In my last blog post I opened with the consideration that questions of faith and politics can only remain separate for so long before they collide. But just as important as it is that we as followers of Christ properly prioritize in terms of our relationships (i.e. placing fear of God above all, followed by love for our brothers and sisters in the faith, care for all those outside of the faith, and honoring those with political power with the same care we have for those who don’t yet know Christ), it’s equally as important that we as believers have an understanding of what truly matters when all is said and done.
For those of us who are politically aware, the state of our culture probably ought to be somewhat jarring. On one side, you have, in the wake of multiple attempts to assassinate a leading political candidate, individuals lamenting only the fact that those attempts were unsuccessful, and on the other, you have people who excuse, look past, or disregard their chosen political candidate’s life of moral depravity in the name of political victory. In the first case, you have individuals who are so offended by the supposed evils of a candidate that they have essentially lost sight of the value of human life, even that of one with whom they vehemently disagree; in the second case, you have individuals who are so concerned with voicing support for a candidate that morality is ignored as inconvenient, if not taken out of consideration altogether.
Neither of these extremes hold any value for those who are seeking to follow Christ in our world today. And lest we think that my criticisms of a candidate are one-sided, it should be said here that neither candidate is a pillar of morality. Both are guilty of wrong. Both have done and said horrible things. Sure, each side may argue that the other is far worse, but such a contention does not erase such things in either candidate. So what do we do in such a world?
I would argue that what we do in this scenario must be shaped by an understanding of what truly matters as we seek to faithfully navigate our political landscape today. We have to keep our priorities straight, not only in terms of our relationships with others as discussed in 1 Peter 2, but also in terms of the grand scheme of history, and of the implications that come with our identity as Christ-followers.
In Luke 13, two events are referenced to which Jesus will respond, and His response provides for us, I would argue, a glimpse at those issues which are most important for us to consider as followers of Jesus Christ.
“There were some present at that very time who told him about the Galileans whose blood Pilate had mingled with their sacrifices. And he answered them, ‘Do you think that these Galileans were worse sinners than all the other Galileans, because they suffered in this way? No, I tell you; but unless you repent, you will all likewise perish. Or those eighteen on whom the tower in Siloam fell and killed them: do you think that they were worse offenders than all the others who lived in Jerusalem? No, I tell you; but unless you repent, you will all likewise perish” (Luke 13:1-5 ESV).
As I already mentioned, this passage refers to two particular events from Jesus’ day. The first has to do with violence brought about at the behest of a political ruler, and interestingly enough, someone else tells Jesus about this event as though He was unaware. Jesus is told that there were Galileans whose blood was “mingled with their sacrifices” by Pontius Pilate. For whatever reason, and Luke doesn’t seem interested in giving specific reasons here, Pontius Pilate killed Galileans as they were offering sacrifices to the Lord in worship. There are certainly more specifics that can be ascertained by a deep dive into the works of scholars and commentators, but regardless of the exact events which precipitated this conversation, I believe it is Jesus’ response to this event that carries significance for us in our present context.
In our hyper-polarized world, we might expect Jesus to speak truth to power in this passage (as much as a poor man in Galilee could speak truth to Roman authorities, which wasn’t much). After all, a great tragedy has taken place, and a political figure was at least said to be directly responsible. But Jesus instead draws the attention of His audience to an issue that many might think was unrelated to what took place. In reference to violence perpetrated by a political leader, He brings up issues of sin. “Do you think that these Galileans were worse sinners than all the other Galileans, because they suffered in this way? No, I tell you; but unless you repent, you will all likewise perish.”
This final phrase is significant, and the phrase is repeated with reference to the second event mentioned by the Lord Jesus. There was a tower that fell, a catastrophic tragedy in Siloam, in which eighteen people were killed. And yet, in mentioning this second event, Jesus comes back to the same idea. “…do you think that they were worse offenders than all the others who lived in Jerusalem? No, I tell you; but unless you repent, you will all likewise perish.”
But how do these events, and Christ’s responses to them, relate to us today? We must note here that when Jesus responds to the heinous act of violence committed by Pilate by calling attention to issues of sin (as opposed to, for example, outright condemnation of such an act). That does not mean that He supports Pilate’s decision to enact such violence. In the same way, addressing issues of sin in the wake of a disaster does not mean that such an event is not a tragedy. Rather, what Jesus calls attention to in this passage is, above all, what truly matters in a world filled with such violence and tragedy.
Our political landscape is pretty disgusting at the moment. But there is an issue in our world that is far greater than even the most appalling of events which have taken place in our country recently. Sin has the power to bring us all, leaders and laypeople, abusers and victims alike, to ultimate and eternal ruin. Sin, therefore, is a far greater threat to human beings than opposition candidates or political violence, just as sin posed a far greater threat to Jesus’ listeners than the work of Pontius Pilate or a falling tower. Sin, left unchecked, will bring all of us to ruin.
Because this is the case, we all, as followers of Jesus, have to operate with the understanding that the issue of Sin in our world is far more significant than any single political issue that might arise. Greater than assassination attempts, felony charges, debates and moderators, reproductive rights, hurricane responses, or whatever else you could point to as an important issue in the political world, Sin stands alone as the single greatest threat to us all, and as we navigate our political landscape, it is imperative that Christians see Sin as such.
And yet, Christ in this passage does more than call attention to Sin. He calls us to Himself. Sin truly does hold major and destructive power in our world, but Christ has defeated Sin, and by coming to Him, by receiving His mercy through repentance, Sin can be dealt with. This is why Jesus tells His audience, in light of all these disasters going on around them, “unless you repent, you will all likewise perish.” Sin is massively destructive, and repentance is the method by which we receive the grace and forgiveness that rob Sin of its power.
The greatest issue of our day, even in a tumultuous cultural moment such as this, is just the same as it was two millennia ago. Sin, absent our repentance, maintains its power to bring us all to ruin. But Christ maintains His triumph over Sin and His authority over the cosmos. Thus, as followers of Christ navigate the political world today, both the terrible power and glorious defeat of Sin must always be at the forefront of our minds. As we approach this year’s election, though we will all have to parse through which issues will swing our vote in one direction or the other, we must always do so with an understanding of what truly matters in our world: that apart from the grace of God given to us in our repentance, we will all likewise perish.
In other words, political issues are significant, but they are far less significant than the need for all people to turn to Christ in humility. And significantly, this need extends to political candidates as well! Should either candidate cry out to God in contrition and repentance, forgiveness will take place and Sin will be robbed of its power in their lives. In the same way, the candidates themselves are by no means the only individuals who bear any guilt for our present culture. There are numerous examples of the manner in which supporters of either candidate have fed into the brokenness of our situation. None of us is pure and blameless. And unless we repent, Sin will continue its ruinous work in our culture.
What should Christians do, then, in light of the power of Sin? We must first examine ourselves, looking for ways in which we have fed into the toxicity of our political world of which we must repent. Second, having cried out to God and repented of such things, we absolutely must intercede on behalf of others, asking God to bring us all to Himself by our repentance.
Truthfully, I am convicted even as I write these things that I do not pray enough for those who do not know Christ, and I especially do not pray enough for those in political leadership positions who do not know Christ. Join me in praying for both candidates, that they would each come to Christ with humble hearts, as well as for each candidate’s supporters, that they would do the same.
And of course, the cynic in me has to add here that we should consider praying for them to come to Christ privately. Especially on the political right, there is a certain incentive for candidates to look pious and Christian. The foundation of true transformation, however, is repentance. The type of thing we’re praying for in the lives of these individuals is not proud declaration of conversion but humble repentance and the renunciation of past sins.
Yet, even as I write this call to prayer for our leaders, I see how deeply within myself cynicism runs. Do I think it likely that either candidate, much less both, would truly come to Christ and denounce Sin in repentance and humility? No, I do not. And this is nothing to be proud of. It was pointed out to me as I wrote and edited this very post that hope is a virtue described by the Apostle Paul in the same context as faith and love. As cynical as we may be tempted to be, it is good and virtuous to hope in all things.
Therefore, we must pray with hope that God will change the hearts of those who so desperately need Him. He certainly has the power to do so, and we know that He will not turn away those who approach Him with humility through repentance. And on this basis, because of who God is, and because He delights in showing mercy to those who come to Him with humble hearts, I will pray, and I hope that you will all join me, that God would draw both candidates to Himself, along with their supporters, in such a way that even as we discuss significant issues in the life of our nation, we would do so with the proper understanding of what truly matters above all else. May God be glorified in His people as we repent of our sins.