Imperial Dissonance
Read Luke 2:1-7
“For to us a child is born, to us a son is given;
and the government shall be upon his shoulder, and his name shall be called
Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.”
– the prophet Isaiah
Every four years people living in the U.S. go through the pains of a presidential election. I don’t use the word "pains" to suggest that democracy and the right to vote isn't worth it, but to instead draw a comparison to childbirth. The process of delivering a democratically elected leader is preceded by a long and difficult labor filled with debates, campaigning, touring, speeches, interviews, and more. And after the clamor and noise of a presidential election, many in our nation turn attention to a very different labor and delivery. Not a figurative one, either. The birth of this child took place in a stable tucked inside a tiny town rather than in the hallowed halls of democracy.
Augustus Caesar issued a proclamation about taxes shortly before the child’s birth, exerting his control over the conquered people of Israel. Joseph and Mary, obligated to travel from Galilee to Bethlehem, surely felt the political oppression many Jews had come to accept. Revolutionaries attempted to overthrow the Roman government, but most people simply tried to live life, provide for families, survive, and go unnoticed by the Romans. And so, Joseph obeyed the Roman decree, taking his pregnant wife on the fateful trip to Bethlehem. With a journey so often rehearsed and romanticized, it’s easy to overlook one key fact: Jesus’ birth came, and the Christian faith with Him, at the height of a political oppression.
Joseph’s willing obedience to abide by Caesar’s decree does not seem like a great beginning for a Messiah expected to deliver people from bondage. Joseph submitted, and that response foreshadowed an exchange between Jesus and the Roman governor, Pontius Pilate, thirty-three years later. “You would have no power over me at all unless it were given to you from above.” (John 19:11) The oppressive climate surrounding Jesus’ birth and death were the work of a godless empire. Yet, according to Jesus, a much higher power was at work.
Jesus did not model a weak pacifism, but rather a deep and abiding faith in God. For His Father not only held the world in His hands, but also worked His will despite, and sometimes through, the evil deeds of pagan kings. To clarify, the Messiah’s birth in Bethlehem was not the result of Caesar Augustus’ decree. It was not a cause-and-effect relationship. It was, instead, the fulfillment of an ancient prophecy: “But you, O Bethlehem, in the land of Judah, are by no means least among the rulers of Judah; for from you shall come a ruler who will shepherd my people Israel.” (Matthew 2:6 quoting Micah 5:2) And neither was Jesus’ crucifixion evidence of Pilate’s authority, but rather, God’s sovereignty.
That’s why, just a few decades after the Resurrection, the Apostle Paul encouraged Christians still living under the oppressive hand of the Roman empire to be subject to the governing authorities. “For there is no authority except from God, and those that exist have been instituted by God. Therefore, whoever resists the authorities resists what God has appointed.” (Romans 13:1-2) Seem like good advice? Maybe, if those in authority are just. But what about rulers bent on evil? Paul’s words still stand, whether our leaders are just and good or evil and unmerciful.
Caesar and Pilate are not remembered as good and just. In fact, the Roman emperor ruling when Paul wrote those words was very likely the same man who ordered Paul beheaded and oversaw the execution of hundreds of Christ followers. Yet the blood of martyrs has watered the seeds of the Church. Augustus is dead. Pilate is a footnote in history. The once mighty Roman Empire is no more. But the Church of Jesus prevails.
Born into hostility and political upheaval, Jesus stands at the center of a world in relentless pursuit of peace. Kings and rulers of this world have long sought to establish more perfect forms of government. Their promises, even those well-intentioned, fall short. Every four years, Americans go to the polls hoping to elect someone who might bring true and lasting peace and prosperity. And four year later, we try again. What if, this Christmas, we finally recognize that peace is unelectable at the ballot box? What if we truly accept the peace delivered to us in a manger and wrapped, not in any nation’s flag, but in swaddling clothes?
Sovereign God,
Nations rage and kingdoms fall, but Your Word is forever. Grant me the faith to believe that You work all things – even the evil intentions of others – for the good of those who love You and are called according to Your purposes. Give me the faith of Joseph to trust that You are working through the difficult circumstances of my life. Help me to remember that there is no king or ruler who can destroy Your plan or remove me from Your hand.
Amen.
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