The Kingdom of Jesus: America, Allegiance, and an Assassination Attempt

[Note: I wrote this reflection a few weeks ago, but am just now remembering I didn't click "publish." (Pregnancy brain??) Since writing this, A LOT has happened in the realm of American politics. As surprises keep coming, division continues to grow, and tensions rise, I hope that this little reflection at least introduces you to a beautiful song to orient you to Jesus' Kingdom.]

The Sunday following the assassination attempt of Former President Trump, a couple from our church sang the song "The Kingdom of Jesus" in worship. I want to share it with you all because it so beautifully speaks the truth, hope, and love of Jesus in a time and place that has felt so un-kingdom-like lately. As I talk to Christians on all sides of the aisle, one of several shared sentiments that I hear is that this country and this world are not "it."

Listen and read the lyrics below to see how The Porter's Gate, Jon Guerra, and Sandra McCracken describe the Kingdom of Jesus:

To what shall we compare the kingdom of Jesus if not a seed?

It’s small, it’s sown, it’s tended and grown, and it’s sturdy in you and me.

Its branches never break, and its fruit never withers.

His kingdom is not of this world, nor of any,

A kingdom whose ruler's face is on a penny.

He comes to make all things bright, put a new wine in us.

He's chosen the small things to outlast the great,

The meek and the merciful to shine through the hate.

Oh, it seems some days that hell and its gates are prevailing.

Oh, say can you see

The kingdom within us

Is the kingdom of Jesus.

To what shall we compare the spirit of the hour if not a sword?

It frees us, unites us, enslaves and divides us in violence.

Help us, lord!

His kingdom is not of this world, nor of any,

A kingdom whose ruler's face is on a penny.

He comes to make all things bright, put a new wine in us.

He's chosen the small things to outlast the great,

The meek and the merciful to shine through the hate.

Oh, it seems some days that hell and its gates are prevailing.

Oh, say can’t you see

We have one allegiance

It’s to the kingdom of Jesus.

He who is in us is greater than He who is in the world.

He who is in us is greater, and He's overcome the world!

Oh, his kingdom is not one of slander or rage,

But one that is ruled by the lamb who was slain,

And he's worthy of wisdom and honor and glory and strength.

No pain, no division, no public disgrace will compare with seeing the smile on his face

As he welcomes us home as children with places at the table.

Neither death nor threat nor power can ever separate us

From the love of God forever in Christ Jesus.

Everything shall pass away, but not the word that's within us.

No, it's the kingdom of Jesus. The kingdom of Jesus.

I wonder what America, the church, and the world would look like if our greatest allegiance was to the Kingdom of Jesus. I understand that politics are important, and faith and public life can influence one another in integral ways. I also believe that we can love our country while critiquing it. America is not the Kingdom of Jesus. It may have some shared aspects and many shared aspirations, but no country is the Kingdom of Jesus. The Kingdom of Jesus spans far beyond our borders. It also reaches back through a history that pre-dates our founding, and the Kingdom of Jesus will outlast every empire, nation, and human-made kingdom.

Living with a Kingdom-lens doesn't mean that we can't vote, advocate, and care for the betterment of America. But this God-shaped, biblical lens does change our priorities. It forces us to remember that Jesus said,

"Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you." Matthew 5:44

I don't often read or watch the news and think to myself, these people really love their political opponents. I don't scroll through social media and think, these people are just full of respect for those with whom they disagree. The rhetoric is violent. Sometimes the rhetoric is prophetic, in the sense that it rightly calls out injustice, but even then, it is inherently "us" vs. "them" and relies on dehumanizing others. Without even knowing each other, we as Americans have drawn clear enemy lines in the social-political sphere. If you're on the wrong side, look out--you may get berated, cancelled, assaulted, or shot.

As I've reflected on my own relationship to America, politics, media, etc., I've been reminded of Jesus' words on the cost of discipleship in the Gospel of Luke. Luke 14:25-27 says,

"Now large crowds were traveling with him; and he turned and said to them, ‘Whoever comes to me and does not hate father and mother, wife and children, brothers and sisters, yes, and even life itself, cannot be my disciple. Whoever does not carry the cross and follow me cannot be my disciple."

The first time I read this passage with our youth group, someone spoke out and said, "I don't think that's what the Bible says" with the most perplexed teenager look on his face. To which I said, "Well, look at your Bible and check me." The words are right there in our Scripture, but this teenager's shock was right too. For someone who comes preaching a lot about loving your neighbors and enemies, it's pretty strange to hear Jesus call us to hate our families and life itself, which is a gift from God.

The point that Jesus is making in Luke is one of priorities.

We know from Jesus that we are called to love and care for our families. We see this from the 10 commandments' call to "Honor your father and mother" to verses like 1 Timothy 5:8, "And whoever does not provide for relatives, and especially for family members, has denied the faith and is worse than an unbeliever."

So, putting Luke in the context of the full Scripture shows us that even a love for our families that meets the standards set in the 10 commandments and in 1 Timothy 5 should pale in comparison to our love for God. Our familial love and commitments should be immense and sacrificial, and they should be immensely less than our love for and allegiance to God.

So, can we love America and pledge our allegiance to her?

Yes, but. Yes, but we must put our allegiance to our country far behind our allegiance to God, just as our allegiance to our family must be ordered behind our allegiance to God. Keep in mind, though, that these allegiances aren't always incompatible. My love and commitment to my family grows out of and is shaped by my Christian faith and love for God. Similarly, my love for God should lead me to love and care for America in uniquely Christian ways as I seek to spread the Kingdom of Jesus here and everywhere.

Undoubtably, there will be times when our American politics and Christian faith are not aligned. I won't bore you with my list. You have your own examples of this, and our lists may not be the same. When our politics and religion push against each other, we must discern our role and seek first the Kingdom of Jesus. As we act within our own integrity, we must remember that before being right or winning, as Christians, we are called to a fruit-filled life of love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. We are called to seek first the Kingdom of Jesus.

Your fellow pilgrim,

Kingsley