An Unafraid Kingdom

<p>I have a confession. I used to hate the people who disagreed with me politically. It’s understandable to feel strongly about how we practice politics. Voting and activism have the potential to bring about much good in our communities. Politics can also be incredibly scary because we’re often dealing with life-and-death issues that affect us and our neighbors.</p><p>.</p><p>Here’s the good news: Jesus understands what it’s like to be in the middle of scary political situations. His homeland was occupied by the Roman Empire, and injustice was rampant.</p><p>.</p><p>But Jesus didn’t respond in violence toward those who threatened Him. In the same way, Jesus calls His followers to love our enemies—to pray for them and to respond to hatred with love and care for the needs of others, even our enemies (Matthew 5:38-47).</p><p>.</p><p>When we join Jesus’s kingdom, we no longer put our trust in chariots or swords, weapons or symbols of power (Psalm 20:7; Matthew 26:52). Instead, our trust is in the living God, our Risen Savior Jesus Christ. He’s the One who beat sin and death through His own death and resurrection, and He’s the One who will return to make all things new—with every wrongdoing and injustice finally taken care of (Revelation 20:11–21:5).</p><p>.</p><p>Today, when I’m tempted to hate people I disagree with, I remember Jesus on the night He let people take Him away to kill Him. When His enemies surrounded Him in the Garden of Gethsemane, He did not allow His disciples to lead a violent counterattack. Instead, Jesus stopped, healed one of His enemies, and moved forward in peace and truth, making the way for restoration through His very death... and eventual resurrection (Luke 22:49-52).</p><p>.</p><p>As Christians, we don’t have to be afraid of changing political systems. Instead, we can remember we belong to an eternal and unafraid kingdom through the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ. His kingdom is built upon love of God and neighbor, so no matter who is in power, we can continue to share the good ne