People often mix politics and Jesus together. I do the same, but with a specific understanding of how to blend the two together: (1) Jesus is my King and I am a citizen of his Kingdom. (2) I follow his politics whether or not it meshes with the kingdoms of this earth. (3) I prophetically provoke the kingdoms of this earth to try to mirror Jesus’ Kingdom, recognizing that they may not always listen.
In order to do all of these correctly, I need to know what King Jesus’ politics are like. Fortunately, he tells us in the greatest message ever preached: the Sermon on the Mount. In the opening part of this speech, he explains what kind of themes the people of his Kingdom are to aim for: poor in spirit, mourning, meek, merciful, pure in heart, peacemaking, and desiring righteousness to the point of being persecuted for it. Jesus tells us that there is blessing in all of these things.
But the kingdoms of the world tell us that these kinds of things don’t work (even though they rarely try to see if that’s the case). “How can a country be something like meek, merciful, and peacemaking? Those politics will destroy us!”
When it comes to Jesus, it’s not about whether or not something “works.” It’s about obedience. Plus, we often don’t see all the background ways in which something “works.” The obedience of martyrdom, for example, often has great effects, though the person won’t be around to see it.
*This devotional was created out of the themes of Matthew 5:1-10 found in today’s reading at CommonPrayer.net. Below are the various AI-created pictures I typed into existence via Mid Journey to mock up artwork for today’s post.
Jamin Bradley 