Another Way Is Possible

Recently I watched Stephen Colbert’s interview of James Talarico that was banned from being aired on Colbert’s regular late night program and needed to be done on YouTube instead. Talarico is a Democratic Texas state representative who is currently running for a U.S. Senate seat. Talarico is also in Presbyterian seminary and has been very vocal about his faith. Talarico describes his faith perspective as progressive and action-oriented, and he is (and has been) using his platform in order to counter a lot of the Christian nationalism that is so prevalent in the U.S. today (especially at the highest levels of government). 

In our gospel today from Matthew 4, we hear the famous story of Jesus’ temptations in the wilderness. Jesus has just finished his 40 days of fasting and prayer and the devil comes to find him to tempt him.  Jesus, however, secure in his identity and convictions, is able to resist.

But what exactly was Jesus being tempted by?

One article I read recently (written by Rev. Leah Schade) says that the temptations Satan offers Jesus are strikingly similar to Christian Nationalism. 

Christian nationalism worships traditional social hierarchies (steeped in patriarchy, sexism and heteronormativity), prefers authoritarian control, tends toward believing that “might makes right”and is willing to use violence to achieve its ends. Furthermore, it utilizes strong language related to in/out groups and seeks to support those who are defined as legitimate.

We hear echoes of all of these in the ways that Jesus is tempted. Turn bread into stones to become popular and feed your people. Throw yourself off of the temple to show people that you are the chosen one of God. Command armies to dominate those who would get in your way.

Jesus rejects all of these.

I am sure that in the time of Jesus there were groups who might have been walking around with hats that said, “MIGA” (Make Israel Great Again). Israel was under Roman rule, and no doubt there were factions of people who thought back to the “glory days” of Israel when they were strong and in charge. These were some of the people who were so disappointed with Jesus because he did not start a military revolution to take Israel back from its oppressors.

But Jesus knew that those glory days were not glorious for everyone, and the power that Israel wielded during that time was not used to benefit everyone. So many in that history were left out of the prosperity and freedom that a select few enjoyed. We know this because the prophetic tradition keeps speaking to the injustices that they witnessed.

Furthermore, Jesus looked at the path his people had gone down and likely saw that they had become an awful lot like the Egyptian empire where his people had been enslaved. He knew that another way of being in this world was needed because it was far too easy to replicate the systems of domination when you are in power. Long before Lord Acton uttered his now famous phrase in 1887, Jesus knew that “power tends to corrupt, and absolute power corrupts absolutely.”

Scripture scholar Ched Myers says that today’s gospel passage “ought to resonate powerfully in our moment, as the experiment of American democracy continues to lose its way under [the] autocratic plutocracy [we are witnessing].”

He goes on to say that “Jesus’ [time in the wilderness] is no mere contemplative retreat. He must face the central issues/temptations with which the people of God always struggle in their journey of faith and liberation…[namely], the economics of exploitation, the politics of empire, and the symbolism of omnipotence. These issues have not changed for the church in our time.”

Jesus emerges from his time in the desert clear that he must not replicate the dynamics of empire, the economics of exploitation or a nationalistic identity. He will seek another way. In Matthew’s gospel, Jesus comes back from his time in the wilderness and begins preaching repentance (from the word metanoia which means a change of heart/life). He knew that people needed to turn in another direction and started to create what that beloved community could look like.

Jesus chose not to align with the temptations of domination systems and absolute power. He would, instead, place himself directly opposite to them.

So where does this leave us?

Just as Jesus had to face his own temptations, we, too, need to face ours. And while we may not face them in the same way he did, we also must explore our relationships to systems of economic exploitation, the politics of empire and current expressions of Christian nationalism. We are all so deeply formed by these forces that it can feel difficult to envision any other way of being. 

But when we look closely, we see that all of these systems of domination rely on “pillars of support.” By exploring how we interface with these pillars, we can begin to change our relationship to them. Many groups working to resist the rising tide of authoritarianism in our country right now are using this metaphor to contribute to social change and direct action.

We can do the same.

Our gospel tradition says that another way of living is possible if we are willing to reject the same temptations that Jesus faced. Thankfully, he can teach us what this way can look like in our lives.