JESUS CHRIST NON POLITICAL MINISTRY

By Carlos Silverio Bueno
October 24

Why do you think Jesus Christ never even attempted to use politics in order to gain converts in his ministry? It is even said that Judas Iscariot betrayed Jesus because Judas felt that Jesus should seize power and rule over the Jews -- and even enable them to overthrow the hated Romans and their oppressive occupation of Israel. But Jesus said he came not to be served, but to serve. He would have violated this vow if he became a ruler. Instead, Jesus stood for and exemplified KENOSIS -- the emptying of one's self in order to fully imbibe and absorb God's will and grace and mercy. Then we may be worthy of entering the Kingdom of Heaven, by following the Christ -- "No one comes to the Father except through me." For he is the Way, the Truth and the Life...

Two thousand years since then, the redemptive ministry of Jesus has become an amalgamation of Christian institutions and beliefs and practices. Other religions share the core of understanding about man's existence and the fate of mankind, but because people always choose to see differently from each other, it is easier and more convenient to disagree and fight with each other -- than to live harmoniously together and actually practice what all religions say we ought to do and be or become. And individually, we still can't effectively resolve the dichotomy within ourselves of good and evil, light and darkness -- because we routinely swing from one to the other, depending on what is more 'beneficial' or 'advantageous' at the moment...

Historically, it was the Sanhedrin that passed judgment over Jesus, convicting him of blasphemy and sentencing him to be executed by the Romans through crucifixion. At first, Pontius Pilate himself did not agree, but just the same he did accommodate the request -- in the name of political expedience, because one 'nobody' that is sacrificed is more acceptable and less messy than the needless massacre of many, if only to prove that Roman rule was supreme in Judea. Jesus never even protested the judgment and death sentence over him -- for it was the will of the Father.

In today's world, science/technology is the new 'messiah'. And the powerful political and economic leaders of the world are its principal disciples, forming the new 'Sanhedrin'. Our religions exhort us to be brothers, but the new Sanhedrin keeps on telling us we are not our brothers' keepers -- THEY are. That is, they keep us suspicious of one another and constantly fighting each other, in order to preserve the status quo -- which is that the new Sanhedrin has absolute power over us and our common destiny. Perhaps wittingly or unwittingly we have made Jesus "a voice crying out in the wilderness" (just like John the Baptist) -- the wilderness of our being lost and of ambivalent faith. Our morality largely conforms to what is 'politically correct' -- effectively the worship of double standards. Because of already so much lies and deception in our daily living (ostensibly for "advancement" -- but for whose gain, really?), words have lost their meaning, and the lies just keep on getting better and better, ruling over our lives and interrelationships...

When Jesus Christ returns, he will do away with everything man-made. Since he came and left, we were given endless opportunities to do the right thing by him, but all that we remember is that he was crucified for something that he didn't do -- which was to take control of our lives. He only asked us to do that for ourselves, and yet we chose to give that power to the 'Sanhedrin' even up to now. He asked us to empty ourselves and to change toward him, but instead, we filled our lives with the lies and deceptions of the 'Sanhedrin' in order to maintain the status quo of our being consummately miserable, remaining broken and unredeemed.

~ 'pag may time

‪(Thought provoking as much as intriguing. I always believe that eras, periods, and historical timetables are endless recycle of events both in religious and political spheres. Both have parties of differing beliefs and principles coming to meet in one umbrella called "Sanhedrin" or "Council". That's exactly what the ancient (royal rulership) and modern governments were and patterned after. Much as there is safety in the multitude of councils, the ongoing disagreements and conflict of interests between two parties undeniably and inevitably will always present. Dysfunctionality of human rulership began in the Garden of Eden. It will be so till the end of time. Jesus in His earthly ministry shun politics. But not the disciples whom He left the ministerial work to continue on with. Each one possessed its own spirit of motivations. It's no wonder why Religion and Politics intertwine and intermingle with each other. As such "Religion is politics" and Politics is religion.")‬