Daniel 3:8-18

⁸ At this time some astrologers came forward and denounced the Jews.  ⁹ They said to King Nebuchadnezzar, “O king, live forever!  ¹⁰ You have issued a decree, O king, that everyone who hears the sound of the horn, flute, zither, lyre, harp, pipes and all kinds of music must fall down and worship the image of gold, ¹¹ and that whoever does not fall down and worship will be thrown into a blazing furnace.  ¹² But there are some Jews whom you have set over the affairs of the province of Babylon—Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego—who pay no attention to you, O king.  They neither serve your gods nor worship the image of gold you have set up.”

¹³ Furious with rage, Nebuchadnezzar summoned Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego.  So these men were brought before the king, ¹⁴ and Nebuchadnezzar said to them, “Is it true, Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego, that you do not serve my gods or worship the image of gold I have set up?  ¹⁵ Now when you hear the sound of the horn, flute, zither, lyre, harp, pipes and all kinds of music, if you are ready to fall down and worship the image I made, very good.  But if you do not worship it, you will be thrown immediately into a blazing furnace.  Then what god will be able to rescue you from my hand?”

¹⁶ Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego replied to the king, “O Nebuchadnezzar, we do not need to defend ourselves before you in this matter.  ¹⁷ If we are thrown into the blazing furnace, the God we serve is able to save us from it, and he will rescue us from your hand, O king.  ¹⁸ But even if he does not, we want you to know, O king, that we will not serve your gods or worship the image of gold you have set up.”

As Christians, our savior is not a Democrat and not a Republican.  Our savior is Jesus and He was neither.  As followers of Jesus our allegiance is first to Christ, not anything else.

Mark 15:1-15 (NIV)

¹ Very early in the morning, the chief priests, with the elders, the teachers of the law and the whole Sanhedrin, reached a decision.  They bound Jesus, led him away and handed him over to Pilate.

² “Are you the king of the Jews?” asked Pilate.

“Yes, it is as you say,” Jesus replied.

³ The chief priests accused him of many things.  ⁴ So again Pilate asked him, “Aren’t you going to answer?  See how many things they are accusing you of.”

⁵ But Jesus still made no reply, and Pilate was amazed.

⁶ Now it was the custom at the Feast to release a prisoner whom the people requested.  ⁷ A man called Barabbas was in prison with the insurrectionists who had committed murder in the uprising.  ⁸ The crowd came up and asked Pilate to do for them what he usually did.

⁹ “Do you want me to release to you the king of the Jews?” asked Pilate, ¹⁰ knowing it was out of envy that the chief priests had handed Jesus over to him.  ¹¹ But the chief priests stirred up the crowd to have Pilate release Barabbas instead.

¹² “What shall I do, then, with the one you call the king of the Jews?”  Pilate asked them.

¹³ “Crucify him!” they shouted.

¹⁴ “Why?  What crime has he committed?” asked Pilate.

But they shouted all the louder, “Crucify him!”

¹⁵ Wanting to satisfy the crowd, Pilate released Barabbas to them.  He had Jesus flogged, and handed him over to be crucified.

Today’s theme: how does a follower of Jesus deal with the whole issue of the church and state?

What does Jesus have to do with politics, with government?

I think Christians should stand out for their commitment to Jesus.

Jesus has a different perspective.  Let’s look at Pilate questioning Jesus and how Jesus responds.

1)      Are you the king of the Jews?

2)      Why aren’t you pushing back on them?

3)      What shall we do with this king?

1) Are you the king of the Jews?  Jesus answer to the Sanhedrin is yes, but to Pilot, is unclear, not an affirmation or a denial.  Jesus says well yes, and no?

We need to see Christianity as a political, but also not a political moment.

Jesus, from what I can gather, was the first person to limit the power of the state.  Give to God what belongs to God.  Cesear’s image is on the coin, so give it to him.  But God’s image is on you, so give to God your ultimate allegiance.

Jesus created a space so that people, the church, could criticize the government.

During WW II in Germany, the Church stood against Hitler with the Barmen Declaration.  Many people were executed including Bonhoeffer, Niemöller, Percels.

Jesus created the space, that political/government power is not the ultimate power.  The state is under God’s judgement.

MLK was asked the question should you answer to the government?  He said, “There are two sorts of law: just and judgement.”  A just law agrees with God’s law, while the unjust law is out of step, contradicting God’s law.

2) Jesus, why are you not going to answer the accusation?  They are ridiculing you, why don’t you fight back?  What does Jesus say to Pilate?  Nothing, Pilate was amazed.

Jesus was calm, the temple leaders were frantic trying to kill Jesus.  But Jesus was using His power to forgive.

Every revolution in history is about taking power to deprive or destroy your enemies.  Jesus is/was starting a revolution by loving and forgiving His enemies.

In the early Church the action of the Christian was one of personal peace and why they had power to serve others rather than benefit themselves.

Christians took care of the poor people no matter who they were.  Christians understood that all people were equal sinners before God, but also all are made in God’s image and therefore worthy of being helped. 

3) Pilate asks the crowd, what should I do with Jesus?

On the platform with Pilate were two revolutionaries.  Barabbas who killed for power and Jesus who was willing to give His life to bring about change.

If Barabbas was freed, he could be recaptured and controlled and killed.  Jesus’ revolution could not be controlled or killed.  When Jesus was crucified, He wasn’t just a political figure, He was God’s answer to the problem of human sin.  He gave His life, shed His blood so that sinners like you and I can be free from sin, if we choose to follow Him.

They killed Him and He rose again in three days.  This was the greatest political coup of all time.

All of man’s systems are doomed; they will all fail.  But God’s way, His Kingdom and righteousness are not doomed.  Becoming a Christian, a follower of Jesus, means that we are part of a different order, different priority, a different world.

Jesus’ way to power is through substitution, forgiveness, grace, and love.

Challenge yourself this week.  Think about ways you can give and serve and help others.  Willingness to love a bit more like the Christ.

God bless.  You are made in God’s image.