The primary function of religion is often perceived as a means to control people, similar to the role of politics. However, it is not widely known that Christianity was not intended to control people, but to liberate them from such controls. While political control may be necessary to some degree, Christianity was designed to free individuals from manipulative political practices. The intertwining of religion and politics has had a devastating impact, making it challenging for the teachings of Jesus to reach humanity. Knowledge of the truth is what provides freedom from being controlled by others.
Then Jesus said to those Jews who believed Him, “If you abide in My word, you are My disciples indeed. And you shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free.” They answered Him, “We are Abraham’s descendants, and have never been in bondage to anyone. How can You say, ‘You will be made free’?” Jesus answered them, “Most assuredly, I say to you, whoever commits sin is a slave of sin. And a slave does not abide in the house forever, but a son abides forever” (John 8:31-35 NKJV).
A person under slavery often feels a sense of security in that condition, becoming insecure without the protection of the slave master. When Moses brought the good news about God intending to free them from Egyptian slavery, most of the Israelite community felt sceptical. They preferred God toppling the existing government or providing another Joseph rather than confronting Pharaoh. Moses was perceived as a rabble-rouser. They preferred to languish under slavery rather than be granted freedom without tangible security. The fear of the unknown gripped them. They desperately wanted freedom but with tangible assurance.
And God spoke to Moses and said to him: “I am the Lord. I appeared to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob, as God Almighty, but by My name Lord I was not known to them. I have also established My covenant with them, to give them the land of Canaan, the land of their pilgrimage, in which they were strangers. And I have also heard the groaning of the children of Israel whom the Egyptians keep in bondage, and I have remembered My covenant. Therefore say to the children of Israel: ‘I am the Lord; I will bring you out from under the burdens of the Egyptians, I will rescue you from their bondage, and I will redeem you with an outstretched arm and with great judgments. I will take you as My people, and I will be your God. Then you shall know that I am the Lord your God who brings you out from under the burdens of the Egyptians. And I will bring you into the land which I swore to give to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob; and I will give it to you as a heritage: I am the Lord.’ ” So Moses spoke thus to the children of Israel; but they did not heed Moses, because of the anguish of spirit and cruel bondage (Exodus 6:2-9 NKJV).
The Israelites did not heed Moses because of the anguish deliberately brought upon them by Pharaoh. Understandably, a person experiencing pain succumbs to anything that temporarily relieves it. Unsurprisingly, the Israelites complained about Moses, whom they perceived as worsening their situation. The same applies to those languishing under a dictatorship. The opponents of a dictatorship are often the same people who would be suffering more under it. Their calculated advantage lies in being treated well by their taskmaster, rather than being freed.
Even along the way, the Israelites continued to grumble, comparing their situation with their condition under slavery (Numbers 11:5). They were unaware that freedom was possible only when trusting in God, according to the statutes given to them at Mount Sinai. For the Israelites, the idea of having a political leader, facilitating their problem-solving, was paramount.
After attaining freedom from Egypt, the Israelites persisted in their appetite for having a human leader. This reflects the common belief that humanity is limited to the physical body, invalidating the spirit, which emphatically describes a condition of slavery. The most devastating origin of the problems that led the Israelites to revert to slavery was their demand for a king to rule over them.
Now it came to pass when Samuel was old that he made his sons judges over Israel. The name of his firstborn was Joel, and the name of his second, Abijah; they were judges in Beersheba. But his sons did not walk in his ways; they turned aside after dishonest gain, took bribes, and perverted justice. Then all the elders of Israel gathered together and came to Samuel at Ramah, and said to him, “Look, you are old, and your sons do not walk in your ways. Now make us a king to judge us like all the nations.”
But the thing displeased Samuel when they said, “Give us a king to judge us.” So Samuel prayed to the Lord. And the Lord said to Samuel, “Heed the voice of the people in all that they say to you; for they have not rejected you, but they have rejected Me, that I should not reign over them. According to all the works which they have done since the day that I brought them up out of Egypt, even to this day—with which they have forsaken Me and served other gods—so they are doing to you also. Now, therefore, heed their voice. However, you shall solemnly forewarn them, and show them the behaviour of the king who will reign over them.” (1 Samuel 8:1-9 NKJV).
God acquiesced to their request for a king to rule over them, despite warning them of the adverse consequences. Their persistent desire for a king amounted to idolatry, as they sought a physical person to assume the position of God. The desire to be ruled by a king stems from an inability to confront. Humanity suffers from self-invalidation, unaware of being God’s children. The assumption of inferiority arises from not knowing they are created in God’s image. Rather than trust in God, ordinary humans prefer to trust another entity to which they can owe allegiance. The behaviour of the Israelites is as common as it applies to any other community in the world.
The history of modern Christianity begins with the Roman Catholic Church. The papacy was the primary reason the Roman Catholic Church became a formidable entity, accepted by the governing authorities. Without a recognized spiritual leader, the governing authorities could not have acknowledged the existence of Christianity. However, Christians are meant to be spiritual entities and do not need leaders, except Jesus Christ. How can a “spiritual leader” lead spirit beings?
Jesus issued a standard (Matthew 23:8-13). The Roman Catholic Church needed to be regulated hierarchically to be authenticated by the Roman Empire. The martyrdom of Christians had already instilled fear among them. Those who sought to be “Christians” would still be controlled by a leader, who, in turn, could be controlled by the government. This traces back to the Israelites, as fallible humans feel insecure without an authority above them. However, Christianity denotes a liberated group of people.
So He came to Nazareth, where He had been brought up. And as His custom was, He went into the synagogue on the Sabbath day and stood up to read. And He was handed the book of the prophet Isaiah. And when He had opened the book, He found the place where it was written: “The Spirit of the Lord is upon Me, Because He has anointed Me To preach the gospel to the poor; He has sent Me to heal the brokenhearted, To proclaim liberty to the captives And recovery of sight to the blind, To set at liberty those who are oppressed; To proclaim the acceptable year of the Lord.” Then He closed the book gave it back to the attendant and sat down. And the eyes of all who were in the synagogue were fixed on Him. And He began to say to them, “Today this Scripture is fulfilled in your hearing” (Luke 4:16-21 NKJV).
The captives that Jesus is proclaimed to liberate, represent sinful humanity. The problem begins with not understanding what sin entails. When we examine the issue of the Israelites’ departure from divine standards, we observe their desire to be ruled by a king. God had warned them that by demanding to be ruled by a king, they had rejected Him as their ruler. It is one thing to be ruled by a human king and quite another to be ruled by God. The statutes of God are designed to grant freedom, whereas governance by a ruler implies captivity. The Books of Kings and Chronicles narrate how Jews and Israelites degenerated before reverting to slavery. Their real problem was being subjected to the rule of human kings.
Jesus’ mission is to free humanity from the bondage of sin, whose overall ruler is Satan. In tempting Jesus, Satan sought to offer Him the kingdoms of the world, demonstrating his authority (Matthew 4:8-9). All governments of this world, although permitted by God, are under Satan’s influence, also allowed by God until Satan’s time is up. Pharaoh was under Satan’s authority but allowed by God, who considers that there is an opportunity for character development in captivity. Jesus came to set humanity free. However, an atheist might argue that Christians suffered more after Jesus left and that suffering continues to this day. What liberty was Jesus referring to?
In the narrative of the Israelites’ situation in Egypt, we observe: “So Moses spoke thus to the children of Israel; but they did not heed Moses, because of the anguish of spirit and cruel bondage” (Exodus 6:9 NKJV). The cruel bondage caused the Israelites to disregard Moses, who was God’s instrument. As long as the body endures pain, it contends that nothing could be better when seeking only temporary relief. Jesus’ mission is to liberate humanity from the burdens of the physical body. Pain and suffering are inherent to the physical body, which has a lifespan of seventy-plus years. The fleeting comfort that can be found in this world is insignificant when compared to the vastness of eternity.
The price of freedom from Egyptian slavery was the relinquishment of the temporary comfort experienced by the Israelites, who sought reprieve from pain. Their constant encounters with God along the way were caused by their memory of temporary comfort during their bondage in slavery. God had to exercise extreme restraint as their conduct persistently provoked Him. Moses had to plead with God repeatedly on their behalf. The journey to the Promised Land was not an easy one. But what made it uncomfortable was their obsession with memories of temporary comfort in Egypt.
Christianity embodies a prototype of the Israelites’ experiences. The liberty promised by Christ is that of the spirit from physical bondage. To be liberated from physical bondage, Jesus constantly advised His followers to be willing to renounce the body to gain life.“He who finds his life will lose it, and he who loses his life for My sake will find it” (Matthew 10”39 NKJV). Jesus exemplified the renunciation of the physical body by submitting to the cross. However, He demonstrated the power of resurrection by ensuring that His body would not remain in the grave. The resurrection enables believers to no longer fear death.
Jesus specifically instructed His followers to be committed to His teachings, assuring them that this would be the only way to attain freedom. Physical death would no longer hold significance for them. They would be granted the Holy Spirit, entitling them as God’s children and sharing the same privilege with Jesus. Such power invalidates all forms of timidity. Those individuals would be unstoppable when effecting change in their environments because they would be God’s children. Governed by God rather than men, these people would have a profound impact, willing to die for what they know to be good.
In Zimbabwe, the governing authorities have resorted to bribing church leaders to secure their support. Meanwhile, they continue looting while ordinary people live in misery. The fruits Jesus described as projecting false prophets are manifesting (Matthew 7:13-18). It has become more profitable to be a pastor or bishop, just as it is to be a Member of Parliament. The system is structured to discourage ordinary members from questioning those in positions of authority. Consequently, the number of churches is increasing more rapidly than ever before.
The prevailing reality is that Christianity has been transformed into a mere religion. The entire façade is designed to manipulate people into submitting to corrupt governing authority. Instead of cultivating individuals with authentic moral fibre, Christianity now produces compliant and submissive followers. The fear of death is central to their submissiveness. Anyone who encourages a Christian to recognize their identity as God’s child, to whom their allegiance should be owed, risks ostracization. Fear causes pliability. Politics now involves instructing religious leaders to keep their congregants submissive to governing authorities.
Andrew Masuku is the author of Dimensions of a New Civilization, laying down standards for uplifting Zimbabwe from the current state of economic depression into a model for other nations worldwide. A decaying tree provides an opportunity for a blossoming sprout. Written from a Christian perspective, the book is a product of inspiration, bringing relief to those having witnessed the strings of unworkable solutions––leading to the current economic and social decay. Most Zimbabweans should find the book as a long-awaited providential oasis of hope, in a simple conversational tone.
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