Would Jesus be a politician? What kind?

The best and brightest don’t go into politics any more it would seem. If they do, it’s later in life, after another career.

So I think Jesus would be a marketer. He would market self-help books.

He’d probably do all right. ~

Monarch. King of kings and all that. If forced into the current system of American politics, He would most likely run as a third party candidate; I suspect, however, that He wouldn’t seek office. How He comported Himself Earthside is a matter of record.
To grossly over-simplify, Jesus’ ministry emphasized the eternal over the temporal. He paid almost no attention to the Roman occupation (beyond interactions with the servants of Rome, and the “Render unto Caesar” bit), a major political issue of the day. He likewise never addressed the more domestic government; all of His criticism was immediately pertinent to matters divine. (The Pharisees He was almost constantly raking over the coals, and there was the scourging of the Temple…)
Can you see how the separation of church and state becomes so very impossible? Us Christian types try to emulate Jesus, Who is quite relevant to everything.

He was a socialist anarachist who rallied against the Roman Empired espousing the concept of shared wealth with no particiatpation in the Roman taxation system. He required all his followers to sell their properties and donate all the money to support his “cause” and feed his followers. His real reason for requireing his followers to sell their real property was so they would not have to pay the Romans taxes. He was protesting against the Roman extreme taxation of the Jewish population.

Hmm..I don’t think he could be a politician. He’d probably have a nervous breakdown or something..A few years ago I would have said socialist, but socialism doesn’t work (why would I bother working hard if my good-for-nothing neighbour gets everything I have for free??)

I think if he could pull it together he’d probably introduce a very simple internet-based voting system where the educated people who know what they are talking about would vote on everything and there would be no top-of-the-pyramid hierarchy.

Maybe he’d be best suited as a cheerleader for the Baltimore Ravens.
“Uh-huh, oh yeah….work it baby.”

Where is everyone?

He couldn’t be a politician. He wouldn’t compromise, listen to the polls, or worry about being reelected.

“Jesus answered, ‘My kingdom is not of this world. If My kingdom were of this world, then My servants would be fighting so that I would not be handed over to the Jews; but as it is, My kingdom is not of this realm.’”

I take that as a “no”.

@thorninmud that’s exactly what I came here to say, though I’d probably argue that historically, @Cruiser‘s point is close to the mark.

Nope. He would would run a charitable organization devoted to doing the work he did in the Bible.

He’d be a Community Organizer living in a commune. Early on he’d be a Vista Volunteer or join the Peace Corps.

@Cruiser I have never interpreted anything in the Gospel as anti-tax. “Render unto Caesar the things that are Caesar’s”. And he hung out with tax collectors. The Pharisees were much more opposed to Roman taxes because it had to be paid in roman coins rather than in kind. Paying in Roman coinage violated the Commandments because it had the Emperor’s visage on it, and the Emperor was considered a god.

@zenvelo First you have this from the early reign of Jesus…
“This essentially Galilean sentiment had a decisive influence on the destiny of the infant sect. The happy flock, relying on the heavenly Father for the satisfaction of its wants, had for its first principle the regarding of the cares of life as an evil which choked the germ of all good in man. Each day they asked of God the bread for the morrow. Why lay up treasure? The kingdom of God is at hand. “Sell that ye have and give alms,” said the Master.

Then when Jesus first made it to Jeruselum, he found the Temple priest were corrupt lap dogs for Herrod and that pissed him off to no end which started his crusade to “fix” things back to the true essence of his religion.

The Pharisees sensed he was up to no good and certain he was there to cause trouble and tried to trick him…

“One day a group of Pharisees and of those politicians named “Herodians” (probably some of the Boethusim), approached him, and, under pretence of pious zeal, said unto him, “Master, we know that thou art true, and teachest the way of God in truth, neither carest thou for any man. Tell us, therefore, what thinkest thou? Is it lawful to give tribute unto Caesar or not?” They hoped for an answer which would give them a pretext for delivering him up to Pilate. The reply of Jesus was admirable. He made them show him the image on the coin; “Render,” said he, “unto Caesar the things which are Caesar’s; and unto God the things that are God’s.” Profound words, which have decided the future of Christianity!

Pretty clever of him but it did not remove the disdain the Jewish priest had for Jesus nor the Pharisess and of course Herrod. The rest is history.

Read all about the Life and Times of Jesus by Renan ....fascinating stuff…

@Cruiser Yes, I agree, but I still don’t get an anti tax sentiment from that. Of course the Pharisees were working hard to thwart Jesus because he was a threat to their authority and control over the Jewish people.

The cleansing the Temple of money changers was more about those who would profit over prayers to God, not unlike Martin Luther protesting the sale of indulgences. But it was not an act against the Roman authorities.

@Cruiser You might investigate the Judeo-Roman approach to taxation. Interesting stuff, if you like reading about taxation.
If you go through the New Testament, you’ll see that Jesus was hardly an anarchist; why would He be? Empires are by their very nature finite things, and the Kingdom of God is/can actually be installed without interfering with a standing political structure, at least not directly.

@Nullo He cloaked in his vision of entering heaven empty handed but in reality it was so the Jewish High priest wouldn’t get money from them as Jesus was upset at their corrupt ass kissing of Herrod.

@Cruiser I think that you left an important verb out.