Politics, Power and God

November 13, 2016    26^th Sunday After Pentecost    Luke 21:5-19

I know you’re probably sick to your ears with politics and political analysis, but I’d like to walk with you down the political lane of first century Jewish politics.  Imagine yourself a Jewish leader living near Jerusalem.  Things aren’t great, but things are going well enough.  Your country has long been a territory under the control of Rome.  You don’t like that, but you’ve learned that if you keep your head down, do your work, pay your taxes, and don’t cause trouble the Romans don’t bother you.

But there’s this really bizarre dynamic going on.  While the Romans definitely are in charge, the Herod family pretends to be the ruling family of the Jews – the Jewish monarchy.  For the last few generations there has been a King Herod.  Interestingly though, while the Herods are technically Jewish they probably don’t have an authentic Jewish blood line.  So they can’t be in the line of David and thus legitimately be the king.  But neither you nor anyone else dares to look into that too much.  Those who oppose the Herods or get too nosy somehow always end up dead. 

You know that in the previous century the Herods helped the Romans solidify control of Jewish territory and as a result the Romans have appointed a Herod ancestor as “King of the Jews”.  Because of this even though the Romans technically rule the Jews have some degree of autonomy.  That’s good.

And whether they’re legitimately Jewish or not, the Herods have definitely invested in Jewish interests.  At the time of Jesus the temple had been under a construction and expansion project for over 40 years.  The temple itself was not a very big building – little larger than our sanctuary.  The Herods had beautified it with gold and marble.  They’d added courtyards and walls; enough to make it an awe inspiring spectacle.  By the time of Jesus the temple complex sprawled over 20% of the land inside the walls of Jerusalem.  It could hold its own against any temple or arena in Rome or Athens or wherever.  The Herods had raised Judaism from an obscure backwater religion into national prominence and recognition.  Jerusalem was worth going to because of the great Jewish temple!

But there was a dark side to the Herods.  Those who opposed them always ended up dead somehow.  The Herods were not good humble Jews.  They lived it up.  And their tendency to marry, divorce and remarry made Hollywood stars love lives seem simple.  The Herod family tree looks more like a plate of spaghetti than anything else!

If you were a Jewish leader you had to play a very delicate game.  You needed the Herods.  You had to keep them happy, but you were appalled by them too.  You made compromises.  You made deals, trying your best in a very difficult political landscape.  Any mistake could bring about disaster.  And you had more than just the Herods to worry about.  Judaism itself was not a unified religion.  The sect of the Pharisees didn’t put much store in the temple or your leadership in Jerusalem.  The Pharisees had been creating these local gatherings called synagogues.  They had their own beliefs and appointed their own leaders.  They tended to question the central authority of Jerusalem.  And they were growing.

There were oddball groups like the Essenes – ultra ultra strict and orthodox, these groups rejected you altogether.  They lived out in their own communities in the wilderness.

There were also Zealots who wanted to overthrow the Romans by force.  They needed to be kept in check or else the Romans might crack down militarily.  You’d lose the tenuous existence that you’ve created.

And then there were these oddball movements that would spring up under charismatic leaders.  Jesus of Nazareth was one of them.  You never knew what these groups would do.  You kept an eye on them.

All-in-all, being a Jewish religious leader required good business and political skill.  So much was at stake.  So much could go wrong.  God had called you to keep the faith and preserve the traditions.  You had a lot of responsibility; yet not much power.

I say all this because it helps us to understand the complexity of their situation, and also maybe realize some parallels to our own lives.

Now listen to Jesus’ words to his disciples from the gospel reading:  “As for these things that you see, the days will come when not one stone will be left upon another; all will be thrown down.”  That is flabbergasting news.  The temple, destroyed?  The temple, the home of God, the center of Jewish faith; gone?  People for centuries had sacrificed greatly to build and maintain it.  People had died to preserve it.  How could God allow such a thing?  Did God not care how hard people had worked to create a fitting place to represent God’s presence?

Look at what had happened.  Without condemning the faith behind the temple, Jesus criticized what it had become.  Instead of being a place of grace and mercy it had become a system of manipulation and oppression.  While the Herods were generous it was really a tool for their political gain.  They wanted power and the only way to get it was if the Jews supported them.  From the Jewish side there was benefit from the Herods too.  Not only did they provide generous support they also preserved some semblance of Israel as an independent nation. 

God doesn’t need to work that way.  God does not need money or politics savvy or armies to do his will. 

In the ‘60’s of the first century there was growing dissent among the Jews.  Rebellions and uprisings were happening against the Romans.  Charismatic leaders were whipping up followers and they appear to have been teaching that the time to overthrow the Romans was then.  They taught that God wanted and needed them to overthrow the Romans – by their power it would be done.  And so if their hearts were pure and their goals were just if they acted God would grant them success.  They were wrong.  And in the Roman crackdown Jesus’ prophecy became reality.  The temple was destroyed.

How does God get his work done?  Through political elections?  Last week at the Men’s Breakfast we considered who Jesus would have voted for.  I said that if Jesus was given the ballot he probably would have written in, “Dad”.  But of course as Jesus says God’s kingdom is not of this world.  It does not work that way.

Jesus goes on to teach his disciples that there will be wars and insurrections, earthquakes, famines, and all sort of dreadful portents.  What are they to do about them?  They are to do nothing.  They are to neither work to support and create them nor try to stop them.  When persecuted and put on trial for their faith are they to put together an ace legal defense team?  Does God need lawyers to get his work done?  Nope.

Jesus wants his followers to know a very simple truth.  Following him isn’t hard.  It isn’t complicated.  It doesn’t take business savvy nor political savvy.  (That’s a slam against both Donald Trump and Hillary Clinton if you missed it.)  You don’t have to be smart, or pretty, or strong, or rich, or charismatic.  You simple do: what is good, what is right, what is just, what is loving, what is up-building.  And if you are uncertain or have doubts, then err on the side of mercy and forgiveness. 

Ultimately Jesus calls on his disciples and all of us who follow after them to see other people as full human beings worthy of dignity and respect.  In that God’s work is done.  God’s will is accomplished.

We pray “thy kingdom come” but that cannot happen with an election.  It happens within ourselves when we make it real around us.  Mother Theresa said, “Spread love everywhere you go.  Let no one ever come to you without leaving happier.”