Caesar or Calvary?
The institutional church has a long and sordid history of mixing Church and State. The temptation to use political power to impose “right” beliefs and “correct” conduct has proven too great. Sooner or later, advancing “Christianity” through the political mechanisms of this world always necessitates resorting to force, namely, the coercive power of the State. Moreover, and perhaps more importantly, this mixture inevitably corrupts the church and undermines its witness to the world.
Put another way, the marriage
of church and state is contrary to the teachings and example of Jesus of
Nazareth. Rather than political power and the imperial throne, he chose to
follow the path that led to Golgotha.
In the wilderness, Satan
tempted Jesus by offering him sovereignty over “all the kingdoms of the
world.” But he refused the offer, and instead embraced the role of the ‘Suffering
Servant,” leading to his inevitable death at the hands of
the Roman State.
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| [Photo by Timeo Buehrer on Unsplash] |
But arguably, the most startling detail of the story as recorded by Matthew is that the Messiah of Israel did not dispute the Devil’s claim to have jurisdiction over the governments of this world.
The Gospel of Matthew records how
the Devil took Jesus to a high mountain and showed him all the “kingdoms of
the world (kosmos) and their splendor.” He offered him far more than
just sovereignty over the Jewish nation.
In the passage, the Greek word translated
as “world” or “kosmos” can refer to the entire physical world if
not the creation itself. Effectively, Satan was offering the “kingdom of God,”
the very thing the Son of God came to inaugurate.
In Luke’s
version, the Tempter boasts that he can give Jesus “all this
authority” if only he would acknowledge Satan’s overlordship, and he claims that
“it has been delivered to me, and to whomsoever I will, I give it.”
Surprisingly, Jesus
does NOT dispute the Devil’s right to dispense political power. And if Satan
received this authority from a higher source (“it has been delivered to me”),
it could only be God. Most likely, behind his claim is the original fall of
man. Satan’s present tyrannical rule over humanity is a consequence of Adam’s disobedience
- (John 12:31, 14:30).
To acquire this awesome power, Jesus has to
“render homage” to the Devil. The Greek verb denotes the sense of giving
homage or allegiance to someone or something else. Thus, to gain universal sovereignty
over humanity it is necessary for the Messiah to acknowledge Satan as his sovereign,
or at least, that is the Devil’s sales pitch.
COST OF MESSIAHSHIP
Jesus is the Messiah appointed by God to reign
over all the earth. But how can the Davidic king reign over the rebellious
nations of the earth without the military and economic might of this world’s
governments? Is it, not his destiny to subdue and rule the entire planet? –
Psalm 2:6-8).
Effectively, Satan was offering Jesus a shortcut to his God-ordained royal position, a way for him to avoid suffering and death on a Roman cross and still acquire political power and universal sovereignty though ultimately under the Devil’s suzerainty.
And imagine all the good that the Son of God
could accomplish if he sat on Caesar’s throne and commanded his legions! With the
military and economic power of Rome at his beck and call, would not
righteousness soon prevail across the Empire? Surely, if ever there was
justification for resorting to State power, this was it. And who better to
wield the awesome might of the World Empire than the Prince of Peace?
However, rather than yield to temptation, Jesus
submitted to the path of the Suffering Servant. In God’s domain, true
victory is achieved by self-denial and sacrificial service to others, and “greatness”
in His Kingdom is measured by acts of mercy and service, especially to one’s enemy.
What Satan offers is contrary to the ways and nature of the God and Father of
Jesus Christ.
THE SUFFERING SERVANT
Contrary to the messianic expectations of
his contemporaries, and in defiance of Satan’s offer, Jesus chose to “take
on the form of a slave” and became “obedient unto death, even death upon
a cross.”
And because of this choice, God afterward exalted
him highly to reign over the Cosmos, and He gave him the “name, which is
above every name, that at the name of Jesus, every knee should bow, in heaven
and on earth and under the earth.” But Golgotha preceded ascension to the Davidic
throne.
Moreover, the disciple of Jesus is summoned
to adopt this same self-denying mind and to walk the same path of self-sacrificial service. “Let this mind be in
you that was also in Christ Jesus.” His followers become “complete as
your Father in heaven” by loving their enemies, not by destroying them - (Matthew
5:43-48, Philippians 2:6-11).
Every disciple must choose whether to “follow
the Lamb wherever he goes,” or to bow to Satan’s vassal, the “Beast from
the Sea.” The reign of God over the Earth can never be achieved through the
sinful ways and corrupt political systems of this evil age.
We need to take seriously the scriptural
portrayal of political power as being under Satan’s overlordship. If he works
behind the scenes, and if the possession of political power necessitates giving
allegiance to him and doing evil, and since Jesus himself refused to do so and
instead chose the Cross, should not his followers do the same?
