This series has been about how many of us have lowered our expectations concerning the application of scripture. The points concerning the words of Jesus that I have labored to present and exegete are actually lens to look at life and especially our present circumstance of a Presidential election season. The life of Jesus as recorded by the 4 gospels always prioritizes the poor and disinherited. That is a lesson to use as a lens when assessing political candidates.
The people that Jesus most identified with were the kind of people that the rest of polite society had shunned, marginalized and excluded. That too is a measuring tool to examine the political aspirations of potential candidates. The words of Jesus often chastised the wealthy and well to do while offering comfort and compassion to those on the bottom of society in the first century. There are many insights from the life of Jesus that are a source of help in identifying those who seek elected office.
Jesus did not respect human made borders or human contrived boundaries. In several instances the gospels record Jesus intentionally going either through or into Samaritan territory to address a need among those labelled as Samaritans. Jesus even used the faith of a Samaritan person stricken with Leprosy to highlight to his African Jewish community what faith really looks like.
Jesus used the compassion and care of a Samaritan traveler as an example of what true neighborliness should look like. By the way modern day people inaccurately named this story as the “good Samaritan.” Jesus did not say that neither did the recorders of the gospel say it was a good Samaritan. That is a racist “othering” of a person of a different ethnicity. It’s like saying “That’s my smart African American,” which indicated that the speaker does not think that most African Americans are smart.
Jesus never said, “the good Samaritan,” helped the one beaten by thieves. In fact, he never revealed the ethnicity until the end of the story when he reveals that it was a Samaritan that was a neighbor. Jesus in the words of our present culture was throwing shade at the lack of compassion from those who should have been more compassionate. Yet this also shows that our almost fanatic focus only on the southern border is grossly out of step with the central figure of our faith. By the way why don’t we hear about immigrants pouring in from the east coast and Canada who are undocumented while living in places like New York?
Finally, Jesus has some strong words in the entire chapter of Matthew 25. In this chapter Jesus tells 3 stories and all of the stories are about people who should know better and should do better but who fall short while others different from them are praised for their faithfulness. He tells the story of the “ten virgins,” where 5 were diligent and 5 were negligent. The 5 that were diligent were able to experience welcome while the door was permanently shut on those who were negligent.
He then tells the story of the “Talents.” The two who were given talents and did something with their talents to multiply them were honored with the “well done good and faithful servant,” while the one who did nothing with his talent but hide it was severely rebuked.
Jesus then closes his discourse with the story of the sheep and goats or his Judgement of the nation’s story. Those who fed the hungry, gave water to the thirsty, clothed the naked, welcomed strangers (read immigrants), and cared for the sick, were granted entrance into the holy assembly. Yet those who did not feed the hungry, did not give water to the thirsty, did not clothed the naked, did not welcome the stranger (again read immigrant) and did not care for the sick were condemned and refused entry into the holy place. Then Jesus caps it by saying to both groups “as often as you did to them or did not do it for them you did it to me or did not do it to me.”
Not only are Jesus’ words a mandate for those seeking to enter into heaven but they are also a frame to use to pick a worthy political representative or any leadership position. Please notice that the compassionate behavior that Jesus speaks of was done at no cost to those receiving the help. Jesus is saying any society that is based and built on profit off of people for their most basic and necessary needs is evil.
It is clear once again why right-wing evangelicals rarely want to quote the one they claim to follow. It is no wonder that slick politicians can push the bottoms of social issues to stir people up and not once reference how often Jesus speaks of loving, caring and having compassion for the stranger, immigrant and the marginalized who are as my Pastor Dr. Jeremiah Wright would say “different but not deficient.” When assessing who should get your vote if you are a person who values humanity just ask yourself, “who most resembles a sheep and who most looks like a goat” in Jesus’ illustration. The choice might just be a lot clearer. Be well, Be encouraged and Uhuru Sassa!
Rev. Dr. John E. Jackson, Sr. is the Senior Pastor of Trinity United Church of Christ-Gary, 1276 W. 20th Ave. in Gary. “We are not just another church but we are a culturally conscious, Christ-centered church, committed to the community; we are unashamedly Black and unapologetically Christian.” Contact the church by email at [email protected] or by phone at 219-944-0500.
Rev. John E. Jackson
Rev. Dr. John E. Jackson, Sr. is the Senior Pastor of Trinity United Church of Christ-Gary, 1276 W. 20th Ave. in Gary. “We are not just another church but we are a culturally conscious, Christ-centered church, committed to the community; we are unashamedly Black and unapologetically Christian.”
- Rev. John E. Jackson#molongui-disabled-link
- Rev. John E. Jackson#molongui-disabled-link
- Rev. John E. Jackson#molongui-disabled-link
- Rev. John E. Jackson#molongui-disabled-link