The Birth of Our King and Our Country’s Political Focus

Click here to read the full article at RENEW.org: https://renew.org/the-birth-of-our-king-and-our-countrys-political-focus/  This an audio version of a written Article from RENEW.org Check out other great articles on RENEW.org here: https://renew.org/articles/ “For to us a child is born, to us a son is given, and the government will be on his shoulders.” —Isaiah 9:6a (NIV) Jesus was born into a politically charged world. Rome occupied the land. The Jewish people neither trusted nor welcomed their occupiers—and, truthfully, most Romans despised the Jews just as deeply. The birth of Jesus took place amid resentment, fear, and competing visions of power. Hatred is often the human response to clashing political priorities. When your side holds power, it can feel like my values, beliefs, and hopes are being suppressed. This has always been how it is. Human beings naturally place enormous weight on government—and on the politics that shape it—believing that the right political outcome will secure our future. Jesus was born to be our king. In the New Testament, no figure is more transparent about this than King Herod. Herod was a compromised ruler: Far from being “born king of the Jews,” Herod was not even Jewish but was installed by Rome and made responsible for governing the Jewish people (Matthew 2:1-16). He understood something deeply unsettling: a new political reality would be an existential threat to his reign. Political power—then and now—is tenuous. So when Herod heard about the birth of one who would be “born King of the Jews,” he responded with raw political logic. Feeling threatened, he attempted to eliminate the danger by ordering the slaughter of all the baby boys in Bethlehem (Matthew 2:16). That is politics in its most unfiltered form—fear-driven, ruthless, and self-protective. Politics, at its raw essence, is often like this. Politics can make us hate one another. Today, politics in North America is changing. It is taking on deeper meaning and, in many cases, is morphing into something distinctly religious.   Listen for more... Join RENEW.org's Newsletter: https://renew.org/resources/newsletter-sign-up/ Join RENEW.org at one of our upcoming events: https://renew.org/resources/events/ Get our Premium podcast feed featuring all the breakout sessions from the RENEW gathering early.  https://reallifetheologypodcast.supercast.com/  Be sure to like, subscribe and follow on social media!  You can find us on: Instagram: @the.renew.network  Facebook: Renew.org  Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@RENEWnetwork Twitter: @therenewnetwork TikTok: the.renew.network  Rumble: https://rumble.com/c/RENEW