Posted on 05/27/2009 4:49:21 AM PDT by IrishMike
1/3 of the “horizontal” commandments are about respecting private property. And here are some NT quotes - clearly God is conservative and not a socialist:
2 Thes 3:6-12
6In the name of the Lord Jesus Christ, we command you, brothers, to keep away from every brother who is idle and does not live according to the teaching[a] you received from us. 7For you yourselves know how you ought to follow our example. We were not idle when we were with you, 8nor did we eat anyone’s food without paying for it. On the contrary, we worked night and day, laboring and toiling so that we would not be a burden to any of you. 9We did this, not because we do not have the right to such help, but in order to make ourselves a model for you to follow. 10For even when we were with you, we gave you this rule: “If a man will not work, he shall not eat.”
11We hear that some among you are idle. They are not busy; they are busybodies. 12Such people we command and urge in the Lord Jesus Christ to settle down and earn the bread they eat.
Eph 4:28
Those who are stealing must stop stealing and start working. They should earn an honest living for themselves. Then they will have something to share with those who are poor.
2 Corinthians 9:7
7Each man should give what he has decided in his heart to give, not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver.
But I later noticed that there's an absolute howler ("perform" for "perfume" in the account of Jesus and the woman with the precious ointment), so it's not lack of intellectual ability but misuse of the spell-check prompt function.
There's no substitute for actual proofreading.
These days he would be a conservative. For his time and place, he was very liberal.
He would probably have moved on from a donkey, but I would think not anything very showy.
ping for after my dr’s appt
My husband had a discussion on this topic once and someone seriously told him a Honda Accord.
Matthew 25:14-29So, to address the question of whether Jesus would advocate socialism, let's compare and contrast some central themes of socialism with this lesson from Christ.
14 "For the kingdom of heaven is like a man traveling to a far country, who called his own servants and delivered his goods to them. 15 And to one he gave five talents, to another two, and to another one, to each according to his own ability; and immediately he went on a journey. 16 Then he who had received the five talents went and traded with them, and made another five talents. 17 And likewise he who had received two gained two more also. 18 But he who had received one went and dug in the ground, and hid his lord's money. 19 After a long time the lord of those servants came and settled accounts with them. 20 So he who had received five talents came and brought five other talents, saying, 'Lord, you delivered to me five talents; look, I have gained five more talents besides them.' 21 His lord said to him, 'Well done, good and faithful servant; you were faithful over a few things, I will make you ruler over many things. Enter into the joy of your lord.' 22 He also who had received two talents came and said, 'Lord, you delivered to me two talents; look, I have gained two more talents besides them.' 23 His lord said to him, 'Well done, good and faithful servant; you have been faithful over a few things, I will make you ruler over many things. Enter into the joy of your lord.' 24 Then he who had received the one talent came and said, 'Lord, I knew you to be a hard man, reaping where you have not sown, and gathering where you have not scattered seed. 25 And I was afraid, and went and hid your talent in the ground. Look, there you have what is yours.' 26 But his lord answered and said to him, 'You wicked and lazy servant, you knew that I reap where I have not sown, and gather where I have not scattered seed. 27 So you ought to have deposited my money with the bankers, and at my coming I would have received back my own with interest. 28 Therefore take the talent from him, and give it to him who has ten talents. 29 For to everyone who has, more will be given, and he will have abundance; but from him who does not have, even what he has will be taken away. (emphasis added)
1. Socialism says "From each according to his ability, to each according to his need." But Jesus likened the Kingdom of Heaven to a capitalist investor who entrusts his resources to each according to his ability.
2. Socialism seeks to equalize outcomes so that everyone benefits equally from output, but in the Kingdom of Heaven described by Jesus, the owner/master rewards his performance.
3. Socialism seeks to "spread the wealth around" by taking from the wealthy and giving to the poor, but in the Kingdom of Heaven described by Jesus, what little is held by the non-productive and lazy is taken away and given to the most productive in order that it might be put to better use.
Sounds like three strikes for the notion that Jesus was a socialist.
Jesus is a royalist.
But oddly enough, He would drive a big ole pickup with a carpenter’s toolbox in the back and a bumper sticker that read “Live Better/Follow Me”.
Matt 25:28 28. `Therefore take the talent from him, and give it to him who has ten talents.
Jesus actually teaches that the "wicked and lazy", even though they may only have one talent, will have their talent taken from them and given to who? Not the poor.
Disagree. His ideas may have been radical to the establishment, but the Master was the ultimate in conservative. To realize this, you must consider His ultimate goal: that of reconciling man to God. Basically, a return to a singular principle of denying self in favor of God.
Liberalism is the polar opposite.
Liberalism is quintessentially “worldliness”, being a friend of the world (and the father of this world - Satan).
James 4:4
Adulterers and adulteresses! Do you not know that friendship with the world is enmity with God? Whoever therefore wants to be a friend of the world makes himself an enemy of God.
Good references.
In the parables, Jesus several times uses examples involving “contract law”; for example, between workers and landlords. I think that sometimes these are misinterpreted, as if they were instructions for doing such matters differently. After some thought, one realizes that it most cases Jesus is pointing out that the principle he is illustrating is simply NOT like the familiar relationship. He is making a contrast. But nowhere does he say that the traditional economic relationships themselves are wrong. He uses economic things as illustrations, because of their familiaty to his listeners; but economics is plainly not his focus.
Jesus also said many things in the form of hyperbole. This is a very simple, obvious turn of speech, and yet many Christians (even pastors) don’t seem to see what a simple matter this is, and get all tangled up in a literalism which betrays an inability to read with intelligence. There are two main rhetorical forms used in the Sermon on the Mount: paradox, and hyperbole. If you understand those, everything falls into place. Why does Jesus say that the meek shall inherit the Earth? Because it is a paradox, and a paradox does three things: it gets your attention; it makes you think; and it causes you to remember. In this case, he is saying that his way is not the way of force or compulsion (and the Roman soldiers standing around were a constant reminder of that principle). He was not saying that the meek literally would or should take over secular society in some sort of mass-movement, as called for in the first line of the Internationale.
One last point: in the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus several times makes it clear that his expectations are very modest. That is, he does not expect very many people to understand and follow his Way; we might say, to “get it.” He predicts that if you try to explain his teachings to people who are not receptive, they will viciously attack you. Too true! He specifically says that the traditional Jewish law should be followed (which we do not do).
Would a revolutionary say that “not a jot or tittle” should be changed? No way!
Would a revolutionary say that his true followers will always be a very small minority? No way! (Revolutionaries always imagine that their approach will soon be universal, made so by force, if necessary.)
So those who try to call Jesus a revolutionary are merely projecting their own, modern attitude. Oddly, they sometimes view their ideas as a great discovery, and themselves as experts in theology, “professing themselves wise ...”
We should be careful not to try to impress our own ideas on Jesus. Let him speak for Himself, and let us listen.
And that also means that we are on our own in fields not addressed by the Bible, such as geology, biology, economics, medicine, Chinese cooking, computer technology, auto mechanics, &c. Surely we are supposed to figure out some things for ourselves!
Always pay special attention to “the letters in red”.
When Jesus speaks, the Father is speaking.
But since Jesus is the antithesis of Evil, he cannot be a Liberal (in the Democrat Party sense). Liberals require a compromise with, or outright submission to Evil, and I don't remember Jesus being big on the whole “compromising beliefs” thingy.
Yes, radical, and also very liberal in contrast to the establishment.
His ultimate goal: that of reconciling man to God.
Agreed, and he'd probably be shocked at a good portion of organized Christianity today.
“Agreed, and he’d probably be shocked at a good portion of organized Christianity today.”
Not really. He predicted (at the end of the Sermon on the Mount) that all sorts of charlatans would arise, including ones using His name. And he gave the test: “By their fruits ye shall know them.”
We ourselves are shocked, and I think that we should be. We should be shocked and offended. But Jesus is not surprised — grieved, but not surprised.
Sorry! I missed your post.
Don’t be sorry. We were posting at just about the same time, and we were making the same point. I was just a bit more loquacious.
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