"My Kingdom Is No Part of This World"

 HOW DID JESUS REMAIN NEUTRAL IN POLTICAL ISSUES?

When people see injustices happening around them, they often become more involved in politics.  In Jesus' day, paying taxes was an issue that caused many people to take sides in politics.  In fact, Judas the Galilean rebelled against Rome because the Romans were registering people to make sure that they would pay taxes. And there were many taxes to pay, such as  on possessions, land, and houses.  Also, tax collectors were very corrupt, which made the problem worse.  They sometimes paid government officials to get a position and then used their power to make a lot of money.  Zacchaeus, the chief tax collector in Jericho became rich because  he made people pay a lot. - LUKE 19:2, 8. 

Jesus' enemies  tried to get him involved in the issue of paying taxes. They asked him about the "head tax," a tax of one denarius that all Jews had to pay.   (Read Matthew 22:16-18.)  The Jews really hated this tax because it reminded them that the Roman government controlled them.  The "party followers of Herod," that is, those who supported Harod's political ideas, hoped that Jesus sais they they should not pay the tax, they could accuse hom of being an enemy of the Roman Empire.  But if Jesus said they had to pay the tax, people might stop following him. So, what did Jesus do?

Jesus was careful to remain neutral on this issue.  He said: "Pay back, therefore, Caesar's things to Caesar, but God's things to God." (Matthew 22:21)  Jesus knew that many tax collectors were corruprt, but he did not focus on that.  Instead, he focused on the real solution to mankind's problems, God's Kingdom.  Jesus set the example for us. We should not take sides in any political issue, even if one side seems right and fair and the other side seems  wrong and unjust.  Christians focus on God's Kingdom and on what God says is right. For that reason, we do not have strong opinions about injustices or speak  out against them. - MATTHEW 6:33.

Many of Jehovah's Witnesses have been successful in getting rid of strong political opinions they used to have.  For example, before she learned the truth, one sister in Great Britain took social studies classes at a university and developed strong extreme political opinions.  She says:  "I wanted to champion the rights of black people, since we had suffered so much injustices.  Although I was good at winning arguments, I still ended up feeling frustrated. I did not realize that the cuses of radical injustice had to be uprooted from people's hearts.  When I began to study the Bible, however, I realized that i had to start with my own heart."  And it was a white sister who helped her change the way she felt in her heart.  She adds: "Now I am serving as a regular pioneer in a sign-language congregation, and I am learning to reach out to all kinds of people." 

Next time: "My Kingdom Is No Part of This World" - "RETURN YOUR SWORD TO ITS PLACE

From the jw.org publications