The answer: Act like Jesus. But what does this mean? What would (or wouldn't) Jesus do, in the aftermath of a contentious election? If you, as a Christian, want to act like Jesus (which shold be the ultimate goal of every believer), what should (or shouldn't) you do?
1. Don't gloat. If your candidate won, it's fine to party, to celebrate, to cry tears of joy, to dance in the streets. After all, when the disciples told Jesus about their defeat of the devil's forces in His name, Jesus said:
I saw Satan fall like lightning from heaven. Behold, I have given you authority to tread on snakes and scorpions, and over all the power of the enemy. Nothing will harm you. Nevertheless, do not rejoice that the spirits submit to you, but rejoice that your names are written in heaven (Luke 10:18-20).
Jesus recognized, and even enjoyed the victory that his followers celebrated--but he encouraged them to focus on the good things to come in the future, rather than the demonic nature of their spiritual enemy. I believe Jesus would tell Christians who voted for Biden not to gloat, but to celebrate and look to a brighter future.
2. Don't complain. Many Evangelicals who claimed Donald Trump was God's choice for the presidency actually believed him to represent the character of Christ. Others saw Trump's racism, sexism, homophobia, xenophobia, lies, and deceptions, but likened him to wicked biblical kings like Saul and Cyrus. Even though those biblical kings had their flaws, those Evangelicals claimed that God put them in office to accomplish particular things. Similarly, they believed Trump to be God's anointed, as evidenced by the fact that he won the election over Hilary Clinton. If you believed that Trump's election was evidence that God put him in office, then don't complain now--since, according to your logic, Trump's defeat ought to indicate that he lost God's mandate. So if your candidate lost, don't complain--just trust that if God chose Trump four years ago, God chose Biden in 2020.
3. Love your enemies. If you refuse to gloat or complain, that will go a long way toward acting in a loving way towards those people who you may have considered your political enemies. Besides loving them, Jesus told His followers to pray for those who persecute them. Do you feel like the other side has been absolutely horrible? Do you feel like they deserve to feel that way? Maybe you're right--but Jesus expects His followers to treat other people with the same grace that they have received from God. As in grace, God treats us better than we deserve, so believers ought to treat their enemies better than they deserve, as well.
4. Make peace. These times have been so divisive, and have been filled with such hate and violence on both sides. Now is our opportunity to make peace. Jesus said, "Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called children of God (Matthew 5:9)." It's time to reach across the lines and take the hands (metaphorically, because--pandemic) of the people who see things radically differently from you. In Matthew 12:25, Jesus said, "Every kingdom divided against itself will be ruined, and every city or household divided against itself will not stand." These are tough enough times for the church, without the body of Christ being divided. We need the whole body, undivided, to do the work of God.
5. Continue to Confront Evil. Yes, God is love, but "Gentle Jesus, Meek and Mild" is just a song title. Jesus wasn't afraid to cast out demons, confront religious and civil authorities, or overturn the tables of economic corruption. The apostle Paul said, "If possible, so far as it depends on you, live peaceably with all (Romans 12:18)." But sometimes it doesn't depend on us. Sometimes others bring the conflict, and other times the evil is so aggregious that Christians can't ignore it in good conscience. So, if you call yourself a follower of Jesus, continue to confront evil by opposing injustice. Stand in solidarity with people of color who are rising up, insisting that their lives matter. Become an ally for LGBTQIA+ folks, who have to fight for their most basic human rights. Defend the families of the poor, the alien, the stranger. As the prophet said, "Let justice roll on like a river, righteousness like a never-failing stream (Amos 5:24)!"
For followers of Jesus, it's really important that we ask ourselves, "Now what?" Because the church has been so divided and divisive that the rest of the world looks at us and says, "So what?" So what, if you call yourself Christians, if you say you love your enemy, but don't even love your neighbor? So what, if you say you believe you've received God's grace, but won't even give it to others? So what, if you claim to have the answers that the world needs to hear, if you can't even get along with each other long enough to ask the right questions together? So, after the election, "Now what?" Don't gloat. Don't complain. Love your enemies. Make peace. Continue to confront evil. Because in the words of Galatians 5:6, "the only thing that matters is faith working through love."
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1 comment:
I would love to discuss this with you sometime over coffee because it is too easy to read into print things that are not intended. While not a Trump (the person) fan, I find myself agreeing with the Republican platform of less government more than the Democratic platform. Interesting read.
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