The Politics of Jesus

I read Andrew Sullivan most every day. I often disagree with him but he is certainly an interesting read, and no more so when when he is trying to hold together being gay with being a Republican in today's right-wing Christian influenced version of the GOP. But sometimes he says things that are completely off-base. In a recent post about what he fears about Obama (what he fears is that Obama is a transformational candidate who could cement big government thinking for decades to come) he comments on Obama's religious appeal. He doesn't like it because he doesn't think it is true to his understanding of Jesus and Christianity. Sullivan says:

For my part, I believe Jesus had no politics, let alone the big government politics of our time.

How does Sullivan think Jesus ended up on a cross, crucified by the Roman empire? He was crucified as a political revolutionary, a threat to the peace and order of the state. Why? Because he was, truly, a threat to the peace and order of the state.

Jesus practiced a politics of radical equality. This is where his religious vision led him. No one knew better than the Roman empire, a profoundly unjust regime built on the backs of peasants and slaves, how dangerous such a religious vision was. Jesus was not unique in his day. Why was John the Baptist beheaded by Herod? Why as Passover approached each year did the Roman authorities march a Legion to within easy striking distance of Jerusalem? Religious people motivated by visions of justice and equality are dangerous people. Their vision may be religious but it has real political consequences.

It is true, of course, that Jesus had no vision of a big government programs to put in place his religious vision of justice. He also had no vision of traveling around Galilee in a car. The only big government he knew - and the only big government that existed in his day - was built from the ground up on authoritarianism and injustice. The practical tools and the evolution in thinking had not yet been invented to make it possible for a democratically based system of government to tackle enormous social problems and deliver goods and services in a just manner.

If Jesus were alive in America today would he advocate the abolishment of Social Security and a return to fear and the prospect of destitution and poverty for seniors? Somehow I doubt it. And for the same reason he would support a healthcare delivery system that guaranteed care for every person.

Any religious vision that seeks to embody equality and justice has political consequences. It is not possible to be for it and remain above the fray of politics. Think Gandhi; think MLK Jr.; think Mandela. And if you happen to live in the realm of a deeply unjust regime, it can get you crucified.