Locating Jesus with Wisdom: Preaching Amid Political Intensity

Introduction

“We got to get weapons ready. We got to fight against the evil threatening our country. For the sake of God and our kids we got no choice.”

“It was slowly dawning upon me that by ‘weapons,’ this brother meant physical ones not spiritual.”

Fear and fire shone within this man’s eyes. He sat at a table with fellow Christian leaders. The pastor had asked that I speak to their leadership team about how to follow Jesus in our political moment. It was slowly dawning upon me that by “weapons,” this brother meant physical ones not spiritual.

“Can you describe the evil that threatens us?” I asked.

“The Democrats. The whole ungodly lot of em. We’re fighting for the soul of our nation and we better wake up before it’s too late for our families. War is coming. This fight is about God.”

His friends shifted in their seats, pained looks in the eyes.

“Help Lord,” I silently prayed.

“I wonder. Would you be willing to talk about Jesus with me?”

At that, a second leader at the table interrupted.

“I don’t agree with everything my friend is saying. He knows that. We’ve talked about this. But we don’t need Sunday School answers here. What do you say about critical race theory? What do you say about abortion? What do you say about gay marriage? What about our borders, the evil and corruption of democrats taking all our values from us?”

I paused.

Stay slow, I thought to myself. A scene from an old movie came to mind. Neo, slow motion in the matrix, dipping this shoulder this way then that way, letting bullets fly on by.

“These questions matter so much, don’t they?” I said. “As Christians we need to pay a great deal of attention to them and to other questions too. But what I’m asking is would you be willing to talk about Jesus with me?”

“Look at you just sitting there! What would have to happen for you to find your courage and get into this fight?” the first man said.

I paused. I didn’t like the implication of my being weak or cowardly. I spoke silent prayers again and thought of Jesus telling parables. The only thing coming to mind was a pastoral care story.

“I didn’t like the implication of my being weak or cowardly.”

“Not long ago,” I said, “a member of our church felt terrified to go out at night by herself. She’d never felt this way before. She felt it most when her husband traveled, when she took out the garbage along their long driveway. Where she lives is among the safest neighborhoods in our city. What do you imagine brought about this new experience of fear? Something in her past?

As we talked, it turns out she’d been binge- watching a show called The Walking Dead about relentless zombies attacking human beings. The story being told on the screen, when binged, became a habit, a way of seeing her world. It made her feel as if her neighborhood was as dangerous as the one on the screen.

If in God’s name, I need the kind of courage you ask of me, and to be honest this conversation right now takes some courage, I want to know that what frightens me is real and not just what I’m imagining because of the images and stories on the screens I’m watching.

Would you agree that it might ease her mind if she spent more time with her actual neighbors than these narrow and virtual ones on the zombie show?”

All was quiet.

“When I ask, ‘can we talk about Jesus,’ I’m asking what I assume we’d each want most. To be present with the living Jesus. To know his word and way regarding the questions pressing us. You love him right?”

The first man hesitantly nodded as others said “yes.”

“Me too,” I said. “He knit us together as brothers. Let’s talk about him. Find our way with him.”

Perhaps this scene is more intense than many of us who preach and teach and speak with others about Jesus, might encounter. But it helps us illustrate the two points I want to make with you to help equip you to speak of Jesus in our polarizing political environments.

Point 1: When you prepare your message, explicitly locate Jesus as the Bible presents him.

Point 2: When you communicate your message, utilize a wisdom approach.

These two paths will not keep us from being criticized, but they will enable us to bring gospel clarity those we pastorally care for who are confused, agitated, unsettled or misguided.