Should Christians Challenge Leaders?
“Out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaks.”[1] I have been thinking about this scripture a lot lately, usually when watching our president speak (or while reading his tweets). Others come to mind as well like, “A tree is identified by its fruit. A good person produces good things from the treasury of a good heart, and an evil person produces evil things from the treasury of an evil heart. What you say flows from what is in your heart.”[2]
As I listen to the undeniable/nonstop flow of lying, hateful, self-glorifying and generally ungodly speech coming from our Commander in Chief, I wonder why his supporters who claim be followers of Jesus Christ are not speaking up. It led me to ask, what did godly people in the Bible do in such circumstances? Consider the following Old Testament examples.
Nathan the prophet confronted King David over his adulterous relationship with Bathsheba and the subsequent murder of her husband. Nathan asked David, “Why, then, have you… done this horrible deed?”[3]
In one of Elijah’s encounters with King Ahab he exclaimed, “You and your family are the troublemakers, for you have refused to obey the commands of the Lord…”[4]
The prophet Micaiah once told King Ahab, “[The] Lord has pronounced your doom.”[5]
Nehemiah spoke out against Jewish nobles and officials after considering the complaints of their poorer neighbors.[6]
The prophet Isaiah confronted a palace administrator named Shebna saying, “Who do you think you are and what are you doing here?... You are a disgrace to your master!”[7]
God invited Ezekiel to “bring charges against [the leaders of Israel] and condemn them.”[8]
Daniel shared harsh prophecies with kings who had the power and reputations to cause him great harm for doing so. He told King Nebuchadnezzar to, “Stop sinning and do what is right. Break from your wicked past and be merciful to the poor.”[9] He told King Belshazzar that he was behaving arrogantly and that his days were numbered.[10] Strong words, indeed.
In the new Testament, we find John the Baptist publicly criticizing Herod Antipas, the ruler of Galilee, for marrying Herodias, his brother’s wife, and “for many other wrongs he had done.”[11] The apostle Paul called out Peter (whom Jesus had designated as the leader of the church) “to his face” about something “very wrong” he had done.[12]
And finally, there is the example of Jesus. While Jesus seldom commented on political leaders, he had lots to say about the religious leaders of his time. I count 26 times in the New Testament where Jesus specifically criticized people with unflattering names. Twenty-two of these criticisms were aimed at religious leaders. Among other things, Jesus called them hypocrites, filthy, greedy, and shameless cheats. In the book of Matthew, Jesus is recorded as saying, “What sorrow awaits you teachers of religious law and you Pharisees. Hypocrites! For you shut the door of the Kingdom of Heaven in people’s faces. You won’t go in yourselves, and you don’t let others enter either.”[13]
The biblical evidence seems clear and reminds me of something Bishop Robert Barron wrote in an article entitled, Seeing Political Corruption with Biblical Eyes.[14]
When a politician abuses his office and uses his power for his own aggrandizement, biblical people should rise up and protest with all of the insistence, courage, and eloquence of Nathan in the court of David.
What do you think? Please feel free to share your thoughts and comments with me at www.edmelick.com/contact-1.
FOOTNOTES: [1] Matthew 12:34, ESV [2] Luke 6:44-45, NLT [3] 2 Samuel 12:9, NLT [4] 1 Kings 18:18, NLT [5] 1 Kings 22:23, NLT [6] Nehemiah 5:6-7, NLT [7] Isaiah 22:15,18, NLT [8] Ezekiel 20:4, NLT [9] Daniel 4:27, NLT [10] Daniel 5:22-23,26, NLT [11] Luke 3:19, NLT [12] Galatians 2:11, NLT [13] Matthew 23:13, NLT [14] Robert Barron, Seeds of the Word: Finding God in the Culture, 2015, Word on Fire Catholic Ministries, page 141.