I have been following the news of the Turkish elections and felt a burden to share something from God’s Word about this.
One Kurdish friend I spoke to told me he thought it would make no difference who wins the election; it will still be bad for the Kurdish people. That’s why I’ve called this article Hêvîşikestî, meaning hope-broken, disillusioned, weary.
Recently quite a number of Kurdish people have started to follow Jesus, and I write these words especially for those who teach and shepherd them. Idon’t believe pastors should pronounce in a black and white way who their church memebers should vote for. After all, although Kılıçdaroğlu stands against autocracy, you could point out that Erdoğan is pro-Life and against the harmful teachings of the LGBTQ movement. There are elements of both sides that line up with God’s truth.
Rather, I think this is a great opportunity for those who lead little flocks of Kurdish (and Tuekish) believers to teach them about the reign of King Jesus. Psalm 72 is a song about a future king from the family of David who will rule over all the nations. It warms my heart when I read it, because in my own country I also am not happy with either of the two main parties. This Psalm helps me lift my eyes to the One whose kingdom of perfect peace will last forever.
Now I know some may say this poem sounds nice, but we’ll never see this kind of kingdom emerge. I want to reply, this kingdom has come in part; Jesus has come, he has died for us and risen again triumphantly to secure a passport for us that none of us deserve.
I want to take some of the concerns I have heard about the current government in Turkey and show how Jesus’ kingdom is radically different.
Oppression. The grievance is that as the ruling party and its President have got more and more powerful, innocent people have suffered. I know thousands of people have been put in prison, and many academics have lost their jobs.
v12 - "For he will rescue the poor who cry out
and the afflicted who have no helper."
Terrorism. I know Kurdish people in Syria have been very angered by the way Ankara has supported extremist Islamist groups in their homeland.
v4 - "May he vindicate the afflicted among the people,
help the poor,
and crush the oppressor."
Verses like this really should be made into a song, with a rousing Kurdish melody. Jesus is no hippy, wafting to and fro telling people to ‘spread the love around’. He is unbending in his opposition to evil and will on the day he returns crush all oppressors.
Economic Mismanagement
The Turkish economy is in a mess. Many have been brought to poverty. The government seem to be partly responsible for the inflation by allowing people to borrow recklessly and not putting up interest rates. Many pastors do not teach about economics, but the Bible has a lot to say about economics. Here in Psalm 72 we see that Jesus’ kingdom will bring about an amazing economic boom.
v16: "May there be plenty of grain in the land;
may it wave on the tops of the mountains.
May its crops be like Lebanon.
May people flourish in the cities
like the grass of the field."
I smile when I read this; grain does not normally grow on mountains, but rather on the plains. But Jesus brings such economic boom that even the mountains are waving with stalks of grain. I am not preaching the Prosperity Gospel here. But one day we will enjoy staggering economic prosperity; and as people who submit to Jesus work hard and steward their wealth well, we do sometimes see prosperity even in this age.
Colonialism
Many are disturbed by the neo-Ottoman, expansionist plans of the current government. Jesus has come to grow an empire, but it is not an oppressive empire. One day all kings will bow before Jesus the King of Kings. If we are worried by the growth of a neo-Ottoman Empire, we can rest content that in God’s perfect plans it will overall serve the growth of the Kingdom of God. v11: "Let all kings bow in homage to him,
all nations serve him."
In this world, too much power is a dangerous thing, and we are right to limit the powers of those in government. But in Jesus’ kingdom, he exercises all power in heaven and earth and yet never gets corrupted by power.
I believe this kingdom of Jesus will be seen in all its glory when Jesus returns. But nonetheless, his kingdom is still seen as the Church grows across the world. I write this in Oxford a week after our local church’s Annual Church Meeting. I believe we are seeing some of this Psalm fulfilled. The needy are being looked after. We had a big budget surplus last year. We have been blessed by a team of elders whom the church trusts. They are not perfect, but they have learnt their style of leadership from King Jesus. There is an abundance of well-being in our relationships, and righteousness is being nurtured in church life. His Kingdom is coming, even now. Churches should be marked by a whole different culture to the governments of This Age, not least that we believe in temas of elders, not rule by a dictator (unhealthy churches sadly give all power to one autocrat who bullies people into following his dictats)
May the hearts of many Kurdish people be drawn to Jesus. People who are so bitterly disappointed by politicians, may they let Jesus reign now in their little domains at home and work and church by caring for the poor and oppressed. And may they long for Jesus to appear. Jesus is a politician, and he’s active today. But unlike the politicians on the billboards, Jesus can be absolutely trusted. It's true he’s an invisible politician, laughed at my many. But he will come again- and soon! “Let us not get tired of doing good, for we will reap at the proper time if we don’t give up.” (Gal 6:9)
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