Thoughts on Jesus and Activism: What Do You Think?

[00:00:01] Thoughts on Jesus and activism what do you think? [00:00:06] Written by Bart Ehrman Read by Ken Toich Here are some random thoughts I've been thinking while contemplating Jesus views of political and economic systems. They are not definitive thoughts, but explorations. [00:00:23] What do you think? I would welcome your comments on this post. I probably won't be answering questions, just observing responses. [00:00:32] Normally when someone opposes a political or economic situation, they want it to be reformed. We should move to a state supported healthcare system. We should get rid of the electoral college. We should abolish the House of Lords. We should close the borders. We should, whatever, ad infinitum. [00:00:49] It has long been interesting to me that some people who propose a radical transformation of current systems nonetheless sometimes times fully participate in them to their own benefit. For many years one of my close friends was an avowed, deeply committed Marxist who kept true to his principles by refusing to contribute to the Christmas fund for the office staff, since that would involve clandestinely acknowledging and supporting the system that accepted the reality of the proletariat. [00:01:20] But he at the same time was quite happy to invest in the stock market and complain about his salary. [00:01:26] Go figure. [00:01:27] Sometimes, though, people go further to oppose the system itself at its very roots, who do not want reform but a complete overthrow transformation. [00:01:37] That doesn't happen a lot. But there are of course rarely people who think we should just get rid of government. Not this government, but government or not, that we should return to the gold standard but should get rid of the monetary system again or whatever. And oddly enough for some of us, some people who favor change, whether reformation, transformation or abolition, do not think there is any point in us trying to bring it about. They maintain that it's just gonna happen by agency other than ourselves and we should endorse the revolution. I suppose Marx could be put in that camp. Capitalism was going to collapse under its own weight. [00:02:19] My erstwhile fundamentalist friends thought the future was in God's hands and so there was no reason, say, to worry about melting ice caps. [00:02:29] Jesus himself was not a reformer. He didn't think that rulers would or could become more enlightened and adopt a better system. He thought God was going to destroy the system and bring in something completely different. [00:02:43] He envisioned a future theocracy, not like those we have become accustomed to over the centuries and all often very much dislike where the law of God is made the law of the land by deeply ideological and motivated politicians whose religious perspectives always favor people like themselves and who oppress others who are different or don't agree. Other genders, religions, ethnicities nationalities through the imposition of their interpretation of divine revelation. [00:03:13] As a hopeful theocrat, Jesus did not insist on implementing his vision on the world. [00:03:19] He thought God was soon to intervene in history, destroy all the governments of earth, remove from the social, political order the possibilities of human greed, avarice, thirst for power, or on the more positive side, the need for human wisdom, insight and experience. [00:03:37] God would rule in a future kingdom through his personally chosen one, the Messiah. It would be paradise. It would be perfect. There would be no sin, sickness, suffering or sadness. There would be no crime. There would be no wrangling over resources, no want, no hunger, no emptiness, no loneliness. There would be no military or police force or judicial system. [00:04:03] This would all be God's doing, and no one could stop or hinder it from happening. [00:04:09] What about in the meantime? [00:04:11] Reform was of no use and no concern. [00:04:14] Yes, it was right and good to protest the current order, to preach against the sin of the world and those who horribly violate God's will, to urge even modest sinners to repent and turn back to God and to provide hope to those who were suffering now that their pain was soon to end. To do your best here and now to help those who were paying the price for rulers or just bullies driven by greed and lust for dominance. To feed the hungry, provide shelter for the homeless, tend to the sick, visit the lonely, provide for the outcast. [00:04:49] But reform? [00:04:51] No. There was no point. You can resist the alien powers and strive to do what is good, but the evil is endemic. [00:04:59] It will have to be destroyed. We aren't capable of doing that. But God is. And he will soon intervene. [00:05:07] How to live in the meantime? [00:05:09] Do what God wants. Focus on that and don't worry or care about or invest yourself in anything else. It simply shouldn't matter to you who the emperor is or the governor. It doesn't matter if they want your money. It doesn't matter if they are not concerned about you or worse, are antagonistic toward you. These are not your concerns. Your concern should be how you yourself live in light of the coming kingdom in which God will rule supreme. [00:05:38] Does the Roman government want your taxes? Pay their taxes. It's not your concern. Do the temple authorities run a scam? Feel free to lambast them, but recognize that you're not going to change them. Does the system make it difficult to feed your family? [00:05:54] Trust God. He'll provide for you. He feeds the birds and clothes the lilies. Seek first God's kingdom and all these things will be given to you. [00:06:04] It is very difficult indeed for us today to resonate with this kind of attitude that the system is corrupt and we should let it run its course because God Himself will deal with it in his own time. But that appears to be Jesus view God will destroy the government and install a Messiah on the throne of the Kingdom of God. God will wipe out the religious authorities and their institutions and rule his own people through the one he chooses. This will not be a reform his people should pursue. It will be a transformation He Himself will bring. [00:06:40] His people should focus on the coming end, follow God's will in the meantime, point out the rampant and glaring contrast between the present order and the age to come. Urge people to turn their lives around, but otherwise remove themselves from worldly concerns and show complete indifference to the petty rules and regulations of the authorities who are are now temporarily in charge.