There has been a great deal of excitement going on around the world about yesterdays inauguration of Barrak Obama as the president of the United States. Even here thousands of miles away in Australia there is a lot of talk and expectation about it. Amongst many of the interviews about it i've seen from America, Australia and around the world, there is a strong idea directly stated or otherwise implied of Obama being a savior. I fear that a lot of people are going to start feeling really let down pretty soon. I'm sure there is many things Obama will do well. But there is some things he might not do well or not be able to fix. He is only human. He cannot be the savior everyone is craving so badly.
This craving for a savior is nothing new. About 2000 years ago, people were craving a savior who was going to set things right and liberate them from an oppressive empire. Jesus came as their savior but he wasn't what they were expecting. Jesus is our savior too but he doesn't fill the savior role people have been grasping at Obama to fill.
Instead of saving us from terrorists,
Jesus saves us from our sins.
Instead of making things right in the health system,
Jesus makes us right with God.
Instead of delivering us of a falling economy,
Jesus delivers us from evil.
As well as being different in what they do, they are very different in the extent of their power. Obama is just a fallible human. Jesus is the perfectly holy and righteous God. Obama can help people in little in this life, what Jesus does extends through this life and the next. Obama will only be in power for a few years, Jesus will reign for all eternity. Obama is only in charge of the USA, Jesus rules the universe and everything in it.
It is tempting for us to grasp at politicians like Obama to be our savior, but ultimately they cannot take that role. Instead, let us fix our eyes on Jesus, the true savior of the world.
(No discussions about Obama's policies in the comments please)
Oh, man! Did you say a mouthful!
ReplyDeleteAmen, sister!
It's been amazing here in the states this week. I've never seen such a media frenzy. Even with my students, so many of them look at Obama as the second coming. No human could live up to those kinds of expectations. I think the times are so dark that people are looking for some hope. I heard someone say today that part of what he was doing was giving people hope again. Ultimately as you said though our hope for real peace and eternal security can only be found in Jesus. He has a tough job ahead with all that advance hype. My commitment is to really pray for him and his job. One of the positives to come out of everything though is that he really has motivated some of my high school/college age students to examine what they can do to give back to the community and they are actually excited about it for the first time.
ReplyDeleteI'm just thankful that Jesus is really who He says He is and that He is so faithful to care for us.
Yeah, the inspirational aspect has definitely been one of the positive things to come out of Obama being elected.
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