When we get to the story of Jesus, Rome is the new bully in town. Many Israelites have already rebelled against the Roman empire (e.g., the Maccabean revolt, 167-160 B.C.E.), and many still hope for a new rebellion to begin. Others have given in and conformed to mainstream Roman culture, doing whatever it takes to appease those in power. But Jesus embraces the same subversive loyalty that Jeremiah talked about and that Daniel and his friends practiced while living in exile in Babylon.
Jesus invites a tax collector named Matthew (who is a willing participant in Rome’s economic oppression) and a zealot named Simon (who is a violent opposer of Rome’s governance) to leave their old life and follow his new way of life (see Luke 5:27, 6:15). Jesus has to constantly remind his followers to resist violence, to love the people they can’t stand, and to continue caring for and blessing both the oppressors and the afflicted in their society (see Luke 6:27-36; Matt. 5:38-47). Jesus shows them how loyal love for God and others can undermine oppressive cultures without the use of coercion or hostility.
Jesus did “overthrow” the tables of the money changers because they were excluding non-Israelite people who had come to Jerusalem’s temple to worship Yahweh, but he did not lay a hand on anyone unless he was healing them (Matt. 21:12-14). He remained gentle, humble, and compassionate, and he was not afraid to move against mainstream culture with truth. He boldly critiqued Israel’s corrupt leadership, which eventually led to his arrest and murder. And he also washed his betrayer’s feet and allowed the Roman guard to pierce his own.
No returned violence or coercion. No hiding or cowering into conformity. Instead, Jesus humbly gives his life in love to overturn the corrupt powers that drive Heaven and Earth apart.
Modern people are not the exiles in the Bible, but we experience similar pains. When we feel bullied by unjust people and oppressive systems in our world, we can react with words or actions we might instinctively think will help. We may want to clench our fists and hit back, or compromise and hide out to stay safe. But the way of exile in the Bible shows us a new option—a loving response that aligns with God’s work restoring all creation. He’s reuniting his home to ours, so that his will can be done on Earth as it is in Heaven, and partnering with him right now in our world is the way of exile that reflects the advice of Jeremiah, the attitude of Daniel, and ultimately the love of Jesus.
By following Jesus, we can learn to stand up for the oppressed without becoming oppressors ourselves. We can forgive, bless, and pray for those who cause harm. We can seek the welfare of the countries, cities, and towns we find ourselves in. Because loving resistance, stable conviction, and subversive loyalty are the way of exile, the way of Jesus.
