That truism masquerading as tender wisdom from on high, that Jesus is not a Republican or a Democrat, likely conceals more than it reveals. As a truism, it is true. Jesus doesn’t check a party’s platform to see where He aligns Himself any more than He assesses the relative merits of the Hebrews and the Jericho-ites and picks a side. Jesus is for Jesus. His policy positions and priorities are perfect. Neither party perfectly matches Him.
That said, one either has to be wildly compromised by the world or utterly ignorant of God’s law, both revealed and natural to not be able to quickly and easily affirm that one major party is closer to the mark than the other major party. Closer, I said, not close. Both, I would affirm, are way yonder far off. But one less so than the other. To acknowledge this obvious truth is not to affirm that Jesus is a Republican. It isn’t to confuse the ethic of Gordon Gecko with that of our Redeemer. It isn’t to affirm the apotheosis of Donald Trump. One who makes such an accusation, on the other hand, likely thinks Jesus is a Democrat, confuses the ethic of Fidel Castro with that of our Redeemer, and affirms the apotheosis of Tony Campolo.
That said, now would be a great time to not hand fuel to that fire. It is one thing to encourage us, as we head for the polls, to hold our nose and vote for the war, surveillance, light socialism and duplicity party. It is another thing to dance in the streets when they win. I suspect that the Christians in Berlin as the Soviets swooped in the from the east and the Americans from west shared these convictions- better the Russians than the Nazis, better the Americans than the Russians, better Jesus than all three.
One friend, an astute commentator on elections, Steve Deace, forecast for these midterms a red tsunami. Such is not what we have been given. Even if we had been, people drown in tsumanis, and the red got there from the blood of the unborn mixed with the blood of soldiers whose lives were spent for mere empire. The angels have not swept into the swamp to clean it up. Has there been a red tsunami it would simply mean the slightly smaller, slightly tamer alligators have returned to the swamp. And it is more than likely that they will continue to swap possession of the swamp with the bigger more destructive alligators every two to four years.
Please, don’t believe and don’t spread the hype. Happy days are not here again. Republicans running the House and maybe getting a majority in the Senate doesn’t mean we have thrown off the yoke of Pharoah or King George III. We’re simply meeting the new boss, same as the old boss, only mildly less so. Instead let us believe this. Jesus is no more and no less enthroned than He was on Monday. His power and authority have neither increased nor decreased. The high places where the Ashtoreths and the Baals are worshipped still stand. Molech Centers are still open, practicing their grisly business. And we who serve Jesus still rebel against Him daily. We have more than enough work to do and more than enough to repent of.