Andrew Sullivan of the Daily Dish posted this response to a statement that Jesus would vote Libertarian.

Sorry: not buying it. Jesus has no politics. He has a message of individual salvation. No political system is necessary for it; none can ultimately prevent it.

First of all, the Jesus of the Bible hardly has anything to say about individual salvation. He’s mostly concerned with Israel as a people, albeit reshaped around himself rather than Temple and Torah. His basic message can be summed up with the following: “Israel has lost it’s original vocation. Instead of being the light of the world and the salt of the earth, they have turned inward. Not only that, but Israel is trying to bring the Kingdom in with violence, and if things don’t change, she will be judged.”

Now his actions tell us a different, but related, message, but that’s the topic of another really long series of articles. Let’s continue to the topic at hand.

Excluding the fact that choosing not to participate in politics is itself a very political statement, let’s go over a few things that show that Jesus that was very much interested in what we call politics.

1. Jesus preached that the Kingdom of God, or the Kingdom of Heaven, is at hand.
   
   To first century Jews, this statement was one of the most politically charged things someone could possibly say. The entire hope of Israel was summed up in this statement. If the Kingdom was at hand, it meant that YHWH was returning to Zion to rule as king, the exile was nearly at an end, and that Israel would be exalted over their oppressors.
   
   

   Now, obviously, Jesus redefines what these things mean in practice. For one, he had harsh words for those who wished to bring the kingdom in with the sword, and lessened the importance of the land in regard to the return from exile. But the redefinitions do not lessen their nature of confrontation and challenge to the principalities and powers that ruled at the time.

   If Jesus didn’t care for politics, “kingdom of God” was the worst thing he could have said.

2. Jesus was executed as a political rebel.
   
   The cross was reserved for the most heinous of crimes against Rome, the chief one being rebellion. The Jewish leaders saw him as a threat to their authority, and with good reason.
3. Jesus’ ministry bypassed the Temple.
   
   For forgiveness of sins and cleansing, Jews were told to go to the Temple. But Jesus redefines this concept. This is one of the main reasons he was crucifiable.
   
   

   The Temple was the key cultural symbol of YHWH’s presence, confirming, in their minds, that they were still his chosen people, Israel. This was more than simply a religious symbol. It was a symbol that helped define their all-encompassing world view, shaping all of their thoughts, actions, hopes, and dreams.

   And here comes Jesus, saying that it will be destroyed, then rebuilt? And whose actions seemed to make it irrelevant? Think of what emotion would go through your mind if you saw someone burning your country’s flag. Then multiply that feeling by ten.

   Our false 21st century dichotomy of Politics and Religion did not exist in the first century, so it would be a mistake to retroject our sensibilities onto the Jews at the time.

I agree with Andrew that Jesus would not vote Libertarian. I don’t think Jesus would bother voting at all in US elections. He has, after all, been enthroned as King of all the earth, so what would he get out of voting in a regional exercise of democracy.

And to the statement that no political system is necessary, remember that a king without a kingdom is not a king at all, and a kingdom most certainly is a type of political system. Now what exactly this Kingdom entails and what it means for Christians, I hope to explore more deeply in the future, but you can read my firsts thoughts on what it probably shouldn’t mean by clicking here.

But just because this Kingdom is not “of this world”, doesn’t mean it’s limited to some ethereal otherland. Jesus was not “of this world” either, but he still found the time to eat some fish.

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