POLITICS MATTER BECAUSE PEOPLE MATTER
Matthew 9:35-36
John 10:1-10
"When Jesus saw the crowds, he had compassion for them,
because they were harassed and helpless, like sheep without a shepherd."
"The
sheep follow the good shepherd because they know his voice... The thief comes
only to steal and kill and destroy. I
cam that they may have life, and have it abundantly."
I vowed and declared after last week's meditation that I would go silent on Donald Trump, leaving his
fate in God's hands who has a record of humbling the proud, and bringing down
the mighty. But some of the media images
of his rallies are deeply disturbing. This
is no laughing matter, for they remind us of similar Nazi and Fascist rallies in
the 1930's. How is it possible that this
should be so in the country that claims to be the heartland of democracy and
the bastion of Christianity? But then
how could it have happened in Germany and Italy, two of the great nations of
culture and Christianity less than a century ago? Political commentators give varying answers,
but they agree that those who are rallying in their millions to support Trump are
not just bigoted racists, but people disaffected with mainstream political
leadership and angry about economic policies that affect their well-being. To hell with political sweet-talk and
dilly-dallying. They want a real "leader" to put things right and
fight for their jobs. Trump is the
Moses who can lead them out of Egypt into the promised land of milk and
honey. All the other candidates are jerks! In fact the more Republican leaders appeal
for them to reject Trump the more they rally in his support. So Trump's supporters adore him as they
would a pop star or war hero, not a pathetic comic figure, a downright liar, or
a potential tyrant. They trust him irrespective of what he says, or what
policies he says he stands for, or whether those policies change from day to
day to suit the crowd, because they believe he can get the things done they
want done.
Understandably many people who watch these shenanigans, and
some of our own, despair of politics and
withdraw into a holy huddle or switch channels to watch a sit-com or cricket
match instead of the news. But as
Christians we know that politics matters because people matter. If we are concerned about the welfare of people,
our parents or children, our neighbours and friends, the next generation, and
planet earth, then we cannot be unconcerned about politics, or remain
undisturbed by the images of crowds adulating leaders who lie and bully their
way to power. Politics is about
implementing policies that serve the common good and therefore opposing
policies that don't.
And there are signs of hope both in South Africa and in the
United States. In fact, the Democratic
candidate Bernie Sanders is also appealing to Americans who are disaffected
with the political situation, and he is not doing so by manipulating emotions
and appealing to narrow selfish interests, but by speaking of economic justice
and fairness, human solidarity and service, inclusion not exclusion. And his message is attracting widespread
support. He probably won't win, but he is
offering an alternative that appeals to the better not the base instincts of
people. And that is a refreshing change. By the way, Sanders is a secular Jew, but far
closer to Jesus' teaching than the right-wing Christian fundamentalists that
support to Trump. So where does Jesus
fit into the picture? Can his teaching
ever make it in the maelstrom of power politics?
When Jesus saw the crowds who were following him, "he
had compassion for them,' says Matthew, "because they were harassed and
helpless, like sheep without a shepherd." (9:36) Like then, many people today across the world
tday are desperate for political leadership they can truly trust because they feel let down by the system and manipulated
by the politicians in office. Many are angry and disillusioned, sensing the
collapse of the American dream or feeling let down by the failure of promises
made to them over the past twenty years in South Africa. Like the crowds Jesus attracted, they are
harassed and feel helpless. And that, of
course, is the background to our reading from John's gospel today about the
Good Shepherd,
To understand what Jesus is saying you need to know that "shepherd"
in the Old Testament is not just someone who looks after sheep or is a
religious pastor, no, the shepherds of ancient Israel were its political
leaders. That is why the prophets keep
on saying that Israel fails because its shepherds, that is, its rulers, are too often inept or rotten. They pursue their own interests rather than
seek justice for the poor. Even King
David who is held up as a model shepherd,
turns out to have feet of clay. That is why the Psalmist in his helplessness
declares that "the Lord is his shepherd," because in the end he can only
trust God to lead him in the journey of life.
And that is why Matthew reminds us that out of Bethlehem will come a
ruler "who is to shepherd my people Israel," and applies this promise
to Jesus himself.
We cannot elect Jesus as president he does teach us what true leaders should be
like. He does not say they have to be
religious or Christian, but he does say that they are not thieves and robbers,
that they truly care for those they lead, and know how the system too often
fails them. We don't need shepherds, whether political or religious, who manipulate people for their own ends, but
those who serve them in building the common good. That is why we have to grasp
the responsibility to vote. But our responsibility
goes beyond voting. As Christians we
need to be right up there with the rest of people of goodwill and moral
responsibility who are seeking to ensure better government, better policies,
and better leadership. And because good
leaders don't just happen, we also have the responsibility to help nurture and
encourage the next generation of leaders, which is part of what our own youth
leadership training programme is about. We need your prayerful support as the time for
its launch comes close.
John de Gruchy
Volmoed
10 March 2016
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