Centrist Politics and Extremist Jesus

If there is one thing all Christians can agree on–left and right, conservative and liberal, evangelical and mainline, whatever–it is that Jesus was no centrist.

For those of us in mainline churches, or whose churches follow the Revised Common Lectionary, two Sundays ago we heard the gospel from Matthew 25:

Then the king will say to those at his right hand, "Come, you that are blessed by my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world; for I was hungry and you gave me food, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you welcomed me, I was naked and you gave me clothing, I was sick and you took care of me, I was in prison and you visited me." Then the righteous will answer him, "Lord, when was it that we saw you hungry and gave you food, or thirsty and gave you something to drink? And when was it that we saw you a stranger and welcomed you, or naked and gave you clothing? And when was it that we saw you sick or in prison and visited you?" And the king will answer them, "Truly I tell you, just as you did it to one of the least of these who are members of my family, you did it to me." Then he will say to those at his left hand, "You that are accursed, depart from me into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels; for I was hungry and you gave me no food, I was thirsty and you gave me nothing to drink, I was a stranger and you did not welcome me, naked and you did not give me clothing, sick and in prison and you did not visit me." Then they also will answer, "Lord, when was it that we saw you hungry or thirsty or a stranger or naked or sick or in prison, and did not take care of you?" Then he will answer them, "Truly I tell you, just as you did not do it to one of the least of these, you did not do it to me." And these will go away into eternal punishment, but the righteous into eternal life.–Matthew 25:31-46

This is one of my favorite passages of scripture.  My spouse Jennifer Creswell, an Episcopal priest, was surprised when I told her that as she prepared to preach a children’s sermon on the passage.  (Admittedly, it’s a hard lesson for a children’s sermon!)  I guess I enjoy it so much because of the clear implications for social justice the passage demands.  Jesus offers an uncompromising view of God’s judgment: those who took the concerns of the most needy into account welcomed Christ into their hearts and will therefore be welcomed by Christ–those who did not, will not.

Barack Obama has been very active in the past few weeks, naming his cabinet and assembling the team that will lead the country for the next four years.  A few commentators have remarked that Obama’s choices have shown his intention to govern from the center (as opposed to the far left)–The New York Times, for instance, ran a front-page article on November 22 entitled "Obama Tilts to Center, Inviting a Clash of Ideas."  Obama is being true to his reputation for "reaching across the aisle" (a phrase he used repeatedly in the debates) and is selecting a group of people not known for strong leftist politics.  For those of us on the far left, Obama’s choices have been somewhat disappointing.  On the other hand it is important to recognize that democratic politics require compromise and that–if we are honest about it–what the country needs right now is unity and transformation and not the usual bipartisan scuffles.  Not that the next four years will be politically smooth, but my point is that I understand the need for government that tends toward the center rather than the poles.

But if there is one thing all Christians can agree on–left and right, conservative and liberal, evangelical and mainline, whatever–it is that Jesus was no centrist.  (John of Patmos’ vision of Christ in Revelation 2 comes to mind: "I know your works; you are neither cold nor hot.  So, because you are lukewarm, and neither cold not hot, I am about to spit you out of my mouth.")  Now, for the left that means that the type of demands Jesus makes in Matthew 25 are without compromise: the poor, the sick, the friendless, the stranger–these are the people for whom God cares most.  For the right, it means that Jesus’ word as revealed in the Bible (read by its more conservative interpreters) is infallible and unchanging, and comes along with very clear rules about what is right and wrong.  Regardless of our social or political views, faithful Christians have a hard time being centrists because we worship an extremist God.  We can and should be active and involved in our political system, and we take appropriate pleasure in our political triumphs.  But our faith continues to push on us, encouraging godly extremism and Christ-like resoluteness.

These next few months will be revealing, as Barack Obama finishes his transition period, takes office and begins to govern.  Only then will we see if the great promise and hope his campaign proffered becomes reality.  And of course, Christians of all stripes will be there–outside of, alongside and entrenched in the Obama administration–sometimes going with the flow, sometimes prodding and poking the government, sometimes singing and sometimes shouting, but all–thank God!–in the name of an uncompromising Christ.