Yesterday, I was blessed to take my family to Mount Rushmore.  I was taken aback by not only the four presidents who are on the mountain, but the artist and men who put it together, the other tributes to states and presidents, and the idea of our beautiful country in general.  Even the simple idea that I can put my 5 kids and wife into a car and drive 6 hours to Rapid City, South Dakota is a miracle and a gift.

 

But even more than that is the simple idea of government and the idea of what the Lord would have us do in government.  Today, I would like to make reference to Mark’s writings.

 

Mark 12  13Later they sent some of the Pharisees and Herodians to Jesus to catch him in his words. 14They came to him and said, “Teacher, we know you are a man of integrity. You aren’t swayed by men, because you pay no attention to who they are; but you teach the way of God in accordance with the truth. Is it right to pay taxes to Caesar or not? 15Should we pay or shouldn’t we?”

16But Jesus knew their hypocrisy. “Why are you trying to trap me?” he asked. “Bring me a denarius and let me look at it.” They brought the coin, and he asked them, “Whose portrait is this? And whose inscription?”

“Caesar’s,” they replied.

17Then Jesus said to them, “Give to Caesar what is Caesar’s and to God what is God’s.”

And they were amazed at him.

 

We live in a very volatile political time.  Never have I seen a bigger chasm of differences and viewpoints…..we are sure of our views and opinions and quick to correct others if they differ from ours……

 

What would Jesus have to say about this very issue?

 

I think that He has said it.  We see in Mark that the Pharisees and religious leaders were trying to trick Him and draw Him into a trap.

As I read this, I think of myself.  How often have I used my political view to line up God, or someone else, with what my conviction was?

 

Here is our reality and the very thing that we should face up to in 2017:

Jesus showed up in one of the most incredible times in human history in a place where there was incredible clash between politics, religion, and culture.  Trying to find a balance between Jewish religion, Roman rule, Sadducees, Gentiles, Samaritans, and all of the different types of people and views could drive you crazy…….but none of that mattered to Jesus.

  • He did not fight political battles…..though many things needed fixed.
  • He did little to challenge the Romans…..though they were ruling with an iron fist.
  • He was not concerned with how He looked to His friends or the people in His faith.
  • He cared nothing of what a woman was allowed to do or not to do, whether a man was “clean” or “unclean”, or whether His religious friends would shun Him for meeting with people who were considered heathens.
  • He did not try to make money or accumulate wealth.
  • He did not try to influence large groups of people.
  • He did not try to do the “popular” thing….even “inviting” people to leave Him if they did not like what He had to say.

 

This verse characterizes both us…..and Him.  The religious leaders want Him dead—and so they are using politics to trick Him so they can kill Him.  How often do we use politics to advance our own personal agenda or deal with our own personal pain?

 

But let’s not focus on the negatives.  Let’s focus on the truth:

  1. No government or leader can steal your hope.  No government or leader can put hope on you.  ONLY the LORD can put hope on you.
  2. People are not rescued or healed or brought out of bondage with policies.  They are brought into freedom by the LORD and the LORD alone.
  3. Rules and standards are blessings….not fences….not restrictions….not joy stealers.  The Lord tells us not to do things or TO DO things to bring us freedom.  The enemy entices and tempts…..so that he can turn and condemn us with the very mistake that he enticed us to do.

 

So if the Lord has called you to do something in politics—go for it.  But if He has not——go have the greater impact by loving, praying, blessing, giving, and encouraging others to press into the greatest ruler they could ever want:

 

Jesus.

 

Because while I love freedom and I love what those guys on Mount Rushmore did to give me a great life under a democratic rule…….

 

I CAN’T WAIT TO LIVE UNDER A DICTATOR:  JESUS CHRIST!

Because having Jesus as my Lord will solve every problem!

 

In the Name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit.  Amen.

 

Know anyone who might like these?  Encourage them to jump on to 2minutewarning.blog and hit the FOLLOW button!!!

Coach J