Socialist Son?

It always amazes me how unique God has created each of His children. We can all read the same Bible and even if we go to the same church and/or subscribe to the same theology, we can each get something different out of the same passage of Scripture. In fact, there are many times I have read a verse I have read before and receive a new revelation of the same words. Or, see it in a different light. And there's just one me!

I say all of this to say that the other day a friend of mine wrote a blog that another friend of mine replied to on his blog and so what else can I do except to reply to their blogs on my blog? If you want to get the entire subject matter in its context, please take a moment to read the blogs, and their corresponding comments before reading on. Otherwise, I will do my best to summarize for you.

The jest of the first blog, Jesus Was a Democrat, is about a song written by a band which got Britt to thinking about Jesus. While I disagree with Britt's opinion on whether or not Jesus would be financially affluent, I do agree with her statements on the types of people he would hang around. After all, the well do not need a Physician. As far as the question she poses of where would Christ be in the political spectrum if alive today, I think He would still be a radical who surrounded himself with sinners and tax collectors.

Then Ryan says that while Jesus supported giving to charity, He never legislated it or required it amongst his followers. True, that. However, He did send Peter fishing to get money to pay the temple tax in Matt 17:24-27 (Ryan if you read this, the dialogue btw Jesus and Peter almost sounds like the Fair Tax ideology).

So the hypothetical situation is that if Jesus were alive today, lived in America and had the right to vote, how would He view social programs? Only He knows, but it got some good banter going at my house!

My personal opinion on the matter stems from an account in Acts 3 where Peter and John go to the Gate Beautiful to pray. They pass a man lame from birth, who is begging for his livelihood. The man looks to them expecting to receive a handout, and then Peter tells him to rise and walk in the name of Jesus. The beggar was healed (and I suppose was no longer seen begging at the gate...as he was able to go earn a living). I think it would behoove us if more of us took an interest in those sitting at the gates we pass by each morning.

Paul tells us in II Cor 8:9 that Jesus was made poor that we through his poverty might become rich. Jesus proclaims in Luke 4:16 that, among other things, he came to preach the gospel to the poor.

I know this is taking an extreme liberty with that scripture, but I really feel like Jesus was a "give a man a fish, he'll eat for a day; teach him how to fish and he'll eat forever" kind of a guy. In Luke 5:4 he guided Peter et al to a catch so large the nets broke. The word gospel literally means "good news". What is good news to a poor person? You do not have to be poor. A sacrifice was made and an escape route prepared for you. I believe Jesus would still be (and is) empowering people to lead better lives.

However, it could be argued that the good news is that you can stand in line for your food stamps and be told what you can spend your stamps on. Or, that if you are disabled like the man at the Gate Beautiful, you can receive a monthly stipend courtesy of Social Security taxes. If you are in the right generation, then this same social program will provide you with a modest retirement at the government-appointed age. He did, after all, feed the 5,000. But, he did it by taking the bread he had, blessing it, and multiplying it. Not by collecting a mandated percentage of wages from the disciples.

While I personally do support some social programs under some circumstances, I feel in large part that they do a disservice by enabling people to stay poor. In fact, welfare began as something designed to TEMPORARILY help you while you're down, and then cut off. Somehow these programs have been poorly managed to the point that they no longer resemble what they were designed to do. My husband points out that America is such a giving nation, that we even give in our legislature, which is part of what makes us a prosperous nation. Even though he'll never access any of these programs, he'll "give to Caesar what is Caesar's".

Who is to say who really needs it and who is abusing the system? I know people who genuinely need the income these programs provide, and I don't mind paying taxes for those purposes. I just would like to see it managed better. Jesus tells the parable that the master gives three people talents, one 5, one 3 and one 1. The two with 5 and 3 doubled the money and the one with one hid the one and returned it to the master. He was scolded, and told he should have left it on deposit with the bankers so the master could at least have received interest! These programs might be more efficient if we had better rulers. But, we only have ourselves to blame for that, as these are elected officials.

One day Jesus will return and set up HIS government. That is the only one which truly matters!