Do we expect too much?

Since the 2017 General Election, a grand total of 42 government ministers have either resigned or been sacked from Her Majesty’s Government.

This is unprecedented in British political history. There is no doubt that Brexit has occasioned some of the most dramatic and frankly chaotic scenes ever seen at Westminster. The recent local elections witnessed a collapse in support for the two major parties, with smaller parties profiting in return. There have been rumours that the Queen’s Speech will be delayed until after 31 October – the new Brexit day deadline. At the time of writing, the European elections are just around the corner, with all the evidence pointing to yet more losses for the Conservatives and Labour.

Hope

While trust in politicians is rarely high, recent events have only served to heighten distrust of those who are in power. We pray that the Lord will give us leaders of His grace and not the ones we deserve, but in truth do we believe that is possible?

We know the Prime Minister will leave once Brexit is accomplished. Apart from that, we don’t know much else. What is clear is that the leadership race is already in full swing, with potential candidates lining themselves up to take over. Some hope that maybe with a new Prime Minister and new Cabinet ministers, we might finally make progress with Brexit, move forward with an exciting new domestic agenda and all will begin to go well again. The question is: is this a realistic expectation?

There is, I think, a tendency to forget a very simple truth: even the best of people are but people at best. Each one of our leaders is flawed in various ways. The perfect political leader simply does not exist.

Looking to scripture

This is where the Bible is particularly helpful. Ancient accounts of political figures, from kings to emperors, focused on their greatness. The practice of history was very different back then to today; embarrassing incidents in a nation’s past were simply not recorded. The annals of ancient nations focused almost exclusively on the good to create the impression that the kings and queens of that day were perfect.

But the Bible follows a very different path. In the case of believers, it shows us both the good and the bad. A striking example is King David. He was a political leader of great gifts and power. He was a great man, anointed by God to conquer Jerusalem, making it the capital of Israel. The Goliath slayer was famed as a mighty warrior, leading the people to celebrate with a song that celebrated his victories.

Yet for all his strengths, the Bible does not shy away from recording his shocking failures. In 2 Samuel 11, David commits murder and adultery, breaking the sixth and seventh commandments. He steals and lies, breaking commandments eight and nine and ten for that matter. The writer of 2 Samuel does not gloss it over. He doesn’t try and explain it away, it’s there for all to see, in gory detail.

The Bible teaches us the limitations of human rulers. No matter their gifted-ness, even the best are still fundamentally flawed. Paul writes in Romans that ‘all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God’. This should shape our expectations and increase our longing for the return of our Lord Jesus Christ.

The greatest leader

I said earlier that the perfect political leader does not exist. But that’s not actually true, is it? There is one. The greatest political leader of all time. Someone who was and is completely and utterly perfect. Someone who always acts in accordance with the moral law of God. Someone who rules with justice and fairness. Someone who treats His own subjects with love, compassion, grace and mercy. Someone who extends kind invitations to His enemies to come to Him to receive forgiveness and mercy. That’s why we should not expect too much from earthly leaders. As Christians, our primary political allegiance is not to any one party, but to King Jesus. And what an honour to serve such a gloriously perfect king.