The Body Politic
Just as a body, though one, has many parts, but all its many parts form one body, so it is with Christ. ––1 Corinthians 12:12
Body Politic: in Western political thought, an ancient metaphor by which a state, society, or church and its institutions are conceived of as a biological (usually human) body.
Let’s talk politics.
Did you just get triggered? Think back 20—or even 10—years to the political landscape in the US. Things have become progressively more divided and contentious. No matter what side of the political fence you sit on—Republican, Democrat, Independent, Libertarian, etc.—it’s become increasingly difficult to talk politics in mixed company. Heck, it’s become increasingly difficult at the dinner table.
For God’s man, we approach politics as we do everything else: from Jesus’ perspective. To understand His approach, we need context. Jesus was constantly correcting those who thought He had come to liberate the Jews from the political rule of the Romans. He wasn’t a politician—He was much greater than that.
In Mark 12 Jesus’ enemies try to trip Him up by asking whether or not the Jews should pay Roman taxes. Seeing the trap, Jesus asks for a denarius and says, “Render to Caesar the things that are Caesar’s, and to God the things that are God’s” (Mark 12:17). Notice the two parts of His response? In this one sentence Jesus gives us what we need to know about political involvement: respect the governing authorities, but respect God’s authority even more.
God’s men are citizens of an eternal Kingdom. That is where our first loyalties lie. But anyone who tells you that Jesus wasn’t political, or that politics has no place in the Church, doesn’t understand the meaning of the word. From God’s perspective, and as the definition above tells us, the “body politic” is an institution “conceived of as a biological body.” We are the body of Christ (1 Corinthians 12:27). That’s why Paul talks about the various parts of the body—the hands, the feet—and how we all have a role to play (using our unique and varied gifts) in God’s body. We are the body of Christ—we are a body politic, just not one made with human hands. Jesus wants us to see our earthly political landscape through an eternal Kingdom lens. When we do that, we can act and vote with the right priorities in mind.
Father, help me see politics through Your eyes and not my own.
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https://www.britannica.com/topic/body-politic