province of the Roman Empire. The gospels show that he was political. The political and religious background that surrounds the ministry of both John the Baptist and Jesus is as follows: Roman coin with image of Tiberius Caesar. The community that gathered around Jesus left everything to follow him. Rome appointed a Jewish King that answered to it (Herodian dynasty), and the faction that collaborated with Rome included the priests (Sadducees) whereas the … Your own nation and the chief priests have delivered You to me. He also knew that it would be relatively easy to silence a single voice. It was the center of government for the Sanhedrin council of the ruling Sadducee party. in Jesus’ Time In looking at the political and religious structure at the time of Jesus, we could explore countless topics. Jesus also used political means, most dramatically in two public political demonstrations. Jesus’ hearers knew about other kingdoms—the kingdom of Herod and the kingdom of Rome (as Rome referred to itself in eastern parts of the empire). Sadducees lived primarily in Jerusalem and their lives were often focused around the happenings of the Jewish temple in Jerusalem. See the definition of âscribeâ for more information. Ambassadors of governments today are expected to not involve themselves in the politics or governmental systems of other nations. It was not a few money changers or dove sellers that were the target of Jesus anger, but the thieves, robbers, and brigands at the top levels of society who perpetuated a system of economic injustice, who robbed people of their land, their wealth, and their livelihoods. endstream endobj startxref Pharisees strongly encouraged the Jewish people to pursue righteousness by closely following the Jewish laws and not compromising with the beliefs and ways of the Romans. Online: https://www.bibleodyssey.org:443/en/people/related-articles/jesus-and-politics, Marcus J. Borg They may become part of the establishment; but that course is only available to a few with the most wealth and power. Woe to you who are full now, for you will be hungry. �e`|�3� �E8� And they maintained their control with military might. On the surface, Jesus seems angered about commerce in the Temple precincts. Where Did the Popular Image of Jesus Come From? h�bbd``b`� $A�g �b$XS�[H�;HB$6&��D��%�6 ��$$��{��Y���w|0 � ( The good news is that the Kingdom of God is coming! They often disagreed with the Pharisees because the Sadducees rejected the oral traditions and much of the doctrine of the Pharisees. Marcus J. Borg (1942-2015) was Hundere Professor of Religion and Culture Emeritus at Oregon State University, past president of the Anglican Association of Biblical Scholars, and author of twenty books. Consequently, while Jesus had dealings with the various socio-political groups and religious ideologies of his his time, he took his own unique life-option. Herod was first married to a daughter of King Aretas of Arabia; then he took Heroidas, his brothersâ wife, as his own wife. Tiberius had distinguished himself as a citizen for his oratory skills, as a soldier and a public official. They have historically used the system to extract wealth from the sweat of slaves, peasants, and laborers, while contributing little to the common welfare. The potential perception that prophecy had been fulfilled was political dynamite. It was a position that had certain parallels with the likes of his mentor, John the Baptist, though there are significant differences in their teachings and ministry. This meant . | Donate, https://www.bibleodyssey.org:443/en/people/related-articles/jesus-and-politics, Jesus’ Crucifixion in Luke’s Gospel (Luke 23), Jesus: Uncovering the Life, Teachings, and Relevance of a Religious Revolutionary, Excavating Jesus: Beneath the Stones, Behind the Texts. It is to help people change their lives so they can be part of God’s coming Kingdom. See our articles in the section on the “Kingdom of God,” including the detailed prophecies that show when Christ will establish this government. The gospel (good news) Jesus declared was about a future government—not the present one. When Jesus used the term ‘kingdom of God’ it expressed a vision of the kind of government God desired for God’s people. Imagine him in the context of a struggle for social and economic equality similar to the struggles of Gandhi and M. L. King as they addressed their respective domination systems. Christians do the same as long as the local laws do not conflict with the laws of God (Acts 5:29). So, at the synagogue in Nazareth, Jesus announced he was launching a political movement to bring relief to the suffering and dispossessed peasants and to re-establish God’s reign of justice in Roman Palestine. The message they shared was that God’s economic justice was arriving, and it was important for every individual to get on board. In Luke’s gospel we read, “After this the Lord appointed seventy others and sent them on ahead of him in pairs to every town and place where he himself intended to go. It is wrong to simply view Jesus as a spiritual savior with a heavenly goal. (Luke 6:27-31), According to the synoptic gospels, sometime in his third year of healing and teaching in Galilee, after building the core of his movement, Jesus set his sights on Jerusalem in Judea. On one occasion, a crowd of followers was so impressed with Jesus’ miraculous ability to feed a large crowd, including 5,000 men, with five loaves of bread and two fish that they attempted to take Him by force and make Him their king! It is a decidedly political task. As we shake our heads and wonder how the birth of Jesus could have been overtaken by such commercialism, we would do well to recall, not just the spiritual, but also the political context of this event. These societies have also invariably been patriarchies where the authority and desires of men were placed over the lives and needs of women and children. Those powers were the wealthy ruling classes of Judea; the Sadducees and Pharisees. The Greek word which we have translated into English as kingdom is ‘basileia’ (bas-il-EH-ah), meaning: kingship, kingly rule, reign, or sovereignty. The word âscribeâ is the English translation of the Greek word âGrammateisâ, which means âstudent of the scriptures.â Scribes were men whose primary occupation was writing out copies of the Jewish Scriptures and teaching the people what the law said. Peter adds, “Therefore submit yourselves to every ordinance of man for the Lord’s sake, whether to the king as supreme, or to governors, as to those who are sent by him for the punishment of evildoers and for the praise of those who do good. And it would be a world of peace and nonviolence. Give to everyone who begs from you; and if anyone takes away your goods, do not ask for them again. God’s kingdom of justice was coming to replace the authority of ingrained systems of domination. No political platform or ideology can truly solve mankind’s problems. So the chief priests and the Pharisees called a meeting of the council, and said, ‘What are we to do? In his case, he was concerned with the Greek city-state. 137:7.6 The scribes and rabbis, taken together, were called Pharisees. The Christian springtime holiday that celebrates Jesus's resurrection. On one side stand the true (or good) constitutions, which aim for the common good, and on the other side the perverted (or deviant) ones, considered such because they aim for the well-being of only a part of the city. Jesus clearly understood that arrest and death are always potential and likely consequences of the pursuit of justice in an unjust society. The majority of the people were subjugated and defeated peasants who were buffeted by political winds and degraded by poverty. In a temple-state, it represented all aspects of the domination system—religious, political, and economic. So, did Jesus have a particular political stance? The lawyers in Jesus time were the scribes. For there is no authority except from God, and the authorities that exist are appointed by God. Surely the politics of Jesus would have come out then. Some say the Kingdom is in men’s hearts, while others say that the mission of the Church is to change today’s governments, making them godly. Of course, Jesus’ message was also religious: he was passionate about God and what God was like. Sadly, all nations have been deceived by Satan (Revelation 12:9). As the scribes were the most learned individuals on the fine details of following Jewish law, their duties also consisted of deciding on specific questions of the law in individual cases. So he addressed the domination system in a different way—a revolutionary way of living by those at the bottom of society that would try to mitigate suffering through radical generosity and sharing of resources.
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