As the November 2022 midterm elections draw closer, we the people begin to give our attention to political candidates’ positions and to the proposals that will be on our ballots. For the folks who say that we are followers of Jesus Christ, it is very important for us to take the time to prayerfully reflect on how the candidates and the ballot proposals further the priorities that Jesus preached about during his ministry. Jesus gives us a list of important issues in Matthew 25:37-40:
37 “Then the righteous will answer him, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you something to drink? 38 When did we see you an immigrant and welcome you in, or needing clothes and clothe you? 39 When did we see you sick or in prison and go to visit you?’ 40 “The King will reply, ‘Truly I tell you, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you did for me.’
This scripture should serve as a checklist for our candidate selection and a guide to our voting priorities. We need to prayerfully ask ourselves: Which of the candidates has done the most to help the least of these, the poorest in our community to able to afford to eat? Who has the best policies that will give all the people of Michigan access to safe and clean drinking water? Which candidate welcomes immigrants and sees that they are protected from the elements and provided for? Who is doing more to make healthcare more affordable and accessible? Does this candidate have any plan for prison reform or a will to address the racial injustice in our criminal justice system?
While Jesus lived under the government of the Roman Empire and never had the opportunity to vote, we as followers of Jesus today do have that freedom and privilege. We thank God for that precious gift. We should not squander that gift by assuming that all candidates are the same or that the positions of our political party have not changed over time. Rather we need to carefully evaluate all of the candidate’s positions across multiple issues and to prayerfully consider all of the varied outcomes and implications of each ballot proposal. We need to be able to honestly answer the question, “How would Jesus vote?” and then act accordingly. I pray that we all will do so.
Article in Rockford Squire Newspaper October 27, 2022.
