Jesus Never Bowed to Corrupt Power, Well Why Should His Church?
Following Christ Means Speaking Truth to Power, Not Surrendering Truth for Access to Power
There is a dangerous distortion of Christianity that treats silence in the face of injustice as submission, compliance with corruption as respect for authority, and political access as evidence of God’s favor.
That is not the Jesus revealed in scripture!!
Jesus respected legitimate authority, yet He never allowed earthly authority to overrule the authority of His Father. He confronted religious hypocrisy, He exposed exploitation, He challenged those who burdened people while protecting themselves, and when political power threatened Him, He refused to pretend that Caesar, Herod, Pilate, or anybody else possessed greater authority than God.
Jesus said to Pilate in John 19:10-11 (AMPC) “So Pilate said to Him, Will You not speak [even] to me? Do You not know that I have power (authority) to release You and I have power to crucify You? Jesus answered, You could have no power at all against Me unless it were given you from above. For this reason the sin and guilt of the one who delivered Me over to you is greater.”
THAT is how Jesus spoke to political power.
Pilate essentially said, Do you know who I am? Do you understand what I can do to you?
Jesus’ answer was essentially, Your authority exists only because Heaven permitted it.
Church, hear me!
We are commanded to respect governing authorities. We are never commanded to worship them, idolize them, excuse their unrighteousness, surrender discernment to them, or remain silent when obedience to government becomes disobedience to God.
When earthly authority demanded what God prohibited, the apostles gave us the standard, as recorded in, Acts 5:29 (AMPC), “Then Peter and the apostles replied, We must obey God rather than men.”
There it is, plainly!
Not Republican before God.
Not Democrat before God.
Not conservative before God.
Not liberal before God.
Not nationalism before God.
Not political loyalty before God.
GOD FIRST.
In Matthew 23:27-28 (AMPC), Jesus confronted religious leaders who looked righteous publicly while corruption lived underneath, he said, “Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, pretenders (hypocrites)! For you are like tombs that have been whitewashed, which look beautiful on the outside but inside are full of dead men’s bones and everything impure. Just so, you also outwardly seem to people to be just and upright but inside you are full of pretense and lawlessness and iniquity.”
Jesus was eventually crucified through the collision of corrupt religious leadership, political calculation, injustice, cowardice, and manipulated public pressure.
And understand something important, the cross was not merely an act of political resistance. It was first and foremost Christ’s willing obedience to the redemptive plan of God. He willingly laid down His life for our salvation.
John 10:17-18 (AMPC) “For this [reason] the Father loves Me, because I lay down My [own] life—to take it back again. No one takes it away from Me. On the contrary, I lay it down voluntarily. [I put it from Myself.] I am authorized and have power to lay it down (to resign it) and I am authorized and have power to take it back again. These are the instructions (orders) which I have received [as My charge] from My Father.”
So never reduce Calvary to mere political rebellion.
Calvary was obedience to God carried all the way through suffering, injustice, humiliation, and death.
And that makes the challenge to us even greater.
If following Christ costs you access, follow Christ.
If truth costs you popularity, speak truth.
If righteousness costs you political acceptance, choose righteousness.
If refusing corruption makes powerful people angry, fear God more than you fear them.
The Church loses its prophetic voice the moment it becomes more concerned about maintaining a seat at Caesar’s table than maintaining obedience at Christ’s feet.
Question For Today
If your political loyalty requires you to excuse in your preferred leaders what you would condemn in their opponents, are you really standing with Christ, or have you bowed to the very kind of earthly power Jesus refused to bow to?
If You Have Ears To Hear, Then Hear It!
I pray for you each and every day.
All God's Best!
Karl McKinnie
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