Jesus King of Authenticity
Judges 8:35-9:10
Synopsis Judges 8:35-9:10 6/23/2018
Gideon had seventy sons from his many wives. Abimelech was also a son but from Gideon’s concubine who lived in the neighboring city of Shechem. After Gideon’s death, Abimelech convinced the leaders of Shechem to come under his rule and disavow Gideon’s other sons.
The leaders of Shechem gave Abimelech seventy pieces of silver. So, he took the money and hired outlaws to follow his commands. He took these men to Ophrah and killed all but one of Gideon’s seventy sons – only Jotham, the youngest, survived the massacre.
Then the leaders of Shechem made Abimelech king.
The Authentic versus the Synthetic
These two approaches to community fight. Not always. And usually not obviously. But they are essentially at odds.
Abimelech desired exactly the opposite of what his father Gideon wanted. He wanted to be king. And, he wanted power and authority and the honor of men. He wanted everything that can only happen when men get together and choose for themselves the best way to live without giving recourse to God’s way.
Jesus King of Authenticity
Jesus refused to made king over a synthetic community. He refused not only because He was already king over the Authentic Community, but also because synthetic communities never endure – they do not persist.
Eventually we all make the choice of how to live. Abimelech chose the synthetic. He chose power in the most stark and Machiavellian terms. In so doing, he validated every Hobbesian belief about fundamental human depravity. He chose that which is destined to fail. And, of course, he wasn’t the last person to make this choice.
But the same, one, Authentic Community does persist. Jesus rules the Authentic Community. And to the extent that I have chosen the Authentic, I am eternal with Him.
Jesus answered, “My kingdom does not belong to this world. If my kingdom did belong to this world, my attendants [would] be fighting to keep me from being handed over to the Jews. But as it is, my kingdom is not here.” John 18:36
