The Government Upon His Shoulders

THE POLITICS OF CHRISTMAS A Theological and Historical Analysis of Isaiah 9:4–7

“For the yoke of his burden, and the staff for his shoulder, the rod of his oppressor, you have broken as on the day of Midian. For every boot of the tramping warrior in battle tumult and every garment rolled in blood will be burned as fuel for the fire. For to us a child is born, to us a son is given; and the government shall be upon his shoulder, and his name shall be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace. Of the increase of his government and of peace there will be no end, on the throne of David and over his kingdom, to establish it and to uphold it with justice and with righteousness from this time forth and forevermore. The zeal of the Lord of hosts will do this.” (Isaiah 9:4–7, ESV)

INTRODUCTION

The Incarnation as a Public, Not Private, Event

Modern Western Christianity often treats the incarnation as a private religious moment— an occasion for personal reflection and seasonal sentiment.

This privatization obscures the political force of Scripture’s own presentation.

Isaiah 9 does not describe a private spiritual event. Isaiah describes a coronation.

“For to us a child is born, to us a son is given; and the government shall be upon His shoulder.” (Isaiah 9:6)

The “Day of Midian as a guide — Gideon and God using what was small to conquer the large.

“The Lord said to Gideon, “The people with you are too many for me to give the Midianites into their hand, lest Israel boast over me, saying, ‘My own hand has saved me.’” (Judges 7:2, ESV)

Paul says God uses the foolish things of the world (1 Cor. 1)

A Son is given.

The cross — what was on Christ’s shoulders? His cross.

“For the word of the cross is folly to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God… ‘I will destroy the wisdom of the wise.’” (1 Corinthians 1:18–19, ESV)

Jesus is the name above all names—a theme already examined in this class.

That title from Philippians 2 is given in reference to His incarnation, death, and exaltation.

Government Upon His Shoulders

The Hebrew miśrāh (מִשְׂרָה) [Government, authority] from Isa. 9 speaks of rule, dominion, and sovereign administration.

According to Isaiah, the incarnation is the advent of a ruler whose authority fundamentally reconfigures the political landscape.

The Argument of This Lecture

This lecture argues three claims:

The nativity is inherently political because Scripture presents it as the arrival of a universal ruler. Christ’s kingship is not metaphorical or merely devotional; it is ontological and exercised in history. Isaiah’s throne names articulate a political theology that dismantles rival ideologies and asserts Christ’s comprehensive dominion.

By political theology, we do not mean a program of sacralized civil power.

We mean the theological reality that Christ’s kingship has public implications for all human authority structures.

Last week, we saw in Matthew’s genealogy that Jesus stands in the line of David.

He is the heir of Israel’s king.

The question before us is simple but pressing:

If Jesus is truly the son of David, what substance does His kingship have in the real world?

We begin by asking how the first political actors responded to His birth.

I. HEROD AND THE MAGI

Ancient Political Response to the Incarnation

A. The Magi as Political Actors

(Matthew 2:1–12)

The Magi are often sentimentalized.

Their name is linked to our word for Magic, not because they were wizards, but because they were likely philosophers. So, you can think of them as truth seekers.

Historically, however, they functioned as political advisors—“kingmakers”—attached to Eastern courts.

Their question is unambiguously political:

“Where is He who has been born king of the Jews?” (Matthew 2:2)

Their gifts—gold, frankincense, and myrrh—are diplomatic tributes.

Their act of bowing (proskuneō) signifies not private devotion alone, but political homage.

In essence, these men arrive in Jerusalem as foreign envoys recognizing a new sovereign.

B. Herod’s Reaction as Political Realism

Matthew records:

“When Herod heard this, he was troubled.” (Matthew 2:3)

Herod immediately understands the implications:

If a true king has been born, his own throne is threatened. Christ’s kingship relativizes Herod’s authority. This claim is not symbolic, but juridical.

Herod’s massacre of the infants (Matthew 2:16–18) is consistent with ancient political behavior.

He is defending his throne against a rival.

We might be tempted to reassure Herod that Jesus only intends to reign inwardly— that His kingship has no bearing on earthly power.

But Herod understands what we often forget.

If Jesus is King, no ruler’s authority is ultimate but His.

II. A TWO-TIER FRAMEWORK FOR POLITICAL THEOLOGY

To understand Herod’s reaction, we must distinguish two tiers of authority— a framework long recognized in the Christian tradition.

Augustine writes:

“Christ is the Lord of the City of God, and all earthly cities are judged in light of His eternal kingdom.” — City of God, XIX.17

From Augustine through the Reformers and into our confessional standards, the same logic appears.

A. The Upper Tier: Christ’s Absolute Sovereignty

The upper tier concerns ultimate authority:

Who defines justice? Who defines truth? Who sets moral law? Who governs history? Who judges nations?

Scripture answers with clarity:

Matthew 28:18 — All authority belongs to Christ. Colossians 1:17–18 — Christ is preeminent over all things. Hebrews 1:3 — He upholds the universe by His power. Ephesians 1:20–22 — All powers are placed beneath His feet.

Christ is not merely King of a religious subgroup.

He is the King of kings and Lord of lords.

Jesus isn’t asking permission

Other cultures aren’t being asked to consider Him - He is king of kings

Psalm 2 kiss the Son (Who is that Son? See Hebrews 1)

“Long ago, at many times and in many ways, God spoke to our fathers by the prophets, but in these last days he has spoken to us by his Son, whom he appointed the heir of all things, through whom also he created the world. He is the radiance of the glory of God and the exact imprint of his nature, and he upholds the universe by the word of his power. After making purification for sins, he sat down at the right hand of the Majesty on high,” (Hebrews 1:1–3, ESV)

John Calvin insists:

“The magistrate’s power is from God… subject to the King of kings.” — Institutes IV.20.4

Samuel Rutherford echoes:

“All civil power is immediately from God, but mediately exercised under Christ’s higher sovereignty.” — Lex, Rex, Q.2

The Westminster Confession summarizes:

Civil rulers exist “for God’s glory and the public good… under Him, yet over the people.” — WCF 23.1

B. The Lower Tier: Earthly Rule as Delegated and Accountable

Earthly rulers do possess genuine authority (Romans 13)—

but only as authority that is:

delegated, bounded, and accountable

before the higher throne of Christ.

This is why Peter can say:

“We must obey God rather than men.” (Acts 5:29)

Christian political theology is therefore realistic.

Government matters—but it is never ultimate.

Because Jesus is Lord—crucified and risen—all authority in heaven and on earth belongs to Him.

For that reason:

We must not murder. Why? Because of Christ. We must not destroy our children. We must not hate our brother while claiming His name. We must not embrace sexual perversion.

This lordship reaches every sphere of life.

Herod cannot take his brother’s wife. The Pharisees’ hypocrisy must be exposed. The emperor must not be worshiped. And the Christian may go to martyrdom because Christ is Lord.

Those commands aren’t political opinions; they are the moral consequences of confessing that Jesus reigns.

III. THE FOUR THRONE NAMES OF ISAIAH 9:6

Isaiah’s throne names form a royal Title.

Each title asserts Christ’s superiority over rival political and philosophical claims.

1. Wonderful Counselor (פֶּלֶא יוֹעֵץ)

Christ is proclaimed as the source of true wisdom.

Pele’ denotes what is wondrous or miraculous. Yo‘etz refers to counsel or strategy.

Scripture affirms:

Colossians 2:3 — All treasures of wisdom are hidden in Him. Isaiah 28:29 — The LORD is wonderful in counsel.

Christ stands as the final standard of truth and moral reasoning for all governance.

PHILOSOPHICAL EARTHQUAKE

The incarnation does not merely challenge religious claims.

It overturns entire philosophical systems.

Herman Bavinck:

“Christianity did not enter the world as one philosophy among many; it came as the truth that reorganizes life, culture, and thought at their foundations.” — Reformed Dogmatics, 1:596

Cornelius Van Til:

“The Christian worldview is not one hypothesis among others; it is the presupposition for the intelligibility of all facts.” — Christian Apologetics

Platonism — The Ideal enters matter. Gnosticism — The body is redeemed; embodiment is not a prison. Epicureanism — God is not distant. Kantian autonomy — Morality is not self-legislation. Nietzsche — Power redefined by the cross. Postmodernism — “I am the Truth.”

The incarnation is not one worldview among many.

It is the collapse of all worldviews built without Christ.

You don’t need to remember all of this—just the point.

When God becomes man, every system built without Him collapses.

2. Mighty God (אֵל גִּבּוֹר)

Used elsewhere of Yahweh Himself (Isaiah 10:21).

This title attributes to Christ divine and military supremacy.

Psalm 24:8 — The LORD is mighty in battle. 1 Corinthians 15:25 — He must reign until all enemies are subdued.

Rome could crucify. Christ could rise.

Empires fall. Christ reigns forever.

HISTORICAL ILLUSTRATION: BONIFACE AND THOR’S OAK

In the eighth century, the Germanic tribes worshiped Thor beneath a massive sacred oak— the political and religious center of pagan authority.

Boniface confronted it.

The priests declared that Thor would strike dead anyone who touched the tree.

Boniface lifted his axe.

He struck. Nothing happened.

He struck again. The oak fell.

The worldview fell with it.

Boniface ordered the timber used to build a church.

He lifted a small evergreen and declared it a sign of Christ’s eternal kingdom.

This was not vandalism.

It was political theology.

A public demonstration that pagan deities are powerless, pagan authority collapses before Christ, and a new King rules the land.

Not normative - Paul at mars hill or acts 18 - Diana figurines

“For though we walk in the flesh, we are not waging war according to the flesh. For the weapons of our warfare are not of the flesh but have divine power to destroy strongholds. We destroy arguments and every lofty opinion raised against the knowledge of God, and take every thought captive to obey Christ,” (2 Corinthians 10:3–5, ESV)

3. Everlasting Father (אֲבִי־עַד)

This title does not confuse Trinitarian persons.

It speaks of Christ’s paternal, covenantal kingship—His protective and enduring rule.

Psalm 103:13 — The LORD shows compassion as a father. John 10:11 — The Good Shepherd lays down His life for the sheep.

Christ’s reign offers permanence and care, not tyrannical instability.

The historical situation in 2 Kings 16 lies in the background of Isaiah 7, which in turn sets the context for the declaration of Isaiah 9.

“So Ahaz sent messengers to Tiglath-pileser king of Assyria, saying, “I am your servant and your son. Come up and rescue me from the hand of the king of Syria and from the hand of the king of Israel, who are attacking me.”” (2 Kings 16:7, ESV)

4. Prince of Peace (שַׂר־שָׁלוֹם)

Shalom signifies comprehensive flourishing.

Christ establishes peace not by compromise with evil, but by judgment and restoration.

Ephesians 2:14 — He Himself is our peace. Revelation 11:15 — The kingdoms of this world become His.

Peace comes through the defeat of rebellion.

THE CIVILIZATIONAL EFFECT OF CHRIST’S REIGN

Where Christ’s kingship is believed, civilizations shift.

This is not theory; it’s history.

Human sacrifice ends. Infanticide collapses. Sexual cults disappear. Emperor worship ceases. Slavery is undermined. Caste systems weaken. Violence decreases. Mercy increases.

Institutions form around human dignity.

Christ’s reign is not abstract.

It is civilizationally transformative.

“Taken together, these names describe not a private Savior, but a public King.”

IV. PSALM 2: CANONICAL CONFIRMATION

Psalm 2 provides Scripture’s clearest articulation of Christ’s political kingship.

Nations rage. Rulers conspire. Kings resist the LORD and His Anointed.

God’s response is decisive:

“I have set My King on Zion.” (Psalm 2:6)

The Messiah inherits the nations (2:8) and rules with unyielding authority (2:9).

Therefore, rulers are commanded—not invited—to submit:

“Kiss the Son… lest He be angry.” (Psalm 2:12)

Political rebellion against Christ is theological rebellion against God.

VIII. CHRIST AS LORD OF TIME: THE CALENDAR ILLUSTRATION

Perhaps the most underestimated political fact in the modern world is this:

Every time we write a date, we bear witness to Christ’s kingship.

The calendar is structured around two eras:

Before Christ, and Anno Domini — “in the year of our Lord.”

Even BCE/CE numbering keeps Christ at the center.

Attempts to replace this have failed.

During the French Revolution, the Christian calendar was abolished.

A ten-day week was created. Months were renamed. Year One was declared the Revolution.

The experiment lasted twelve years.

Napoleon restored the calendar of Christ.

Today, atheist regimes, Islamic states, communist governments, academic institutions, and global finance all use the Gregorian calendar.

Even when denying Him, they number their days by Him.

This is Isaiah 9 in timekeeping:

The government rests upon His shoulder.

Even the calendar bows.

IX. THE CROSS AS THE CENTRAL POLITICAL EVENT

Isaiah says the government rests on His shoulder.

That shoulder bore the cross.

At the cross:

Colossians 2:15 — Christ disarmed rulers and authorities. Philippians 2:8–11 — The crucified One is exalted above all powers. Ephesians 1:20–22 — Christ is enthroned above every dominion.

The cross dethrones false sovereignties.

The resurrection enthrones the true King.

Easter is political.

XI. THE GREAT COMMISSION AS A ROYAL DECREE

Imagine a herald riding into a land announcing that it has been conquered.

He is not running for office.

He is not seeking approval.

He is declaring that the territory now belongs to a King.

Local rulers may remain as vassals, but ultimate allegiance has changed.

That is the posture of the Great Commission.

“All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to Me. Therefore, go and make disciples of all nations…” (Matthew 28:18–20, ESV)

We are not simply told to go.

We are told:

“Therefore, go.”

Why?

Because the government rests on His shoulder.

Mission flows from dominion.

Discipleship expands Christ’s reign.

Baptism marks entry into a new kingdom.

XII. CONCLUSION: MAGI OR HEROD?

Isaiah 9 confronts every classroom, home, and nation with a question:

So everything we’ve said comes down to one unavoidable question.Will we respond like the Magi, acknowledging Christ’s kingship?

Or like Herod, resisting His claim to preserve autonomy?

There is no neutral posture.

You are sons, take responsibility and wield that authority in the corner of the world that God has given to you. — Home, family, church, self-control, work, government.

“The zeal of the LORD of hosts will accomplish this.” (Isaiah 9:7)

Christmas announces that the world has a King— and His government shall have no end.

“Then I looked, and I heard around the throne and the living creatures and the elders the voice of many angels, numbering myriads of myriads and thousands of thousands, saying with a loud voice, “Worthy is the Lamb who was slain, to receive power and wealth and wisdom and might and honor and glory and blessing!” And I heard every creature in heaven and on earth and under the earth and in the sea, and all that is in them, saying, “To him who sits on the throne and to the Lamb be blessing and honor and glory and might forever and ever!” And the four living creatures said, “Amen!” and the elders fell down and worshiped.” (Revelation 5:11–14, ESV)

———————————— NOTES BELOW

“For to us a child is born, to us a son is given; and the government shall be upon his shoulder, and his name shall be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace. Of the increase of his government and of peace there will be no end, on the throne of David and over his kingdom, to establish it and to uphold it with justice and with righteousness from this time forth and forevermore. The zeal of the Lord of hosts will do this.” (Isaiah 9:6–7, ESV)

The incarnation is delivered to us in political terms.

Last week, Paul walked us through the genealogy of Matthew, and we saw that the 14 generations began with Abraham, but centered around David. Part of the highlight was to draw our attention to Jesus’s connection to the line of David. He is the heir of the king. But what does that mean? Is that just a neat connection with no real power or punch in the real world? It it just that Jesus is a descendent but that there is no substance to his reign? What is that substance?

The Magi

Now after Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judea in the days of Herod the king, behold, wise men from the east came to Jerusalem, 2 saying, “Where is he who has been born king of the Jews? For we saw his star when it rose and have come to worship him.” 3 When Herod the king heard this, he was troubled, and all Jerusalem with him; 4 and assembling all the chief priests and scribes of the people, he inquired of them where the Christ was to be born. 5 They told him, “In Bethlehem of Judea, for so it is written by the prophet:

6 “ ‘And you, O Bethlehem, in the land of Judah,

are by no means least among the rulers of Judah;

for from you shall come a ruler

who will shepherd my people Israel.’ ”

7 Then Herod summoned the wise men secretly and ascertained from them what time the star had appeared. 8 And he sent them to Bethlehem, saying, “Go and search diligently for the child, and when you have found him, bring me word, that I too may come and worship him.” (Matthew 2:1–8, ESV)

The Magi worshipping Jesus and bringing gifts

And going into the house, they saw the child with Mary his mother, and they fell down and worshiped him. Then, opening their treasures, they offered him gifts, gold and frankincense and myrrh. 12 And being warned in a dream not to return to Herod, they departed to their own country by another way. (Matthew 2:11–12, ESV)

They are bringing their allegiance to the king. They are bowing down and paying homage.

Herod kills the children

Then Herod, when he saw that he had been tricked by the wise men, became furious, and he sent and killed all the male children in Bethlehem and in all that region who were two years old or under, according to the time that he had ascertained from the wise men. 17 Then was fulfilled what was spoken by the prophet Jeremiah:

18 “A voice was heard in Ramah,

weeping and loud lamentation,

Rachel weeping for her children;

she refused to be comforted, because they are no more.” (Matthew 2:16–18, ESV)

We need to see here that Herod understands a point about Jesus’ birth that we don’t often grasp, and that’s the political nature of His birth.

We might be tempted to say, don’t worry, Herod. You don’t need to try to kill Jesus. He is just going to reign in your heart and in your mind. Allegiance to Him won’t affect anything in your kingdom. Don’t worry about it.

But we would be the ones who are wrong and Herod is reading the times better than we are.

What are we talking about here?

Jesus is the King that all other kings bow down to. He is the name above all names.

What we are talking about right now is what you might consider and upper tier proclamation: Christ is the source of authority and truth.

Christ is the ultimate and final ruler. There is another tier to consider, that is a lower tier, where there are nations and governments and covenants among peoples and how they are governed. The details of that, Christian nationalism, or theocracy, or moral philosophy (where our laws come from) are appealing upwards to this upper tier, and that is what we are talking about here. If there are going to be implications for man, why? What is the highest authority and standard?

That is Christ. He is the government — the word here meaning authority. He is the source of truth, wisdom, righteousness, power, and beauty and justice. Here it is in its perfection. Here it is in Christ.

And because Jesus is Lord, and because Jesus has revealed Himself, and because Jesus is risen form the grave, all authority in heaven and on earth is His. We must not kill, because. We must not abort our babies because… we must not hate our brother and call HIm lord because… we must not embrace or entertain sexual perversion because… And that goes into all the spheres of life. Herod can’t have his brother’s wife because… The Pharisees hypocrisy must be mocked and exposed because… the Emperor must not be worshipped because… I will have to go to my death and martyrdom because of the truth of Christ because…

Where are we talking about the political tension?

Jesus’ example of obedience to the Father instead of submission to Pilate and others.

The martyrs’ obedience unto death

Lower tier as ethic (how) and upper tier as logic (why)

Anecdote: What year is it? We date our calendar based on the centrality of Jesus. Who did this and why? What other attempts have been made to change the calendar? (Didn’t this happen in the French Revolution?)

The names given and why they matter as a display of Jesus’s superior government and authority

Wonderful Counselor

Mighty God

Everlasting Father

Prince of Peace

What silences all the vain philosophies of our world? What shames all the weapons of war form the nations? Why do the nations rage? Kiss the Son!

What was on our Lord’s shoulders? — A cross, and that undid the world.

“See to it that no one takes you captive by philosophy and empty deceit, according to human tradition, according to the elemental spirits of the world, and not according to Christ. For in him the whole fullness of deity dwells bodily, and you have been filled in him, who is the head of all rule and authority.” (Colossians 2:8–10, ESV)

“I do not cease to give thanks for you, remembering you in my prayers, that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, may give you the Spirit of wisdom and of revelation in the knowledge of him, having the eyes of your hearts enlightened, that you may know what is the hope to which he has called you, what are the riches of his glorious inheritance in the saints, and what is the immeasurable greatness of his power toward us who believe, according to the working of his great might that he worked in Christ when he raised him from the dead and seated him at his right hand in the heavenly places, far above all rule and authority and power and dominion, and above every name that is named, not only in this age but also in the one to come. And he put all things under his feet and gave him as head over all things to the church, which is his body, the fullness of him who fills all in all.” (Ephesians 1:16–23, ESV)

Politics of Christmas

Day of midian - Gideon and God using what was small to conquer the large - Paul says the foolish things of the world.

A Son as given —

The cross - what was on Christs shoulders? His cross

What is this government?

Christ is the perfection - the ideal form that Plato was searching for

Christ is the miracle in the flesh that Kant said couldn’t happen - the irony in his name!

Christ has liberated us from slavery - Eph Col

What strongholds has Christ put down?

— Worship of Molech

— Worship of Emperor

— Aztec human sacrifice

— Some aspects of the eugenics movement

—

— chattel slavery

#

Philosophy / Ideology / Practice

Where it dominated

How/Why Christianity ended it

Approximate date of effective end

1

Classical Greco-Roman polytheism & emperor worship

Entire Roman Empire

Theodosian decrees (391–392); state religion became Christian; temples closed or converted

Late 4th – early 6th century

2

Philosophical justification of human sacrifice

Carthage, Celtic Druidism, parts of Germanic tribes

Missionary work + imperial/Church bans (e.g., Council of Tours 567 against remnants)

5th–8th centuries

3

Aztec & other Mesoamerican state theology of mass human sacrifice

Central Mexico

Spanish conquest + Franciscan/Dominican missions; last public human sacrifice 1521

1520s–1530s

4

Inca state ancestor-worship and capacocha (child sacrifice

Andean region

Spanish conquest and extirpation-of-idolatries campaigns

1530s–1570s

5

Norse/Germanic paganism with blood-eagle, ship-burials, and occasional human sacrifice

Scandinavia, Iceland, Kievan Rus’

Missionary kings (Olaf Tryggvason, St. Olaf, Vladimir the Great) + forced conversion

950–1100

6

Thuggee cult (ritual strangling in honor of Kali)

India (especially northern & central)

British East India Company + Christian-influenced administrators systematically suppressed it

1830s–1850s

7

Widow-burning (sati) as religious duty

Parts of Hindu India

Officially banned by British 1829 (Lord William Bentinck, strongly supported by Christian missionaries and Rammohan Roy)

1829 (de jure), gradually thereafter

8

West African kingdom-level slave-raiding justified as religious offering

Dahomey, Ashanti

British naval blockade + missionary pressure + Christian converts in coastal elites

1850s–1890s

9

Cannibalism as religious or funereal rite

Fiji, parts of Papua New Guinea interior, some Amazonian tribes

Wesleyan and LMS missionaries + colonial governments

1850s–1900s

10

Dualistic Gnostic and Manichaean cosmologies (matter is evil, secret knowledge saves)

Roman Empire, Persia, Central Asia, southern France (Cathars)

Declared heretical; Albigensian Crusade + Inquisition for Cathars; earlier imperial edicts

4th–14th centuries

11

Druidism as an organized intellectual/religious class

Gaul, Britain, Ireland

Roman suppression + later Christianization of Celtic lands

1st–6th centuries

12

Mithraism (soldier cult with tauroctony and seven grades of initiation)

Roman Empire, especially army

Outcompeted by Christianity; last temples abandoned

4th century

13

Philosophical defense of infanticide/exposure of newborns

Greco-Roman world

Christian emperors banned it (Valentinian 374); Church charity (orphanages) replaced it

4th–5th centuries

14

Gladiatorial games as religious offering to the dead/Diinferii

Roman Empire

Honorius closed the schools 399–404; last known games 438

Early 5th century

15

Official state Zoroastrianism with death penalty for conversion

Sassanid Persia

Muslim conquest 651, but many Zoroastrians fled to India; Christianity had already weakened it in Mesopotamia

7th century onward

16

Phoenician/Canaanite child sacrifice to Moloch/Baal

Levant

Suppressed under Persian, Hellenistic, then definitively under Christian Roman rule

By 4th century CE

#

Muslim practice or institution

Region where it was dominant

How Christianity ended/suppressed it

Approximate date

1

Public call to prayer (adhān), Friday prayers in Arabic, public processions on Islamic festivals

Spain (al-Andalus)

After the fall of Granada (1492), the Capitulations were quickly violated; Catholic Monarchs and later Philip II banned the adhān, Arabic preaching, and public Islamic festivals. By 1609–1614 the remaining Moriscos were expelled.

1502–1614

2

Legal application of Sharia courts and hudud punishments (stoning, amputation, etc.)

Spain, Sicily, Crete, Hungary (Ottoman provinces reconquered by Christians)

Christian rulers abolished qāḍī courts and replaced them with Christian or secular law; hudud punishments outlawed.

1492–1718

3

Islamic polygamy (up to four wives)

Spain, Spanish North Africa outposts, Portuguese India

Declared illegal under Christian law; converts forced to keep only one wife, others divorced or enslaved.

1500s–1700s

4

Jizya tax on non-Muslims (reversed situation)

Reconquered Iberian kingdoms, Norman Sicily

The former Muslim population now had to pay taxes to Christian rulers and was eventually forbidden to practice Islam at all.

13th–16th centuries

5

Public celebration of Eid al-Fitr and Eid al-Adha with animal sacrifice in streets

Balkans under Habsburg or Venetian rule (e.g., Crete, Dalmatia)

Banned by Christian authorities as “pagan” or disturbing public order; mosques closed or turned into churches.

1680s–1718

6

Circumcision of male converts to Christianity

Spanish Morocco (Ceuta, Melilla), Spanish Philippines (Moros)

Converts were often physically examined; circumcision punished or used as evidence of crypto-Islam leading to expulsion or execution.

1500s–1800s

7

Construction of new mosques and public minarets

Most of post-Reconquista Spain, Kingdom of Sicily (after 13th century), parts of Greece after independence

Explicitly prohibited by law; existing mosques systematically demolished or converted (e.g., Great Mosque of Córdoba → cathedral 1236).

13th–19th centuries

8

Islamic slave markets openly selling Christian captives

Crete (under Venice 1211–1669), Malta (Knights of St John)

After Christian conquest, the slave markets were closed or restricted to non-Muslim slaves only; Qur’anic justification for enslaving “infidels” no longer tolerated.

1669 (Crete), ongoing on Malta until 1798

9

Dhimmi system itself (protected but subordinate status for Christians/Jews)

All territories taken from Muslim rule by Christians

The entire legal-theological framework that gave Islam privileged status was abolished and reversed.

Wherever Christians regained control (Spain, Sicily, Hungary, Greece, etc.)

In almost every case, the disappearance was a combination of (a) deliberate Christian theological rejection, (b) state power wielded by Christian rulers, and (c) long-term cultural transformation through preaching, schools, and charity.

Illustration:

We are submissive to government or defiant according to Christ’s command. He is our ultimate authority and allegiance.

Think of someone who comes riding in to tell you that you land has been conquered — they are not running for president or trying to win you over — they are declaring that this territory now belongs to them. They are the King. You may be allowed to keep your management and office as a vassal, but all the people now owe their ultimate allegiance to the new King.

That is what Jesus is. Look at how the great commission is phrased:

“And Jesus came and said to them, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age.”” (Matthew 28:18–20, ESV)

We are not just “to go”, we are to “therefore, go”.

Why? Because the government rests on His shoulder.

Governments are merely stewards. Those who recognize that often called their Kings a steward or vicar, as they are ministers to the public.

“saying, “We strictly charged you not to teach in this name, yet here you have filled Jerusalem with your teaching, and you intend to bring this man’s blood upon us.” But Peter and the apostles answered, “We must obey God rather than men. The God of our fathers raised Jesus, whom you killed by hanging him on a tree. God exalted him at his right hand as Leader and Savior, to give repentance to Israel and forgiveness of sins. And we are witnesses to these things, and so is the Holy Spirit, whom God has given to those who obey him.” When they heard this, they were enraged and wanted to kill them.” (Acts 5:28–33, ESV)

Why? Because the government rests on His shoulder.

Walk through names:

Closing

Are you magi or Herod?

We are in Christ. We are this light. We are the sons of the King and given dominion in Him. We are to bear this government in our lives. This authority in home, in neighborhood, in government,

rejoice: you're sons in the Son. And take responsibility for the corner of the world God has given as your realm. You're an heir. The world is yours to rule.

no election can bear the weight that only Christ’s shoulders can carry.

Isaiah 9:6 is a call to political sobriety and hope.

“And Jesus came and said to them, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age.”” (Matthew 28:18–20, ESV)

We are not just “to go”, we are to “therefore, go”.

Summary:

When Isaiah says “the government shall be upon his shoulder,” he is proclaiming that the incarnate Christ is the true and final King, the One who bears responsibility for His people, subdues His enemies, rules the cosmos, and will bring perfect justice.

Political implication: The incarnation both affirms and limits human government, undermines political idolatry, relativizes all earthly power, and summons Christians to live as citizens of Christ’s kingdom while responsibly engaging the kingdoms of this world.

Wilson:

For unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given: and the government shall be upon his shoulder: and his name shall be called Wonderful, Counselor, The Mighty God, The Everlasting Father, The Prince of Peace” (Is. 9:6).

For too long Christians have heard and read these words and sent them on Christmas cards but failed to understand them, believe them, and live them. When the angel appears to Mary at The Annunciation, he alludes to Isaiah 9:7, the verse after this, when he says that the Lord will give to Him the throne of His father David, and He shall reign forever (Luke 1:32-33). The promise of the prophet, affirmed by the angel to Mary, is a King and Kingdom that will far outshine the kingdom of David in this world.

It is certainly true that this Kingdom and government has its capital city in heaven. It is not an earthly kingdom in the sense that it did not originate in this world, and it is not an earthly kingdom in the sense that it is not limited by earthly weapons or means. Our strongest weapons are not carnal; our struggle is not primarily against flesh and blood. But this does not at all mean that this Kingdom does not impact and transform this world.

The government is upon His shoulder. All authority has been given to Him. The Church is a ministry of that Kingdom in the Word and Sacraments and our weapons are not at all fleshly or carnal, but mighty for pulling down strongholds and every argument raised against the knowledge of Christ. The family is a ministry of that heavenly Kingdom through the earthly provision of health, education, and welfare, beginning with the natural duties of marriage, procreation, and self-defense. Civil government is the earthly ministry of justice for that Kingdom. Civil magistrates are the servants of Christ, wielding physical swords for the punishment of criminals. All of these governments answer to Christ, receive their authority from Christ, and are limited and authorized by His wonderfully wise and mighty Word.

This is the peace of the Christmas Kingdom. The Mighty God has descended to earth in the flesh of the womb of Mary. And in His innocent flesh our sin and rebellion were completely judged and condemned on the Cross, and when He was raised from the dead, we were raised to newness of life by the gift of His Spirit. But we are raised as new men and women, an exceedingly great army of families, churches, and nations, governments upon His shoulders, equipped by His Word. And He shall reign forever and ever.