From an inscription dated 9 B.C.:
The most divine Caesar ... we should consider equal to the Beginning of all things ... for when everything was falling [into disorder] and tending toward dissolution, he restored it once more and gave to the whole world a new aura; Caesar ... the common good Fortune of all ... the beginning of life and vitality ... All the cities unanimously adopt the birthday of the divine Caesar as the beginning of the new year ... Whereas Providence, which had regulated our whole existence ... has brought our life to the climax of perfection in giving to us Augustus, whom it filled with strength for the welfare of men, who being sent to us and our descendants as Savior, has put an end to war and has set all things in order; and having become god manifest, Caesar has fulfilled all the hopes of earlier times ... in surpassing all benefactors who proceeded him, finally, the birthday of the god [Augustus] has been for the whole world the beginning of good news [euangelion] concerning him [therefore let a new era begin from his birth]. (Cited in page 8 of the book The Jesus of Suburbia, by Mike Erre. Also, in Theology for the People blog by Nick Cady)
Some time near the end of B.C. a weary couple entered Bethlehem where the woman gave birth to a child, surrounded by livestock of various sorts, the swaddled infant being placed in a manger. The contrast between the conditions surrounding the arrival of this child into the world of humanity and the arrival of a royal child among the ruling classes of the day could be no less stark, and their contrast goes far beyond that of poverty versus wealth.
In describing this event the gospel writers are specific about who was in power in those days. Augustus was the emperor whose domains included the Holy Land, one of his underlings governed in Galilee with Caesar's authority, and Herod the Great was his quisling in Judea (Luke 2:1-2, Matthew 2:1). These were powerful men who knew how to rule with both sword and iron fist, and as such showed little regard for those over whom they ruled. Their prime directive was to further the glory of the Roman enterprise, and they used that to fill their own purses and their own egos. If such were to cost the freedom and blood of subjugated peoples, that sacrifice was necessary for they what they perceived as the good of the whole.
That system took on the trappings of a religion, including the claim of divinity for their supreme leader, who could deliver a form of peace and sustenance that false gods could not. The people could plea to their gods for grain, which was not forthcoming, but such a plea to Caesar would bring a ship to their shores loaded with foodstuffs.
This kingdom was about to have a rival, and the collision with that new kingdom has continued during the intervening millennia and will continue for a while longer in a way that seems to turn the world upside down.
The new king, born in the most modest of circumstances, was not greeted with admiring courtiers and gloating hangers on. His attendants were domestic livestock. His true destiny was recognized by very few, with the exception of a few shepherds, an old prophet, and a devout widow. This is a hint to us that the kingdom of this child was to be different than the kingdom of Caesar.
When this child grew to manhood, he taught his disciples about what true leadership really is. "The kings of the Gentiles exercise lordship over them, and those who exercise lordship over them are called 'benefactors' [do-gooders!]. But not so among you. On the contrary, he who is greatest among you, let him be as the younger, and let him who governs as he who serves" (Luke 22:25-26). True leaders put the needs of the people ahead of their own needs. Leaders are there to serve, not to use their positions for their own advantage. Look at John 10, where Jesus refers to himself as the true shepherd, who is willing to lay down his life to protect the sheep.
"Woe to the worthless shepherd who leaves the flock!" (Zechariah 11:17)
Jesus is the one who got on his knees to wash his disciples' feet, showing that a true leader is one who serves. "Do you know what I have done to you? You call me Teacher and Lord, and you say well, for so I am. If I then, your Lord and Teacher, have washed you feet, you also ought to wash one another's feet. For I have given you an example, that you should do as I have done to you" (John 13:12-15).
Those are leadership qualities that no Caesar or Herod would ever exhibit. Nor, do I suppose, would many leaders in our age, which is one reason the Psalmist writes, "It is better to trust in the Lord than to put confidence in princes" (Psalm 118:9).
As I write this we are in one of those recurring quadrennial cycles where U.S. presidents are elected. In spite of what their campaign ads tell us, neither major candidate is a "savior", a "benefactor", a "bringer of good news" and "peace", nor even "a gift of Providence". It's okay that they are not, but it is not okay if we treat them as such. They are caretakers and hirelings who have as many flaws as the rest of us, and some of them are even imposters. They are nothing like the True Shepherd.
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