Ecclesiastes 1:9 “What has been is what will be, and what has been done is what will be done, and there is nothing new under the sun.”

Once again, the Bible is cuttingly relevant.

It’s election season again and Jesus is front and center as a political idol.

On Flickr, a Blood for Oil poster shows a rendering of Jesus with the text “Jesus was a dissident.” † Tennessee representative Steve Cohen defended Barack Obama back in 2008 by saying “Barack Obama was a community organizer like Jesus.” ‡ Zazzle.com sells “Jesus was a socialist” t-shirt. *

Well, that’s just fantastic. Except, this sounds familiar. Back when Jesus was alive, the people mostly saw him as a political figure. Herod the Great killed all the baby boys in Bethlehem because he though Jesus was going to take over Herod’s throne. The disciples argued about who would be greatest in Jesus kingdom. They had no idea that the Kingdom of God is a heavenly one.

At the cross, Jesus died under a caustic sign that said “Jesus of Nazareth, King of the Jews,” a crown of thorns was put on his head and a purple robe on his back to mock his role as king.

Jesus is not a political figurehead. (Not yet, anyway.) Jesus came to change hearts. Yes, he spoke on political subjects, but he didn’t rebel against the religious leaders because he was part of the 99%. He hated that they tried to reach God on their own merits. It was a heart issue.

Jesus didn’t say to help the poor and needy because he’s against wealth and money, but because he knows that man’s unrepentant and unregenerate heart is greedy of gain…rich, poor, middle-class. We give as a self-less act of obedience to Him. It’s a heart issue.

Jesus wasn’t a community organizer. He is the SON of GOD! And he wasn’t organizing a revolt against some old, rich white men. He was here to change the hearts of the people, and by being the sacrifice that God needed in order to provide mercy to those that believe on Him.

So take your stupid posters, and shirts, and comparisons to men. There is NO comparison to Jesus. No earthly man can satisfy the holiness of God. No man can change hearts from death to life.

Almost everyone had it wrong in the New Testament when they thought that Jesus would be their political answer for what they wanted. I guess it’s not suprising that’s back in vogue again. We’re not as cutting edge as we think we are.

PS: I do not support the ideas expressed in the links below. They are only used for citation purposes. In fact, they make me sick. Your mileage may vary.

† http://www.flickr.com/photos/thr5/2652323374/

‡ http://politicalticker.blogs.cnn.com/2008/09/10/dem-compares-obama-to-jesus/

* http://www.zazzle.com/jesus_was_a_socialist_tshirt-235880422945382795