As many of you know I'm currently on sabbatical and largely staying off social media and other sources of news, but the coverage of this week's English local elections and the Welsh and Scottish devolved assembly votes has been hard to avoid.
But whilst rootling around on my blog to find material for a writing project I am working on about Christ as King and the Kingdom of God, I came across this dialogue that I posts almost exactly 10 years ago in the wake of elections that week and thinking about issues of sovereignty that were looming with the Brexit referendum the next month... how little did we realise how much the results of that would still be rumbling on after a decade!
So I thought it was worth another post, with a slight amendment...
As I said then, I'm not entirely convinced by the fetishism of democracy, especially given it's tendency to be subverted by tribal interested or the undue influence of those with vast amounts of money, which has been emphasized on both sides of the Atlantic since I previously posted this. Although I would want it noted that I wrote this before there was even a sniff of a "No Kings" movement in the USA. I would however, continue to cynically agree with the idea that “democracy is the worst form of government, except for all the others” (whether or not Churchill ever said it). It has been said by many that the regime Jesus spoke about and taught us to pray for is not a democracy but a kingdom... And it probably isn't a constitutional monarchy as advocated for eloquently by King Charles III a few weeks ago, in words which would probably have set the first of his regnal number spinning in his grave.
However, the teaching and behaviour of Jesus suggests that the coming Kingdom will probably be something which will not satisfy those of a more authoritarian-bent... Like much else when we talk of divine things, the idea of a "Kingdom" is only a metaphor so that his people could grasp something of what he was saying.
It is as dangerous to identify any one form of government with God's ultimate will for us as it is to identify one nation with it.
As I have said repeatedly before, thanks (or should that be apologies) should go to John Bell and the late Graeme Maule of the Iona Community for the format if not the content of what follows... The cynicism of Peter is entirely of my own making, however, and doesn't reflect my feelings about all politicians... honest...
Peter: Eh... Jesus...?
Jesus: Yes, Peter?
Peter: Have you ever heard of democracy?
Jesus: Where’d you hear about that Peter?
Peter: Oh, I heard some Greeks talking about it... They said it was some sort of government. But it's all Greek to me...
Jesus: Well Peter... Democracy is government by the people...
Peter: Sure we’re always governed by people... People with crowns called kings or emperors...
Jesus: Yes, but in a democracy the people choose who will govern them by voting.
Peter: People vote to decide who will become King?
Jesus: Not quite... Although some of those elected behave like they’re kings or queens...
Peter: How are people like me supposed to decide who will run the country? I know nothing about politics...
Jesus: Well, the people who want to be elected produce manifestos to tell the voters what they will do for them if they are elected...
Peter: Ah... and the voters elect the one who will do most for them...
Jesus: Well, actually they usually vote for the one who will give them the biggest tax cut...
Peter: I can understand that, I hate taxes... Actually, that reminds me Jesus... Our tax bill is due again, so Judas says if you could do another trick with those coins in that fish’s mouth the same way as you did last year that would be good...
Jesus: I’m afraid that was a one off, Peter.
Peter: Oh well, it was worth a try. So what do you think of this democracy stuff?
Jesus: Its OK so long as the system is fair and the politicians honest...
Peter: That would be a first. So is the Kingdom of Heaven going to be a democracy?
Jesus: No...
Peter: Why not?
Jesus: Well, tell me... is the majority always right?
Peter: Depends on how big a majority.
Jesus: What do you mean?
Peter: Well, I’m not going to stand up and tell a mob of people that what they do or say or think is wrong...
Jesus: You’ll be surprised what you might end up doing for the sake of the Kingdom of Heaven.
Peter: But when are we going to see this Kingdom of Heaven you’ve been talking about? You’ve been speaking about it ever since I’ve known you... Where is its capital city going to be? Where is it going to be founded?
Jesus: I don’t know when Peter... But I do know where...
Peter: Where? Here in Galilee?
Jesus: No.
Peter: Jerusalem?
Jesus: No.
Peter: Not Rome?!
Jesus: No. Nor will it be in Washington DC, Moscow, London, Brussels or even Belfast...
Peter: Where?
Jesus: Never mind... The point is that the Kingdom of Heaven is not a country as we know it with borders, governments, elections, taxes and a national football team...
Peter: What?
Jesus: Again, never mind. The Kingdom of God is a group of people who have decided to serve God as their Lord and King...
Peter: So the people do decide who is going to be King...
Jesus: No, the people decide whether God will be their King... Whether they will be part of the Kingdom of Heaven.
Peter: Oh... But you still haven’t told me where it will be founded, where its capital city will be...
Jesus: Here...
Peter: But you already said that it wouldn’t be in Galilee...
Jesus: No, not here in Galilee... But here, in the human heart. The Kingdom of Heaven is within you...
Peter: Oh... Well, I suppose I should have known that the Kingdom of Heaven wasn’t going to be a democracy, because you’d be a dreadful politician.
Jesus: Why’s that Peter? Because I don't answer your questions the way you want me to?
Peter: No... On that front you'd make a good politician... they never give a straight answer... But your problem is that you’re too honest... You keep your promises...
Shalom
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