July 15, 2024
Over the weekend, former President Donald Trump was shot at a campaign rally in an unsuccessful assassination attempt. As I watched history in the making, I was both saddened that we have returned to a violent political situation we haven’t seen in decades, as well as relieved that the attempt was unsuccessful. Wow, the attempted Trump assassination has raised a lot of feelings in people. It demonstrates a major angst about the present and future state of the USA. Here are four reflections that help me to make sense of this cultural and political moment as a disciple of Jesus.
1. God is sovereign.
God created a world where angels and humans have free will, where there is the possibility of both great good and great evil. At the same time, no one can act apart from God’s ultimate sovereignty, even an assassin. Proverbs 19:21 (NIV) states it well: “Many are the plans in a person’s heart, but it is the Lord’s purpose that prevails.” Jesus said that even the hairs on our heads are numbered by God (Matthew 10:29-31), and the psalmist said that all our days are written in God’s book before any of them came to be (Psalm 139:16).
Trump missed death by having his face turned at just the right moment and experiencing a bullet whizzing by, clipping his ear, but being less than an inch from causing his death. Trump acknowledged God’s sovereignty over the situation when he wrote, “God alone who prevented the unthinkable from happening.” Although we grieve the shooter’s violent act as well as the death of a bystander, we can be grateful that God spared the Trump family and the nation from trauma and extreme chaos at this time.
“Jesus said that even the hairs on our heads are numbered by God.”
2. Hate starts in the heart—but it doesn’t stay there.
Jesus taught us that the root of murder is hatred. In Matthew 15:19 he said, “For out of the heart come evil thoughts—murder, adultery, sexual immorality . . .” (NIV). In Matthew 5:21-22, he taught us the power of anger, contempt, and even name-calling to fuel murder:
“You have heard that it was said to the people long ago, ‘You shall not murder and anyone who murders will be subject to judgment.’ But I tell you that anyone who is angry with a brother or sister will be subject to judgment. . . . Anyone who says, ‘You fool!’ will be in danger of the fire of hell.”
Too often we say terrible things about other people, both to our political right and our political left. Such mutual contempt creates an environment in which murder becomes thinkable.
The next time we are tempted to sling hyperbolic accusations and malicious labels on a politician, we should remind ourselves of James 3:6 (NIV):
“The tongue also is a fire, a world of evil among the parts of the body. It corrupts the whole body, sets the whole course of one’s life on fire, and is itself set on fire by hell.”
“Such mutual contempt creates an environment in which murder becomes thinkable.”
Regardless of other people’s political views, we must refuse to hold each other in a state of contempt. We must not make peace with the environment of politicians and commentators fueling hate toward each other with vengeful talk (much less find it entertaining). It is destructive sin, setting our politics on fire!
3. Presidents are important, but we can make them too important.
In the United States, we too easily make heroes or villains out of our Presidents (and Presidential candidates). We either despise them and obsess too much about getting rid of them, or we become infatuated with them, making them our idols and thinking they can do more than they actually can to solve all our problems.
We can easily fall into this light-switch mentality when it comes to the larger-than-life Donald Trump. To many, he’s nothing less than a savior, while others view him as a villain of fascist-dictator proportions. It was indeed impressive to see a bloodied Trump stand up after being shot and pump his fist to the crowd. The defiant posture is somewhat reminiscent of the tenacity of Teddy Roosevelt, who survived being shot in an assassination attempt at a campaign stop—only to resume his speech and seek medical attention after finishing his speech 50 minutes later.
Even when a political leader does something heroic, however, we need to resist the urge to turn them into more than the humans they are. We read in 1 Samuel 8 how, when the Israelites asked God for a human king, God tried to dial back their optimism by warning them they wouldn’t much like what they got. As God explained to them through Samuel, humans with too much power naturally raise high taxes, take the best of people’s possessions, and treat the nation’s children and grandchildren as discardable. Even the first two Israelite kings, handpicked by God, were disappointing in significant ways. God used the failures of Saul, the first king, and the next king David (a “man after God’s own heart” no less) to point to the only human king that would ever be worthy of our full trust: King Jesus (see 2 Samuel 7:12-16). Jesus is the Lord of lords and the King of kings (Revelation 19:16).
“We either despise them and obsess too much about getting rid of them, or we become infatuated with them, making them our idols and thinking they can do more than they actually can to solve all our problems.”
In the United States, we face significant societal problems in our time, and we are naive to think that anyone, including a President, can solve all or even most of them. Every President and Presidential candidate will have personal flaws which power will likely magnify. Although oppressive politics can bring misery and even judgment from God (read the first couple chapters of Amos!), we need to be honest that, as wise people have said, politics are downstream from culture. As Christians, we need to pray for God to change the moral climate of our society, starting with us, where each of us does his or her part, as we look to God in prayer for help.
4. The Church has a King and a kingdom.
We have a responsibility to uphold the laws and political process of our country, which I think, by inference, includes the ability to vote when conscience allows (Romans 13:1–5). Scripture indicates that we need to do our part as citizens. God wants us to “give to everyone what you owe them: If you owe taxes, pay taxes; if revenue, then revenue; if respect, then respect; if honor, then honor” (Romans 13:7, NIV). God also wants us regularly to pray for our leaders (1 Timothy 2:1-5).
But always, even in the weeks leading up to a decisive election, God wants us to turn our main focus to King Jesus, not President Trump or Biden.
Scripture tells us that the ultimate and most important political leader in history isn’t a Roman Caesar or an American President. Jesus is “king of kings and lord of lords” (Revelation 19:16). His kingdom alone endures forever (Daniel 2:44), being a “rock” that becomes a “mountain” increasingly covering the entire planet. Unlike the political leaders we are accustomed to, King Jesus will never fail us. And his reign isn’t symbolic, as if he were nothing more than a monarchial figurehead. King Jesus gives us direction and commands to focus upon (John 12:47-50). He wants our allegiance over all things, and if we love him, we will obey everything he teaches (John 14:23-24).
“His reign isn’t symbolic, as if he were nothing more than a monarchial figurehead.”
Seemingly everything around us, from the news to social media posts to campaign ads, seeks to persuade us of the ultimate importance of political parties, candidates, and getting the right people elected. As Christians, let’s push pause and make sure we’re clear on the fragility of life even for powerful people, the sovereignty of God over all, and kingship of Jesus as our number one aspiration. Grateful that the assassination attempt was thwarted, we pray that it will lead to a higher, more respectful discourse and for greater humility for everyone.
How do we follow Jesus in a volatile political climate? Check out Following Jesus in a Politically Divided World by John Whittaker and Daniel McCoy.
