In two recent articles in the Washington Post, one a rebuttal, the two authors claim that Jesus was A) a socialist, or B) a capitalist, two contradictory positions that they support using identical scripture. Both the Jesus was a socialist guy, read his article HERE, and the Jesus was a capitalist guy, read his rebuttal HERE, proceed to explain to us what Jesus meant when He said what He said, as if He spoke in highly complicated, multi-syllabled language too obtuse for us unwashed morons, unschooled in the finer points of biblical economics.
Really? Jesus preached on the finer points of socialism vs. capitalism? His words were so vague that we need other sources of information to explain what he meant? Mathew, chapters 5 and 23, were so intellectually dense that we need other writers, both in scripture and in the secular world, to explain them to us?
Or is Matthew 19:23-24 "Then Jesus said to his disciples, “I tell you the truth, it is hard for a rich man to enter the kingdom of heaven. Again I tell you, it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter the kingdom of God.” so maddeningly obscure we can't understand ?
Feed and clothe the poor, take care of widows and orphans, cling to a childlike faith, spread the Gospel, and love one another are not liberal or conservative political positions, they are the command of our sovereign Lord. Don't parse His words, just do it. Don't claim that these commands are the responsibility of the church, not government, then let your church food pantries go empty and families in your community go unfed.
Jesus did not say feed the poor that can prove they can't find work. He said feed the poor, period. Don't tell me Paul has the authority to put qualifiers on our precious Jesus' commands. When Jesus sent out the twelve His instructions were simple, "Heal the sick,raise the dead, cleanse those that have leprosy, drive out demons. Freely have you received, freely give." Mathew 10:8 how hard is that to decipher?
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