Would Jesus Vote Republican?

So the most recent elections brought the GOP to dominate both Houses of Congress.  Now we have a Democratic President torn between enacting policies that reflect his own personal convictions, and perhaps those of his party, on the one hand, and on the other, working together with those of the Republican Party who are his ideological enemies.

One thing that I find amazing is how certain conservative and evangelical Christians have chosen to express their delight that the Republicans have once again come to power.  Some have even alluded to the "kingdom of God as having arrived," because we finally have a party in power that reflects the values of God's reign.  To hear them shout for glee, any one would believe that the Messianic era has finally erupted into human history.  I've even seen some writings that indicate that the Lordship of Jesus the Christ has been manifested in and through these recent elections.

Well, let's examine some things here.  To begin with, let us imagine Jesus living in twenty-first century America instead of first-century Palestine.  We can ask the following questions:

1.  Would Jesus vote for and promote the platform of the "conservative" Republicans or would He be more in favor of the "liberal" Democrats?  Would Jesus be in favor of the anti-abortion, anti-immigrant, anti-same sex marriage, gay bashing and  war-mongering politics, or would He favor the Democratic  platform of the Affordable Health Care Act (Obamacare),  "liberal moral permissiveness," raising taxes for social programs, and the raising of the minimum wage?

My response to that would be that Jesus would not favor either party or its agenda.  Neither would He be involved in partisan politics.  Jesus would be so involved in attending to basic human needs that He would have no interest in or time for dealing with petty political bickering and mud-slinging.

2. If  Jesus were not registered in either the Democratic or Republican party, then which party would He be registered in to vote?  I do not see Jesus registering in any political party, because none of the existing parties represent to the fullest extent the interests His politics, i.e. the politics of the reign of God, which supersede by far, all the agendas and ideologies of all human government.  If He were to register, I suspect, perhaps wrongly, that He would register as an "Independent," so that He would not be bound by the dictates of any organization.  Jesus was His own person in the first century, and I have no trouble believing that He would be the same living in our time.

3.  Why then are Christians so insistent on aligning Jesus with their political ideology?  It is the human tendency to think that whatever ideology we subscribe to is the "correct" one and that everyone else is wrong.  We demonize those who do not view things that we see them. We tend to think that those who do not agree with us are intellectually, morally, and spiritually inferior.

If Jesus were living in the twenty-first century in America, He would be calling all of us "on the carpet," and demonstrating as He did with the religious leaders of His time (Pharisees, Sadducees, and Scribes), that all ideologies and political agendas fall short, and leave a lot to be desired.

Please comment on the above essay.  Give us your opinion of how you think Jesus would act politically in twenty-first century America.  Do you see Him engaging in partisan politics, or do you see Him in proclaiming a type of politics that transcends all present human systems?

Grace and peace,
Dr. Juan A. Ayala-Carmona