Day 9 of 10
Resurrection and the New Politics
The world turned upside down
Scripture Readings
Today's Reading
Read Acts 17:6-7: "And when they could not find them, they dragged Jason and some of the brothers before the city authorities, shouting, 'These men who have turned the world upside down have come here also, and Jason has received them, and they are all acting against the decrees of Caesar, saying that there is another king, Jesus.'"
Then read Revelation 11:15: "Then the seventh angel blew his trumpet, and there were loud voices in heaven, saying, 'The kingdom of the world has become the kingdom of our Lord and of his Christ, and he shall reign forever and ever.'"
Reflection
The resurrection changed everything. If Jesus stayed dead, then his movement was just another failed messianic uprising — one more crushed hope in a long line of crushed hopes. But if God raised him from the dead, then the entire political landscape of the world was permanently altered.
The charge against the early Christians in Thessalonica is revealing: "These men who have turned the world upside down... are all acting against the decrees of Caesar, saying that there is another king, Jesus." The authorities understood something that many modern Christians miss: the proclamation that Jesus is Lord was a direct challenge to the claim that Caesar is Lord. It was not merely a religious statement. It was a political one — the most explosive political statement imaginable.
The early church did not stage protests, run for office, or organize political campaigns. They did something far more subversive: they formed communities that lived as if Jesus were already king. They shared their possessions, cared for the sick and abandoned, welcomed slaves and masters to the same table, and refused to worship the emperor. In doing so, they created an alternative society within the empire — a colony of heaven on earth.
N.T. Wright has made this point with extraordinary force: "The resurrection of Jesus is the beginning of God's new project not to snatch people away from earth to heaven but to colonize earth with the life of heaven. That is what the resurrection is all about." The resurrection is not an escape plan. It is an invasion — the life of God's future breaking into the present.
This means that every act of justice, every work of mercy, every truth spoken in love, and every community of reconciliation is a sign of the new creation. It is the future pushing its way into the present. Christians do not work for justice because they believe they can create utopia. They work for justice because the resurrection guarantees that God will complete what he has begun.
Tim Keller grounded this hope practically: "Because Jesus rose from the dead, the most important fact about the world is that this world is not ultimate, that injustice will not have the last word, and that all who trust in him will see the day when every wrong is made right." This hope does not produce passivity. It produces courage. When you know the outcome of the story, you can afford to take risks, absorb losses, and play the long game.
Revelation 11:15 gives us the final word: "The kingdom of the world has become the kingdom of our Lord and of his Christ, and he shall reign forever and ever." This is not wishful thinking. It is the announcement that the risen Jesus is the rightful ruler of the world — and that every other claim to sovereignty is temporary.
Going Deeper
The resurrection creates a unique political posture: passionate engagement without desperation. Because Jesus is risen, we know the world will be set right. Because the world is not yet set right, we have urgent work to do. How does the certainty of the resurrection shape the way you engage with the political realities of your day — with hope rather than fear, with confidence rather than panic?
Key Quotes
“The resurrection of Jesus is the beginning of God's new project not to snatch people away from earth to heaven but to colonize earth with the life of heaven. That is what the resurrection is all about.”
“Because Jesus rose from the dead, the most important fact about the world is that this world is not ultimate, that injustice will not have the last word, and that all who trust in him will see the day when every wrong is made right.”
Prayer Focus
Thank God for the resurrection — the guarantee that death and injustice do not have the final word — and ask him to fill you with the hope that makes courageous engagement possible.
Meditation
The earliest Christians were accused of 'turning the world upside down.' In what ways has the resurrection turned your world upside down — and in what ways has it not yet?
Question for Discussion
The charge against the early Christians in Thessalonica was that they proclaimed 'another king, Jesus.' If the resurrection is not just a spiritual comfort but a political claim that Jesus is the true Lord of the world, how should that shape the way Christians relate to earthly rulers and systems?