Jesus is Lord, Not a Mascot

Scripture:
“Therefore God also has highly exalted Him… that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow…”
— Philippians 2:9–10

Reflection:
Jesus is Lord, but he is never the mascot of a nation. That is worth sitting with for a while. We are often tempted to recruit Jesus into causes, tribes, movements, and identities that already matter deeply to us. We want him on our side. We want his blessing on our assumptions. We want his authority to strengthen what we already prefer.

But Jesus is not a symbol to be managed. He is the risen Lord before whom every nation must bow. That means he does not belong to America, or any other nation, any more than he belongs to one race, one party, or one culture. He is not the private possession of any people. He is King over all.

When we make Jesus into a mascot, we shrink him. We turn him from Lord into an emblem. We place him beneath the agenda we already serve. Instead of being confronted, corrected, and commanded by him, we use him to reinforce what we already think. That is not discipleship. That is religiously decorated self-assertion.

The church’s calling is not to enlist Jesus in the service of a nation. It is to bear witness that every nation, including our own, stands under his judgment and his mercy. The gospel is never safer when Jesus is fused to a tribe. It is only smaller.

Application:
Ask yourself honestly: have I been tempted to use Jesus to validate my politics, rather than allowing Jesus to examine them?

Prayer:
Lord Jesus Christ, forgive me for every way I have tried to shrink you, recruit you, or place you beneath my loyalties. You are Lord. Teach me to kneel before you with humility and to let your truth examine every part of my life. Amen.

Song:With God on Our Side — Bob Dylan