What Does Jesus Have to Say About Patriotism?

February 7, 2024 Jim Musser

Americans are a very patriotic people. The national anthem is played at nearly every sporting event. The Pledge of Allegiance is often recited before many county commissioner and board meetings. People who self-identify as patriots are found throughout the arc of the political spectrum, often clashing with one another over who is more truly patriotic. Some even claim their patriotism toward America justifies violence, as did many of the January 6th protesters.

So what does Jesus have to say about patriotism? Actually, nothing when using that term. But substitute the word zealot for patriot and you might find some clues. Like the patriots of our country, Zealots loved the nation of Israel. While most Jews wanted to throw off the oppression of Rome, the Zealots were willing to use violence to accomplish this. Zealots believed, as did many Jews, that the Messiah would come and violently overthrow the Roman government and free the Jews from its oppressive grip. They were just helping out until he arrived. Thus, when Jesus arrived on the scene, their expectations were that he would finish the job.

Surely, this was the hope of Simon the Zealot, who was chosen by Jesus as one of the Twelve. At some point, he became open to Jesus’ message and began to follow him. (Luke 6:12-16) Yet, when the people wanted to make Jesus king, he refused. (John 6:15), probably disappointing Simon. And when the disciples wanted to defend Jesus at the moment the Jewish leaders came to arrest him, he objected to their attempts to protect him. (Luke 22:49-53) Their response was natural for those who love their nation and for the one whom they believed was the Messiah. Yet, Jesus rebuked their zealotry. He was not fearful of the Romans nor of the Jewish leaders, but he clearly rejected violence, even in his defense.

We are living in a time where many claiming to be Christian patriots are floating ideas of violence as a remedy of what they see as an oppressive, unjust government. The idea of a civil war is being put out there as a logical and acceptable consequence of being fed up with government leaders. I can imagine that the 12 young men Jesus chose to be his closest disciples, if they were Americans, might be thinking the same thing. Yet, their leader was not. He loved the Jewish people; they were God’s chosen people. Yet, Roman oppression was not the most pressing issue. Sin was.

That is true 2000 years later for our nation. There are Christians who deeply love our nation, but, like the Jewish people of the 1st Century, I believe they have wrongly assessed the problem. It is not our government; it is rather our sin that needs to be addressed and confessed. We find ourselves in a very polarizing environment where people aligned against each other refuse to acknowledge their own sin and shortcomings and, thus, lack grace for the other side for having the same weaknesses. And I’m referring to people who call themselves Christians. We talk up violence and hate towards those who oppose us or our values, while Jesus proclaimed peace and love toward our enemies.

This election year has the real potential of getting out of hand. And it is entirely imaginable, given the rhetoric from many in the Church, that they will be tempted to expressions of hate toward those they disagree with, as well as viewing violence as a viable option to undesirable election results. The question we all need to ask ourselves is this, what would Jesus want us to do? To know the answer, we again need to read the Gospels (Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John). The life of Jesus—his teachings, how he relates to various people, how he handles various situations—is the key to understanding how he wants us to live out our lives in a fallen world. He arguably lived in a worse and more dangerous context than we do, so how he responded can be very enlightening.

In the coming months, I am committed, as I hope you are, to living out my life being the light of Jesus even if it seems things are falling apart around me. Jesus trusted his Father. I will choose to as well, regardless of what the future holds.