Salvation in Politics:John 11:47-57

“If we let Him go on like this, all men will believe Him, and the Romans will come and take away both our place and our nation” (John 11:48, NASB).

In the African American community there are churches that are heavily involved in such matters as social justice, community outreach, and political reform. There can be no doubt that these subject matters must be acknowledged and addressed if there is to be justice, fairness, and equality for all people. There is no question that the founding fathers of this nation were concerned about the equality of all the citizens. I say citizens because the founders believed that there should be equality for all citizens, but not necessarily for all people. Today, there are many groups of people that seek equality for all people. At the same time there are others that make a distinction between the ideas of “all citizens” and “all people.” Consequently, there is a movement to settle issues of disagreement through the political system. In this article I want to address the issue of why the African American churches are so involved in the political process. Why does the church often find itself involved in politics more than it does in active evangelism?

In John 10 we read that Jesus and His disciples were residing in Judea. “And He went away again beyond the Jordan to the place where John was first baptizing, and He was staying there” (John 10:40, NASB). Jesus had gone there because He had debated with the Jews if He was the Christ. “The Jews then gathered around Him, and were saying to Him, ‘How long will You keep us in suspense? If You are the Christ, tell us plainly” (John 10:24).

In chapter 11 we read the story about the sickness and death of Lazarus, a friend that Jesus loved. Lazarus’ two sisters, Mary and Martha send for Jesus. They hope that Jesus will come and heal their brother who is near death. Jesus does not immediately respond to their summons. Instead, He waits two days before He begins His journey to Bethany. Jesus deliberately waits until Lazarus is dead before He goes to see about Lazarus. As we read the story, it becomes evident that Jesus intends to resurrect Lazarus from the dead. Jesus will use this occasion to further demonstrate that He is the Son of God by doing something that God alone can do. So, Jesus finally arrives at the home of Mary and Martha. After discussing the matter with Martha and Mary Jesus resurrects Lazarus from the dead (v.43, 44). One would think that everyone would be filled with joy, but this was not the case. You see, for many of the religious leaders among the Jews this is not just a religious matter. We will see that there are political matters that are intertwined with religious beliefs.

After Jesus resurrects Lazarus from the dead, the text begins to tell us that there are political concerns about the ministry of Jesus. Some of those that had witnessed what had taken place “went to the Pharisees and told them the things that Jesus had done” (John 11:46, NASB). “Therefore the chief priests and the Pharisees convened a council, and were saying, ‘What are we doing” For this man is performing many signs” (11:47). Now the political implications are made known. The Jews are afraid because of the Romans. They say, “If we let Him go on like this, all men will believe in Him, and the Romans will come and take away both our place and our nation” (v. 48). In this particular text the reason(s) for their fear of the Romans is not specifically stated. We will have to look at other passages in the gospels; and particularly in the Gospel of John. Why do the religious leaders fear the Romans? Why do they fear that the Romans will take away their place and their nation? We will need to have a little history lesson.

The Romans are in control of the whole world as it was known at this time. The Romans allow certain nations to have a certain amount of religious freedom as long as the religion is not a threat to the Roman government. The Caesars are the ultimate authority over the Roman Empire. The Caesar is the Divine One. That Caesar was divine is a threat to the Jewish religion. The Jews believe that God will send a Messiah to rescue His people—namely the Jews. The Jews believe that the Messiah will be a descendant of David. He will overthrow Rome and the Jews will be restored to their prominence that they had been enjoyed during the reigns of David and Solomon. However, Jesus shows no signs that He intended to overthrow Rome.

Instead, Jesus comes preaching the kingdom of God. The people refer to Him as the Son of David. The magi in Matthew 2 travel from the east looking for the King of the Jews. However, in Rome there could be only one king. The Jewish religious leaders do not know what to make of Jesus. He has no army to fight the Romans. He does not align Himself with other Jewish insurrectionist that are planning and waiting for an opportunity to defeat the Romans. Jesus does not align Himself with the wealthy and the pious religious leaders of the Jews. Instead, Jesus goes to the people that the religious leaders reject. The Pharisees reject the poor, the sick, the lame, the prostitutes, and the tax collectors. They believe that they are sinners that God rejects. They have no place in Israel now, and they will not be included in the kingdom of the Messiah. These people are a hindrance to the aspirations of the Jews.

The Sadducees are among the wealthy in Israel. They are in charge of the temple. In addition, they are concerned about their relationship with Rome for religious and political reasons. They do not believe in angels, demons, and resurrection. They want to maintain a good relationship with Rome for both national and personal reasons. They want the status quo to remain intact. Although the nation suffers under Roman control, the Sadducees personally live a good life. For them, it seems that personal interest stand above national interest. Jesus is a problem. He is a threat to everything that the religious leaders hold to. Jesus violates their religious beliefs and more importantly, Jesus is a threat to their political and economic status.

The Pharisees and the Sadducees do not always agree. This does not matter when it comes to Jesus. Jesus is a threat to both groups. The Pharisees that are concerned about the law and various Jewish traditions are the leaders of the people in their daily life. The Pharisees and Sadducees do agree on one thing. This Jesus of Nazareth is a threat to their position and status in life. When we take a closer look at this story we begin to see that the religious leaders are more concerned about politics than they are concerned about the everyday needs of the people. The miracles that Jesus performs are undeniable. The religious leaders cannot explain them because they go against their religious beliefs. More importantly, they are a threat to their politics. Jesus is no David. He shows no signs that He will overthrow Rome and restore Israel. They cannot allow Him to be known as a king because that will mean that Rome will take from them the few rights that they have. If Jesus is their king, the Jews will lose all of their political and religious privileges as a nation that Rome allows them to enjoy.

In conclusion, we learn from our text that the religious leaders believe that their salvation is not in their religion alone. Their salvation is to be maintained through a religion that includes their politics that pose no threat to Rome. What about the church today; especially the African American church? Does the churches believe that their hope and success is attainable and maintained only if their religion does not conflict with the politics of the world? Do we choose sides politically in hope that our salvation as a people will be determined by associating with the politicians that offer to us the things that we need and desire? Is it possible that our hope of salvation is in politics?