The Governor and The Gospel

The other night, Governor Bob McDonnell gave his final “State of the Commonwealth” address. At noon Saturday, with the swearing in of Terry McAuliffe, McDonnell’s term will end. McDonnell faces a challenging post-office future. The prospect of Federal indictment hangs over his head. His future in politics – what was once thought of as a lock for vice-presidential nomination and a senate seat – seems almost certainly destroyed. He leaves office quietly, wearing the strain and stain of scandal.

            And his remarks took on a sedate tone. He thanked members of the General Assembly – Republicans and Democrats – for working together. He spoke about his administration’s accomplishments without sounding pompous. And then he cited the Gospel of Matthew. The Governor talked about Matthew 25, and the poor, the sick, the homeless, the prisoners. And he said. “Virginians have done for the least of these among us.” I shook my head and smiled. Only in America, I thought, can we create a civil religion and ignore the real political action while citing the most radical, profound call Jesus made. We try and co-opt the Messiah and His message without giving a moment’s thought to the radical, life-altering words it contains.

            Years ago when I first started this blog I wrote an open letter the then newly-appointed Director of the Department of Corrections, Harold Clarke. It was in response to Clarke giving an interview suggesting his Christian faith dictated how he conducted himself as director. In that blog, I bluntly asked Clarke, “What kind of director of corrections would Jesus be?” I may be wrong, but somehow I don’t think Jesus would be involved in corrections, not in the way Virginia operates it. Jesus, you see, is about rebirth, and forgiveness, and sacrifice, and hope. None of those things are evident in Virginia’s prisons except in the hearts of those who believe, believe that there can be a resurrection to a failed life.

            But the Governor said “Virginians have done for the least …” Really? Governor McDonnell, have you seen the conditions in your state’s prisons and jails? How many Virginia children live below the poverty line? What is the status of mental health care in the state? What, Governor, would Jesus say about your administration?

            Here’s the thing – the Gospels of Jesus Christ are not for the faint of heart, nor should they be co-opted into some inane political sound bite. None of us can say we are living His message. His message – of radical love and service and forgiveness – is so consuming, we all fall short. Instead of telling each other how Christian we are, we should be like the tax collector in prayer, with head bowed saying “God, be merciful to me, a sinner.” Heaven, the Lord said, awaits that man.

            We believers are called to take the words of the Beatitudes to heart, to forgive “seven times seventy,” no matter what, to not worry or fret and know that the Lord is near, to give everything for God. That message is beyond anything the Governor or any of us could ever do. It is a message of hope and perfection, and woe to any politician who tries to claim it as his or her own.