Jesus and the Government

Isaiah 55: 1-9
Luke 13: 1-9

Impatience. The world appears to be afflicted with the worst case of impatience. Sometimes it is easy for us to think that this is a new phenomenon because of how much the world has changed. It has become a world of immediacy. A world where what we want can be found at the click of a few buttons or a phone call to make an appointment or a quick trip into town. When we want fresh bread there is no more waking up at 4am to begin the yeast and the waiting for the bread to rise, punch it down and wait for it to rise again before baking it. When we want clean clothes or a particular shirt for the day, a quick wash and dry has us in our favorite outfit within the hour instead of it being an all day event of washing and hanging it to dry. Didn’t plan dinner? Make a call and order takeout or reach into the freezer and quickly defrost that hamburger for meatloaf.

Perhaps there is a new urgency to our impatience, but it has always existed. Look at Jesus and the Galileans. The Galileans were upset at what the Roman authorities had once again done to make them inferior citizens. While offering sacrifices in the temple in Jerusalem, Pilot had some of the people cut down. Their blood mixed with that of the sacrifices being offered which made all the sacrifices unclean and unacceptable. There was a threefold insult to the Jewish people done by the Romans.

First, violence was committed in the holy temple. Second, it was violence against their countrymen who had journeyed up to offer sacrifices. They were on pilgrimage and doing holy acts when they were unjustly cut down. Third, because of the violence and blood spilled every person in the temple was traumatized and their sacrifices made unclean.

The Galileans wanted Jesus to be as upset and righteously angry as they. They were looking for the one who would fight for them; the one who would raise his voice and rally the people to revolt against the Roman authority. They were tired of the persecution. They were tired of the unjust acts and violence constantly committed against them. They were tired of being little more than pawns in a political game.

Can we not relate? Here in America we profess ourselves to be free and yet we too are used like pawns. We too are victims to a government of people that while it states in our Constitution is “by the people and for the people” it is no longer made up of regular people like us, and rarely works for the good of the citizens. We turn on the television and we see another impasse, another sequester, another potential economic collapse and we are WEARY. I no longer listen. I hear enough to know what is going on and then I turn it off because I have had it. I am tired of all the parties and their agendas. I am tired of all the posturing and stand offs.

This is not a government that works. This is a government in gridlock that pretends they are working. We are their pawns and everyone is grumbling and impatient. If we came to Jesus with our righteous anger and impatience, what would he say to us? Let us look at what he says to the righteous anger and impatience of the Galileans.

Jesus turns and looks at the people coming to him and he does not tell them that their anger is wrong. He does not tell them to ignore the injustices and the wrongs committed by those in power. Instead, he turns his attention to the only thing that really concerns him - the state of our souls. Jesus does not want us to be defined by our enemies or those who would work against the greater good of humanity. Instead of joining in on the anger and judgment and contempt the Galileans were feeling toward their government, Jesus asked them to look inside of themselves.

He asks, “Do you think that these Galileans were worse sinners than all the other Galileans because they suffered this way? I tell you, no! But unless you repent, you too will all perish.” It is very easy for us to sit in judgment of others, especially others who are perceived to have more power than we do.

It is easy to feel contempt and belittle the efforts of those in the government. Jesus reminds us that we are not here to judge or belittle. Our hearts are to be concerned with making the world a better place. Our minds should be on God’s Word which is always concerned with forgiveness and love. Our spirits should be turned toward the Holy Spirit which sweeps through the world as a refreshing breeze bringing relief and new thoughts to a weary world.

Jesus reminds us that when it comes to judging the sins of others it is best to keep our minds centered on our own sinfulness. Could we do any better? In our anger and impatience do we condemn every senator and representative when there are some that are working to change the way the government deals with these issues? What good does our contempt and impatience do? I know what it does do.

It creates division. It creates chaos. It creates separation from friends and family and neighbors. Half of my family is republican and the other half is democrat. When we get together for family gatherings there is always someone that has to mention the state of the government. It starts out friendly enough, but soon people are arguing passionately and upset with each other. On Facebook people put up things that are constantly political so eventually someone says something and that escalates into an internet war of who’s right and who’s wrong. In the office there are the people that blame the democrats for the job layoffs while the democrats blame the republicans for creating the mess in the first place.

What’s the point of it all? All this blame does one thing – it causes people to get upset and be hurt. Is this what Jesus would want of us all? No. Jesus is telling us, “Look inside yourself when you feel like judging someone. You have enough sins to keep you busy for years rather than worrying and fighting with others.” But Jesus does not leave it there. Not only does he make us self-reflect with his questions, but then he tells us a story that reminds us why this is all so wrong and petty.

Jesus tells us the story of the fig tree that does not bear fruit and the gardener that begs the owner not to cut it down, but let the gardener keep trying for another year to help the tree bear fruit. Only then, the gardener argues, should the owner cut it down. WE are the fig tree! Jesus is the gardener and the owner is God the Father.

Jesus reminds us that we are not as fruitful as we think. We are not as grateful and good as we presume. There are areas of our lives where we fall short of the glory of God and we do not bear the fruit of the Spirit. We are not patient, kind, gentle, loving, or sincere all of the time. He gently reminds us that instead of concentrating on what can only divide us and makes us less fruitful, we need to remember that as the gardener, he is always petitioning for us. Jesus is our advocator, he is the one that goes before the Father and asks for more time to help us become better people. Without Jesus’ intervention we would be doomed to hell.

Jesus tells us that there is nothing good to be found in anger and impatience whether it is justly deserved or not. Jesus tells us that instead we should concentrate on helping ourselves to be more productive Christians and the rest will fall into place. It took 300 years of Christians preaching “look inside yourself and let the rest be up to God” for those seeds to be fruitful. 300 years and Christianity swept through the known world and no longer was the people oppressed and hated.

God has a plan that is millennia in the making. There will be justice and mercy and peace in this world. It begins with US. It begins with each of us taking a look inside of ourselves and making who we are align with who Jesus is as our Savior. If every person did the same thing, Jesus is letting us know that the world WOULD be peaceful and just. Our government would not be corrupt or failing in any way. We COULD trust the representatives and senators to be, “for the people” once more.

Do not grumble about what you cannot fix. Instead, look inside yourself and fix what is broken so that your example may become the change this world needs.

Amen.