Jesus tells disciples, in the “Community of God” caring for the least is caring for him, “Whatever you did for one of the least of mine, you did for me.” Opponents of Jesus who support the kingdom of Caesar will not care for the least and therefore will not care for Christ Jesus nor Christs throughout history, “When did we see you hungry or thirsty or a stranger or naked or ill or in prison, and not minister to your needs?”
Jesus’ opponents, then and now, oppose the least of us in the Community of God. Their opposition usually reflects a two-fold misunderstanding: of people and people’s authority. They misunderstand people, not seeing people as “the least of us,” and instead as sinners. Opponents believe sinners need rulers who may justifiably withhold care, resulting in people being deservedly hungry, ill, imprisoned, and more. Opponents also misunderstand people’s authority as political rule instead of a well formed conscience. Political rule describes the kingdom of Caesar. Like the Gospel characters who do not care for the hungry or thirsty or imprisoned, politicians are not caring for people. Thus, political rulers do not care for Jesus’ Community of God which replaces their rule with our communal care. Jesus’ Community of God nurtures people’s conscientious authority to provide collective caring action for the least of us; for all people. That includes care given to people who mistreat us and harm the Community of God. Today’s feast of Christ the King is a well-intended but mistaken glorification of rulers in the kingdom of Caesar. It was supposed to end the use of ‘King’ by rulers over the ‘sinful’ least of us. But self-titled Christian rulers in the kingdom of Caesar keep using the title Christ the King to justify punishing the least of us. Those wanting to modify the King’s rule away from the worst of punitive behaviors are liberals. They want the King to reform his rule so that care can be provided to people in need. But liberals thwart Jesus’ Community of God. Liberals, likely well-intentioned, keep us focused on reforming the kingdom of Caesar. For example, they petition to increase wages but keep the debt based system, to increase farm subsidies but within a capitalist scarcity system, and to petition for smaller Pentagon budgets while they keep supporting the Empire’s warfare. Under liberalism, we diminish Jesus’ Community of God. As we know Christ is not King, we also know Christ is not Liberal. Christ is radical. Christ is all the world’s radical peacemakers creating a Community of God that cares for the least of us.
Liberals may chastise peacemakers for leaving U.S. Empire’s politics to non-believers. Precisely. The U.S. Empire is the politics of nonbelievers. It is rulers and supporters will always coerce our reform of the kingdom of Caesar so that we will not create Jesus’ radical Community of God. Liberals may chastise us to ‘not allow the perfect to be the enemy of the good.’ We should not judge their reforms as the glass half empty and instead see the glass half full. But in reality, the glass is sitting next to us, on a table, in the King’s palace. We keep repairing and servicing the palace, congratulating ourselves for lessening the work load of the staff so they can join us now and then for a drink. At the same time there is an entire world of care beyond the palace not governed by any kings. We know how to care for people. We’ve known for 2,000 years. We need to end our work for the King and his palace and begin our care in Jesus’ Community of God.
Prayer: Spirit, we share power with the least of us.
Question: What keeps me on the plantation working for reform?
November 22, 2020 Gospel Matthew 25:31-46 Feast of Christ the King