Could a Leader Like Jesus Thrive in Today's Political Arena?

Could Jesus get elected to office today? Frankly, I don’t think so. He just wouldn’t fit into the crowd of little would-be saviors who run around seeking votes, promoting themselves as the solution to all ills in society, boasting of their achievements or intelligence while at the same time discrediting any opponent. There just doesn’t seem to be much room in present-day contests for a humble person.

Jesus came as a suffering Servant. He made Himself of no reputation. Isaiah 53 says that He would not be remarkable in the eyes of those around Him. When His public ministry started rolling, His family came to collect Him, wanting to remove Him from the public eye because they feared some mental issues were present. In other words, they had not been convinced by His life with them at home that He was a special and awe-inspiring, highly gifted candidate to have a public ministry of preaching and healing.

Jesus did not seem to do much to promote Himself. The Gospel of John records Him as making statements like “I can of Myself do nothing,” or “Most assuredly, I say to you, the Son [i.e., Jesus] can do nothing of Himself, but what He sees the Father do.” Jesus only did what the Father authorized Him to do and said what the Father authorized Him to say, only demonstrating power the Father provided. He lived in dependence on and submission to the Father. In our day, it seems the self-reliant and self-assertive types are propelled to the forefront as leaders.

Jesus practiced what He preached. The Sermon on the Mount opens with this statement: “Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.” Jesus lived the life of one poor in spirit. Being poor in spirit is necessary for every saved person. In order to be saved, each must repent of sin and trust Jesus as Savior and submit to Him as Lord. We must acknowledge that we cannot follow our own imaginations or intuitions because they are faulty. We are not fit to be a law unto ourselves. We are not self-sufficient. We give up trying to fix the offenses we have created against the holy God, and we give up trying to be good enough to get into heaven. We are completely dependent on the atoning sacrifice of Jesus to remove our sins and make us righteous. Being poor in spirit, depending wholly on Christ, we give up trying to run our own lives and instead seek the help of our King as well as direction from our King’s written Word.

Being financially poor does not qualify a person for Christ’s kingdom. Jesus lived as a poor person, but what was key was that He was poor in spirit and did not envy or resent the rich. Neither did he foster worry or anxiety over his financial situation. So His subjects are not to chafe at living with need. May our King grant us humble contentment.