{"id":787,"date":"2010-05-26T07:05:17","date_gmt":"2010-05-26T14:05:17","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/groansfromwithin.com\/?p=787"},"modified":"2014-12-23T14:32:10","modified_gmt":"2014-12-23T22:32:10","slug":"whose-kingdom-which-lord-jesus-nationalism-part-4-when-2-empires-collide","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/thepangeablog\/2010\/05\/26\/whose-kingdom-which-lord-jesus-nationalism-part-4-when-2-empires-collide\/","title":{"rendered":"Whose Kingdom, Which Lord? Jesus & Nationalism, part 4 (When 2 Empire’s Collide)"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<\/head>

\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

This is part four of a five part series on Jesus and Nationalism.\u00a0 It reads as one fluid written sermon so you may want to read the rest of the series<\/a>.\u00a0 I have never spoken this sermon but figured I would use the blog to get the text out there\u2026<\/p>\n

\u2014\u2014\u2014\u2014\u2014\u2014\u2014\u2014\u2014\u2014\u2014\u2014\u2014\u2014\u2014\u2014\u2014<\/p>\n

Now lets turn back to Luke chapter 2<\/a> for a moment.\u00a0 We started with a question about if Caesar Augustus is important to the story that Luke is trying to tell us about Jesus\u2019 birth.\u00a0 What do we know based on verse 1 of this chapter?\u00a0 We know that the great Emperor has decreed that the whole world must be counted.\u00a0 This was an effort to make sure that the taxes could be taken with greater accuracy.\u00a0 For those in Judea, like the parents of Jesus, this was simply a reminder of the poverty and suffering of their people because of the Roman Empire.<\/p>\n

And think about Caesar Augustus again.\u00a0 Remember the announcement about his birthday that we read earlier that dated to 9 BC?\u00a0 Lets look at it one last time and see if anything starts to come together for us about the first birthday of Jesus.<\/p>\n

All the cities unanimously adopt the birthday of the divine Caesar as the new beginning of the year\u2026the birthday of the god [Augustus] has been for the whole world the beginning of good news (euangelion<\/em>) concerning him [therefore let a new era begin from his birth].<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

The birth of Augustus is considered to be a new era.\u00a0 His birth is one that changed the course of human history.\u00a0 He is born as a human, but is simultaneously a god<\/em> on earth.\u00a0 His life is the beginning of \u201cgood news.\u201d\u00a0 Lets keep reading.<\/p>\n

\u2026Who being sent to us and our descendants as Savior, has put an end to war and has set all things in order; and [whereas,] having become [god] manifest (phaneis<\/em>), Caesar has fulfilled all the hopes of earlier times\u2026<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

So, lets get this straight.\u00a0 Augustus is the long awaited \u201cSavior\u201d who has brought peace to the world by putting \u201can end to war.\u201d\u00a0 So, if we put this all together we find that Augustus who claimed to be the \u201cson of god\u201d (as we discussed earlier) is the \u201csavior\u201d who brings \u201cgood news\u201d of peace.\u00a0 Where have I heard that before?<\/p>\n

Jump to verse 10 of Luke 2:<\/p>\n

But the angel said to them, \u201cDo not be afraid; for see\u2014I am bringing you good news <\/em><\/strong>of great joy for all the people: to you is born this day in the city of David a Savior<\/em><\/strong>, who is the Messiah, the Lord\u2026\u00a0 And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host, praising God and saying, \u201cGlory to God in the highest heaven, and on earth peace<\/em><\/strong>\u2026\u201d\u00a0 Luke 2.10-11, 13-14 (NRSV)<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

Everything that Augustus claimed of himself is turned upside down by a baby who is born in the midst of the Roman imperial machine!\u00a0 Jesus is the Savior, not Caesar!\u00a0 Jesus is the good news, not Caesar!\u00a0 Jesus is the source of true peace; not through the threat of violence imposed by the sword, but through the humility of a baby who would humbly walk the road to the cross!\u00a0 Jesus is the world\u2019s true king and Caesar is a parody!\u00a0 As the Apostle Paul makes clear in his letter to the Philippians:<\/p>\n

5<\/sup> In your relationships with one another, have the same attitude of mind Christ Jesus had:<\/p>\n

6<\/sup> Who, being in very nature God, did not consider equality with God something to be used to his own advantage;<\/p>\n

7<\/sup> rather, he made himself nothing by taking the very nature of a servant, being made in human likeness.<\/p>\n

8<\/sup> And being found in appearance as a human being, he humbled himself by becoming obedient to death\u2014even death on a cross!<\/p>\n

9<\/sup> Therefore God exalted him to the highest place and gave him the name that is above every name,<\/p>\n

10<\/sup> that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth,<\/p>\n

11<\/sup> and every tongue acknowledge that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.\u00a0 Philippians 2.5-11<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

The humble baby who chose to die on the Roman cross has been enthroned as the world\u2019s true Lord!\u00a0 Caesar wanted to be the lord and master of the whole earth, but couldn\u2019t come close to Christ.\u00a0 In a sense, when Paul says \u201cJesus Christ is Lord\u2026\u201d it is as though he were saying in the same breath \u201c\u2026and that means Caesar isn\u2019t!\u201d\u00a0 Jesus is king, and notice what this passage reveals to us about nations of the world.\u00a0 People from every kingdom of this world will confess Jesus\u2019 lordship, not simply the nation that I happen to hold in high regard.\u00a0 That means that Americans, Iraqis, Afghanis, Native Americans, Asians, Capitalists, Socialists, Communists and every other \u201ci-s-t\u201d or \u201ci-s-m\u201d will be represented before the throne of Jesus.\u00a0 All that will matter on that day is if we lived as \u201cGod\u2019s image bearers\u201d and gave him back his due: our lives for his Kingdom.<\/p>\n

WHAT DOES THIS SAY ABOUT THE CURRENT NATIONALISTIC TENDENCY AMONGST EVANGELICALS AND OTHER CHRISTIANS?\u00a0 IF OTHER NATIONS WILL BE REPRESENTED AT THRONE OF JESUS, WHAT ABOUT WHEN AMERICAN CHRISTIANS KILL OTHER CHRISTIANS WHO HAPPEN TO FIGHT FOR THE OPPOSING MILITARY?\u00a0 OTHER THOUGHTS OR SCENARIOS?<\/p>\n<\/body><\/html>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

This is part four of a five part series on Jesus and Nationalism.\u00a0 It reads as one fluid written sermon so you may want to read the rest of the series.\u00a0 I have never spoken this sermon but figured I would use the blog to get the text out there\u2026 \u2014\u2014\u2014\u2014\u2014\u2014\u2014\u2014\u2014\u2014\u2014\u2014\u2014\u2014\u2014\u2014\u2014 Now lets turn back […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":25,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[7,46,55,62,65,73,92],"tags":[165,166,182,338,44,423,425,485,19174,570,597,83,19185,19186],"class_list":["post-787","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-whos-kingdom-which-lord-nationalism-series","category-greg-boyd","category-kingdom-of-god","category-nationalism","category-nonviolence","category-politics","category-theology","tag-birth-of-jesus","tag-birthday-of-caesar-augustus","tag-caesar-augustus","tag-god","tag-gospel","tag-jesus","tag-jesus-and-empire","tag-luke-2","tag-nonviolence","tag-pacifism","tag-politics-of-jesus","tag-roman-empire","tag-social-justice","tag-theology"],"yoast_head":"\nWhose Kingdom, Which Lord? 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