Flipbooks

Lutheran Life 5 People have struggled with politicizing Jesus from the beginning. The Jews understood the Messiah to be a political ruler who would restore the kingdom of Israel to all its grandeur and establish the throne of David forever. They believed the Messiah would make Israel a great, indestructible nation among all nations, and the Jewish people would return to the glory days in a land flowing with milk, honey, and unending blessings. These were their hopes—political hopes—when Jesus came on the scene. When Jesus rode into Jerusalem on Palm Sunday, the people shouted, "Hosanna, save us!" because they believed Jesus was the political leader they'd been ea- gerly awaiting, who would liberate them from Roman rule. Even the fictitious charge that finally warranted Jesus' crucifixion was a political one: that He claimed to be the King of the Jews (John 19:12, 15–16). And even after Jesus' resurrection, the disciples continued to ask if now would be the time for Him to establish Himself as an earthly king (Acts 1:6). The people were obsessed with the potential political implications of Jesus as the Christ. We continue to politicize Jesus today. As soon as we make Jesus' main mission about our comfortable life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness, we exchange our Savior, Jesus, for a false Christ. Rev. Matthew Richard explains in his book Will the Real Jesus Please Stand Up? that when we don't distinguish between the two kingdoms, we create a God whose ideals match the American dream of individualism, innovation, democ- racy, capitalism, opportunity, and freedom of choice. This includes "exchang[ing] the corporate nature of the church in favor of individualism [and] . . . childlike dependence with self-made independence" (p. 91–92). Richard explains that Jesus is a crucified Savior for poor miserable sinners, not a powerful ruler who puts heretics, atheists, and unpatriotic anti-nationalists in their place. And that's okay. We can support and applaud our government without looking to them to carry out Christ's plan for our salva- tion. We can even respect leaders who do not confess faith in Christ when they nevertheless work for the benefit and welfare of the people. When we understand the distinction between the two kingdoms, we can value them both for what they are. We can give thanks to God for the government that keeps our land in good order and executes rules and regulations for our safety without seeing our leaders as the reason for our secu- rity. And we can look to God as the source of our hope now and forevermore. w Today's culture has warped the image of Jesus. Re-center around Christ as described biblically and see how to spot the 12 false Christs that have made their way into Christianity. Find this title and others listed in this magazine at cph.org/llresources. WILL THE REAL JESUS PLEASE STAND UP? Consider these discussion questions from Authentic Christianity (p. 195): What are some different ways that Christians today are confused about the relationship between the Church and the world? How does the doctrine of the two kingdoms help clarify the Christian's life in the world? What are some misconceptions about the doctrine of the two kingdoms? How is God actively present in the secular realm, even amid people who do not know Him? 1 2 3

• Cover