Jesus and the Election

Yesterday I was asked, “Who would Jesus vote for?” I know, without a doubt the answer to this question. After all, I went to seminary for four years and have been working as a pastor for over two years. So I, without a doubt can answer this question; I feel like I know Jesus.

So here is the answer… Jesus would vote for neither. He wasn’t a citizen of the United States.

What if Jesus was a citizen? Well, then I don’t know.

Here is what the bible says:

Jesus was a carpenter, as was his father Joseph. They probably owned a small business in Nazareth and made just enough money to live on. Maybe they hired a couple people to help with deliveries, who knows? As a small business owner, he probably worked very hard to provide for his family, especially after his father died.

But then he stopped working… One day he just quit the family business. He decided instead to walk around and tell people that the “Kingdom of God has come near.” He lived on the generosity of others and his enemies called him “a glutton and a drunkard” (Matthew 11:19) He was called a fat, lazy, drunk by those who opposed him; there must have been some truth to what they said or they wouldn’t have said it. I saw a bumper sticker the other day that read “You are not entitled to what I earned,” yet Jesus lived on what others earned.

But he did live on the generosity of others; he didn’t rely on a program. The people that helped Jesus chose to do so; they were not forced to do so. But when a rich man asked Jesus what he must do to inherit eternal life, Jesus said "You lack one thing; go, sell what you own, and give the money to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; then come, follow me.” (Mark 10:21)

Jesus was born in Israel to Jewish parents. All of Jesus’ family members, friends and disciples were Jewish. Israel was God’s chosen people, and Jesus came for them. In Matthew 15:24-26 Jesus has the following conversation with a non-Jewish woman, “He answered, ‘I was sent only to the lost sheep of Israel.’ The woman came and knelt before him. ‘Lord, help me!’ she said. He replied,  ‘It is not right to take the children’s bread and toss it to the dogs.” He called her a dog! Clearly Jesus must be pro-Israel.

But Jesus was betrayed by Judas, who was Jewish. He was arrested by the Jewish leaders and it was the Jewish high priest Caiaphas who begged Pilate to crucify him. While he was hanging on the cross Jews would walk by and mock him.

As far as taxes go, in Matthew 22:21 Jesus said we are to “give back to Caesar what is Caesar’s, and to God what is God’s.”

I could do this all day, but I’m going to stop. I haven’t attributed any of these bible stories with a political party; I’ll let you do that. But as a pastor, here is what I believe:

I believe our parties are full of people, and people are beautiful, and broken, and sinful. No party falls in line with the Jesus we know in the bible. No party gets it all right and no party gets it all wrong. They both stand for good things, and can quote the bible if they choose to.

I believe you have to decide which candidate you think is best for you, and which candidate is best for America… and be open to the possibility that the guy who is best for you may not be the guy that’s best for America.

I believe that Jesus rejoices in our system of government and the freedom that we have to elect our leaders. He was not so lucky.

I believe that no matter who wins, Jesus would want us to respect, support and pray for our leaders; Lord knows they will need it.

I believe that no one person can make America great; America is at its best when we are all at our best.

I believe a third of America will be happy tomorrow, a third will be frustrated and a third won’t care. I pray that we all show respect, grace and peace no matter what side we are on.

And finally, I believe that Jesus died for us all, Republicans, Democrats, Tea Party folks, Libertarians, Independents and everyone else. His love is our true hope.