OK, so today I saw the following and I had to respond to it:
In the video, Molotov Mitchell exclaims that Jesus was a right-wing figure in the Bible. He cites how Jesus confronted the leaders of his day and sometimes even got violent with them.
One of the more annoying things I find with any side that claims Jesus would be on their side is that they are flat out wrong. I believe I have previously written about this, but it is just one of my major pet peeves.
I don’t put God or Jesus in my own personal box or believe that he is some force that we can manipulate to fit our own ideologies. He simply is. There is no force in this world greater than Him and not even death stopped Him.
It is arrogant to believe that a man who was also God who lived, died, came back to life, and ascended into Heaven over 2000 years ago would espouse some ideology that just so happens to match your own. I’m a libertarian-minded person but more importantly I am a follower of Jesus and I don’t see how Jesus would even care about my theory of government. I think He would be more concerned with the state of my walk with Him, if anything else. But I could be wrong on the speculation because, like I said, I try not to put Him in my own box.
I understand the attitude that is prevalent on the conservative Right which accepts this doctrine. For many, because their moral worldview synchronizes with what they perceive as the Biblical worldview, they believe that they are on the side of Jesus. In actuality, they are trying to put Jesus on their side. This is not to say that Jesus was apolitical, He just seemed to care more about saving the lost and preaching the Truth rather than liberating the Jews from their Gentile overloads.
I admit that from time to time I will try to justify my own political attitudes with the teachings of Jesus. But at the same I know that all governments, regardless of their level of corruption, are allowed to exist by God and as such we have apply a certain level of decorum in these matters. Not to say that we shouldn’t try and create a government that benefits the people and allows more followers to be made, of course, just that sometimes God’s Will is that we endure despots. The prophet Jeremiah proclaimed this to the last kings of Judah and still they sought to rebel. Naturally there were other factors involved here, but the overall point is that God considered Nebuchadnezzar His servant even though that king considered himself to be a god.
I believe that Jesus died for my sins and redeemed me before God. As a consequence of that, I have the gift of eternal life. I do not believe that Jesus' life, death, and ministry revolved around my political ideology and neither should you. Just keep in mind that when Moses asked God what he should tell his people, God merely stated, “I am”.