Jesus' Life was Protest

 Jesus’ life was protest.

I often find myself thinking how wonderfully counter cultural the Kingdom of God truly is. We serve a king who was born into a family in the lowliest strata of His society where status and influence meant everything. 

Yet this carpenter’s son born in a basic animal shelter who was announced to the world by lowly shepherds was the promised messiah who would live a life protesting the religious as well as the political foundations of His day.

He was the most political King the world has ever seen yet He was never partisan. His message of a new kingdom would serve as an equal opportunity offender.

He constantly called out the hypocrisy of the religious leaders of the day. We see Jesus flipping tables in the temple and challenging the power structures of the religious leaders. His message to them should have served as a passionate reminder that the God they claimed to serve required that they act justly, love mercy, and walk humbly for the glory of God & the benefit of their siblings. Yet, they would view Him as their enemy instead of their messiah because He refused to fall in line with their false doctrines.

The political leaders of the day were challenged by the very fact that He existed. In a political space that required ultimate allegiance to the empire through emperor worship, Jesus represented ultimate descent. As king of kings, it was a foreign concept to bow before any earthly king but it was second nature to wash the feet of His disciples. 

Jesus is the dividing line of history. As He lived, He modeled what laying aside advantage and privilege would look like (see Philippians 2). His protest was nonviolent in nature yet would destroy the idea of empire as idol. It was the state that exacted violence on Him while He called for peace beyond understanding amid persecution.

In the Beatitudes, we see a glimpse into the upside-down kingdom that would take the place of empire. The earth is to be inherited not by the powerful or power hungry but rather by those who are poor in spirit, meek, peacemakers, downtrodden, oppressed, and victimized. Put another way the marginalized. 

To my fellow Christians, in this season where the false ideology of Christian nationalism has taken center stage remember the call of our savior to stand with the marginalized. Be sure to act justly & love mercy while walking humbly before our God who calls us into a life of peaceful kingdom minded protest. 

Remember to stand with the immigrant, the racially marginalized, women, the LGBTQ+ community, and anyone else you see bullied, harassed, or cast aside in the advancement of empire.

Join your King in a life of Protest.