When Christians Choose Political Power Over Kingdom Values

I have been thinking about how the biblical narrative of Jesus, Pilate, and Barabbas provides a way for understanding contemporary Christian political behavior, particularly regarding support for Donald Trump though not just Trump but also directly or indirectly many other politicians who display the same characteristics. The parallels between how the crowd chose Barabbas over Jesus and how some Christian leaders explicitly choose political strength over an expectation of Christian character are both stunning and sobering.

Palm Sunday and the Desire for an Earthly King

Many of us understand that the story of Palm Sunday is one of the hearts of the people in the crowd. What were their expectations?  Who did they think Jesus was and what did they think he was going to do? They weren’t simply praising Jesus as a superficial reading of the text may sound – they were making political demands. The word “Hosanna” literally means “save us now,” and in context, they were demanding political salvation from Roman rule. They wanted a strong leader who would restore Israel’s power and greatness – effectively their version of “Make Israel Great Again.”  Maybe they had MIGA printed on the palm branches they laid in front of the donkey. 

This not unlike when the elders of Israel come to Samuel and demand “Give us a king to judge us like all the other nations.” Samuel is displeased and prays to God, who tells him to warn the people what having a king will mean for them.

In 1 Samuel 8:11-18, Samuel delivers this warning about what a king will do: He will take their sons to serve in his army, drive his chariots, and work his fields. He will take their daughters to be perfumers, cooks, and bakers. He will take the best of their fields, vineyards, and olive groves. He will make them his servants/slaves and so on… 

Samuel concludes by warning “And in that day you will cry out because of your king, whom you have chosen for yourselves, but the LORD will not answer you in that day.” Despite these warnings, the people still insisted “No! But we will have a king over us, that we also may be like all the nations, and that our king may judge us and go out before us and fight our battles.” (1 Samuel 8:19-20)

I’ve always read and heard preached that this is a critique of human political power and a warning about choosing human kings over God’s kingship. The people’s desire to be “like all the nations” represents a rejection of their special relationship with God as their true king. The parallels to modern desires for strong political leadership at the expense of faithful obedience are striking.

Trading Kingdom Values for Political Power

Just as the Jerusalem crowd rejected Jesus when he didn’t meet their political expectations, we see a similar pattern today. Robert Jeffress, pastor of First Baptist Church in Dallas and on-time spiritual advisor to Trump, provided a striking example when he explained his vocal support for Trump: “I want the biggest, baddest, meanest son of a [expletive] I can find.”  Only someone with no character can apparently do the dirty work. This was his response to the question of why he supported Trump despite protestations in the past that the most important feature of a leader is that they need to be morally upright. My own personal conversation with friends who are open advocates of Trump align very much with Jeffress’s sentiments even if their theology otherwise has little in common with Jeffress.

This remarkable statement from a prominent Southern Baptist leader perfectly encapsulates the modern choice of Barabbas by the people of Jesus – explicitly choosing worldly power over Christian character.  John 18:40 we read: “They shouted back, ‘No, not him! Give us Barabbas!’ Now Barabbas had taken part in an uprising.” And what an extra irony are the actions of Barabbas.  

Perhaps the most alarming manifestation of this phenomenon was when Jeffress’s church invited Trump to speak on Christmas Day, ending not with traditional carols but with the crowd chanting “USA! USA!” This scene perfectly illustrates how political ideology can corrupt even the most sacred Christian celebrations. Just as the Palm Sunday crowd tried to turn Jesus into a political messiah, we see modern Christians attempting to baptize political power with religious legitimacy.

Understanding the Choice

The key insight is that the crowd choosing Barabbas wasn’t simply choosing evil over good – they were choosing a method of achieving their goals. When Jesus refused to be the hammer they wanted, they turned to someone who would. Today, we see Christian leaders making the same choice, explicitly stating they prefer political strength over Christian character while still maintaining their Sunday morning gospel of personal salvation.

I believe there is a profound theological disconnect in contemporary American Christianity. Many leaders maintain traditional gospel presentations about personal salvation while simultaneously embracing political methods that directly contradict Jesus’ teachings about power and kingdom. Just as Jesus wept over Jerusalem because they “did not recognize the things that make for peace,” we might imagine him weeping over churches today that choose political power over his way of peace and justice.

The implications of this understanding are sobering. When Christians explicitly choose the “biggest, baddest” leader they can find while still claiming to follow Jesus, they’re not just making a political choice – they’re repeating the same tragic error as the crowd who chose Barabbas. The challenge for contemporary Christians is to recognize this pattern and choose differently, even when that means rejecting political power in favor of Christ’s way.

The question isn’t whether Christians should engage in politics, but rather whether they will do so in a way that reflects Jesus’ values rather than worldly power. When church leaders openly prefer the way of Barabbas while still preaching Jesus on Sundays, they reveal a fundamental misunderstanding of the kingdom Jesus came to establish. The parallels are clear – and they should make us deeply uncomfortable.

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PS. To be clear, I’m not suggesting that choosing between political candidates today is equivalent to the choice between Jesus and Barabbas. My point is more fundamental: Many Christians are explicitly and enthusiastically embracing what Barabbas represents – raw political power and force – not as a reluctant compromise between imperfect options, but as their preferred savior for society. They want the ‘biggest, baddest’ leader precisely because of, not in spite of, those qualities. The tragedy is that while maintaining personal faith in Jesus for salvation, they actively reject his way of exercising power and bringing change. They compartmentalize – Jesus for personal redemption, but Barabbas’s methods for transforming society. This reflects a profound misunderstanding of what the kingdom of God means and how it operates in the world.

PSS.  Parts of this post are inspired by the contents of this video: https://youtu.be/LO9SJfCtSB4?si=dqfpxi_Rc6NbI9y4