JESUS IS NOT A MASCOT FOR ANY PARTY
If you want to talk about Jesus, let’s talk about Him.
Jesus did not come carrying a party platform. He did not align Himself with Rome, and He did not endorse the zealots. He did not endorse Herod, and He did not flatter the Pharisees. Every group tried to claim Him. Every group walked away uncomfortable.
He rebuked hypocrisy wherever He found it.
He confronted religious leaders who loved power more than mercy.
He defended the vulnerable.
He told the rich young ruler the truth even when it cost him a follower.
He overturned tables when worship was corrupted by greed.
He refused to be weaponized by political movements that wanted to use Him.
That Jesus.
The One who said the greatest commandments were to love God and love your neighbor.
The One who defined neighbor in a way that shattered tribal boundaries.
The One who said blessed are the peacemakers, the meek, the merciful.
The One who warned that gaining the whole world and losing your soul is a terrible trade.
If we are honest, Jesus offends the left and the right.
He confronts sexual immorality.
He confronts greed.
He confronts racism.
He confronts violence.
He confronts pride.
He confronts nationalism when it becomes idolatry.
He confronts performative religion that uses His name but ignores His character.
So if I am speaking against cruelty, dishonesty, corruption, racial division, exploitation of the poor, or the worship of political strongmen, I am not asking Jesus to join my side.
I am standing where He already stands.
That is a very different thing.
Jesus sides with truth.
Jesus sides with mercy.
Jesus sides with integrity.
Jesus sides with justice that is not selective.
Jesus sides with love that is not tribal.
And when Christians begin excusing behavior in leaders that they would condemn in anyone else, Jesus does not applaud that. He calls it what it is.
The goal is not to prove Jesus agrees with me. The goal is to make sure I am aligning with Him.
If my politics require me to excuse lies, I am out of step with Jesus.
If my politics require me to ignore the suffering of people who do not look like me, I am out of step with Jesus.
If my politics demand that I silence my conscience to protect a personality, I am out of step with Jesus.
He is Lord. Not a candidate.
He is King. Not a campaign slogan.
He is the Judge. Not a talking point.
So no, I am not trying to make Jesus a Democrat or a Republican. I am trying to follow Him wherever He leads, even when that path makes everyone uncomfortable.
If that happens to challenge certain political movements more than others at this moment in history, that is not because Jesus belongs to my side.
It is because no side fully belongs to Him.
And I would rather be faithful to Christ than useful to a party.
BDD
