Jesus for President—The Upside-Down Kingdom
1. Jesus’ Kingdom Manifesto
During election times, political candidates and parties publish a manifesto. It declares their aims, principles, values, and policies. It’s also called the platform on which they contest the election. If Jesus were running for president, what would his manifesto be like; what would it say? Here is the kicker: Jesus has already run for and won the election. He won the global election and is the President of the world, the Lord of lords, and the King of kings. And his manifesto? His life and character, his teachings and work, his death on the cross, his resurrection, and his ascension are all part of his manifesto. We find its summary in the Sermon on the Mount, which explains God's kingdom's aims, principles, values, and practices. Its title is The Upside-Down Kingdom. Before we look at his kingdom, let us first explore the kingdoms of this world.
2. The kingdoms of this world
Our society is a “me-first” culture steeped in selfish ambition and vain conceit (2:3). We tend to think in terms of the questions, “What’s best for me?” and “How can I get ahead?” even when it comes at the expense of other people. We tend to be in it to win. This way of thinking is the foundation on which our political landscape is built. The desire for power and position has intoxicated our leaders, and the hope of their victory has infected us. When we adopt our political culture’s mindset and methods, we end up opposing the gospel rather than “in a manner worthy of it” (1:27).
During the New Testament times, the Roman emperors were declared gods and lords of the world and worshipped as such. Throughout history, human heroes and leaders have considered themselves as divine or have been made gods by people. Even today, we see how quickly and easily we put our trust and hope in human leaders to save or make us great again. We may not worship them as gods, but the personality cults developing around leaders, the ways we follow them blindly and revere them, make you ponder whether they have not become gods or idols in our minds.
Wherever a person or group exercises power over others or tries to, there is a version of Babylon. The kingdoms of the world are, in essence, a “power over” kingdom. There have been democratic, socialist, communist, fascist, and totalitarian versions, but they all share this: they exercise “power over” people.
Fallen humans tend to identify their own group as righteous, and any group different from or opposes them as evil. We fallen humans have passionate convictions that control us and lead us into conflict with others with equally passionate convictions. We believe in our nation over and against their nation, our religion over and against their religion, our culture over and against their culture, our political ideology over and against their political ideology, and so on. We express these passions by attempting to exercise “power over” others. Conflict and violence are the results. “What causes fights and quarrels among you? Don’t they come from your desires that battle within you? You desire but do not have, so you kill. You covet but you cannot get what you want, so you quarrel and fight. … Therefore, anyone who chooses to be a friend of the world becomes an enemy of God” (Jam 4:1-4). So long as people locate their worth, significance, and security in their power, possessions, traditions, reputations, religious behaviors, tribe, and nation rather than in a relationship with their Creator God, they participate in the ways of the kingdom of this world. This is “common sense” according to the world’s standards.
In Matthew, James and John’s mother asked Jesus for special positions in his kingdom. “When the ten heard it, they were indignant at the two brothers” (Mt 20:24). Imagine angry words, gestures, tempers ran high. Twice the disciples argued about who among them was the greatest; the second time during the last supper after Jesus washed their feet (Lk 9:46; 22:24). Here is Jesus’ response to them: “You know that the rulers of the Gentiles lord it over them, and their high officials exercise authority over them. Not so with you. Instead, whoever wants to become great among you must be your servant, and whoever wants to be first must be your slave—just as the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve and to give his life as a ransom for many” (Mt 20:25-28).
Jesus identified the disciples’ argument as a typical kingdom-of-the-world conflict. Jesus not only rejects this “common sense” logic of the world, but he reverses it. Jesus, the Son of God, came to earth not to be served but to serve others. His kingdom is not a “power over” kingdom but a “power under” kingdom. It is a kingdom where greatness is defined by serving and sacrificing for others in unconditional love. The hope of the world lies in Jesus’ Upside-Down Kingdom.
3. The Upside-Down Kingdom
Jesus is God in his very being and nature. He has the power to look out for himself and use his being God to his advantage. But He did not consider his equality with God as something to be grasped. The Greek word is a strong, violent word. It means to hold on by force to something you already have or to take something from someone else by force. Jesus did not hold on to his equality with God. Rather, he humiliated himself, emptied himself, and became human. From eternity, He obeyed, gave himself, and humbled himself to save the world.
Jesus humbled himself by taking on the very nature, the form of a slave, to serve and give his life as a ransom for many. Let’s go back to the last supper again. When the disciples prepared for the Passover, they forgot to arrange for a slave to wash their feet before the meal. Here they were, all lying at the table, ready to eat. Imagine them looking at each other. Who is going to do this? Uncomfortable silence. No one would volunteer for the lowly task. How very human they were. How like us. Then Jesus stood up and served them as a slave. “The incarnate Son, God himself, had dressed like a servant and washed the feet of his prideful, arrogant creatures” (Hughes). Then he said, “If I then, your Lord and Teacher, have washed your feet, you also ought to wash one another’s feet. For I have given you an example, that you also should do just as I have done to you. Truly, truly, I say to you, a servant is not greater than his master, nor is a messenger greater than the one who sent him” (John 13:14–16).
Jesus became human, identified fully with us, and participated in our human experience. And so, being found in human form, he humbled himself by becoming obedient to death — even death on a cross. This is what it means to put others first above ourselves. This is what the upside-down kingdom looks like and is about. When Jesus was arrested, one of his disciples tried to fight like a kingdom-of-the-world participant. He cut off the ear of one of the soldiers. Jesus rebuked the disciples and demonstrated the nature of his unique heavenly kingdom by healing the soldier’s ear (Luke 22:50–51). His kingdom would advance not by destroying the enemy who seeks to destroy you but by loving, serving, and hopefully transforming the enemy who seeks to destroy you.
Jesus’ sacrificial life and death challenge the leadership models of our day, showing that there is a different way. It’s a leadership strategy that is marked by tenderness and compassion. It values humility over achievement. It prioritizes others over self. The cross is the symbol of Jesus’ manifesto for president. The cross is the sign of the upside-down kingdom. We should not forget the significance and implication of the cross. Crucifixion was for the lower classes, foreigners, and slaves. It was the penalty for political crimes, violent robbery, and rebellious slaves. In his crucifixion, Jesus identified himself unequivocally and finally with the victims, the poor, the oppressed, and the marginalized. The crucified Jesus is God’s loving solidarity with all who suffer victimization, both spiritually, physically, economically, socially, and politically. But the cross is also a call to repentance for the rulers, the rich, and the oppressors. Jesus died also for their sake. His cross calls them to turn around and to turn their love towards the victims, the others.
Jesus calls us to see the world from the perspective of the victims in the world today. We should renounce the comfortable perspectives of societies that have many ways of leaving people to suffer, excluded, and forgotten. His cross forbids us to ignore them. It forbids us to distort their sufferings using self-justifying illusions and excuses. The cross exposes all the world’s terrible and deceptive political ideologies for what they are, whether from the right, left, or center. Any ideology which encourages us to ignore or minimize the suffering of some people in the interests of others is forbidden by the cross. They are created in God’s image. God loves them as much as he loves us. The crucified God is with them, and he longs for them to hear and see the message of God’s kingdom in and through us.
4. Live a Life Worthy of the Kingdom
Therefore, we are called to live lives that are worthy of the gospel of Christ, lives worthy of God’s kingdom. It is very interesting that the Greek word used here, πολιτεύομαι (politeuomai), comes from the same root as our English word, politics. It means to live, conduct, or lead one’s life as a citizen following the duties and responsibilities of the community, state, or nation one is a member of. Thus, Paul says we should live what we already are in Christ. We are citizens of heaven. Therefore, live accordingly, in a manner worthy of your king. Our King’s manifesto spells out the ways of his kingdom. The blessings in Mt. 5 summarize the Sermon of the Mount. Blessed are the poor in spirit, those who mourn, the meek, those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, the merciful, the pure in heart, the peacemakers, those who are persecuted because of righteousness and Jesus. Where we are like this and do these things, God’s kingdom is breaking into the world, and we live lives worthy of our King.
Jesus commanded us to make disciples and teach them to obey all He has commanded us—a long list of upside-down kingdom commands. Yes, we are saved by grace through faith only, but then we must live out our new life in Christ through kingdom living. We must work out our salvation in fear and trembling. And yes, genuine faith translates into good deeds and righteous acts. Jesus was very clear. “Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only the one who does the will of my Father who is in heaven” (Mt 7:21-24). Anyone who persistently, consistently, and intentionally lives, says, and does things that counter his kingdom commands, disobeys the Lord, and the authenticity of his or her faith can be called into question.
How do we live lives worthy of God’s kingdom? We stand firm in the one Spirit and together as the one Body of Christ. Because we all have the same Holy Spirit in us, we are one in spirit. We have the same mind, attitude, and thinking about the gospel, God, and his kingdom. We have the same purpose, mission, and vision, that is, the proclamation of the gospel, the coming of God’s kingdom, and his glory. We strive together as one for the faith of the gospel. We don’t contend for our personal agendas, doctrines, theologies, or political ideologies but for the faith in Jesus Christ that comes from the preaching of the gospel. We contend with one soul side by side. We are all part of the body of Christ.
We are not being frightened in any way by those who oppose us and persecute us. Living as kingdom citizens in this world is costly. Most of the world doesn’t believe Jesus is Lord. We are out of step with the people, the culture, and society around us. This results in misunderstanding, hostility, opposition, and persecution. When we face persecution, suffering, and possible death, we will experience fear. That is a natural human reaction, but we should not allow this fear to intimidate and overwhelm us. God’s Word tells us — Don’t be afraid. Don’t worry. Stand firm. Be courageous. You are a child of God, and He is in control. Remaining steadfast in our faith no matter what happens, we also suffer for Christ.“If anyone would come after me, he must deny himself and take up his cross and follow me” (Mk 8:34).
We do all this by having the same mindset, thinking, and attitude as Christ Jesus. We live Christ-centered lives, wholly focused on Christ. We consider everything a loss, as rubbish for the sake of Christ so that we may know Him and become like him (Phil 3:8-11). We set our minds on the things of the kingdom. “Since, then, you have been raised with Christ, set your hearts on things above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God. Set your minds on things above, not on earthly things” (Col 3:1-2).
And so, even in our politics, we must follow the example of Christ. We “do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit, but in humility value others above ourselves.” We “look not to [our] own interests, but to the interests of others” (Phil. 2:3–4). We seek not our “own good, but the good of others” (1 Cor. 10:24, 33). Following Jesus’ example, we are to find honor in washing people’s feet (John 13:14–15), in serving them in any way we can. We voluntarily carry each others’ burdens (Gal. 6:2). We are “devoted to one another in love, honoring others above ourselves” (Rom. 12:10). We are to “bear with the failings of the weak, and not please ourselves,” always asking how we might “please our neighbor for their good to build them up” (Rom. 15:1–2). We are to feed the hungry, clothe the naked, take in the homeless, befriend the friendless, and visit the condemned prisoner (James 2:15–17; 1 John 3:14–18; Matt. 25:34–40). As we participate in politics, our practice should be this command of our Lord: “Love your enemies, do good to those who hate you, bless those who curse you, pray for those who abuse you” (Lk 6:27-28).