You should try reading the whole thing instead of just the passages you agree with. Go read Matthew 26:6-10 and notice how he rebukes his disciples for worrying more about the poor than the good dead that Mary is doing. Jesus is apolitical, he is neither liberal or conservative, neither socialist or capitalist, neither Republican or Democrat, anyone that tries to make him over into something they approve of is wrong.
I have read the whole bible before, but I don't remember it all.
You're telling me if I read only Jesus's remarks... the ones written in red in my bible, I would somehow be taking things out of context?
How is reading remarks without getting the surrounding context not taking things out of context?
When Mary Magdalene, I believe it was, got chastized by Judas for wasting expensive perfume to anoint Jesus' feet because the money could have been given to the poor, Jesus said, 'The poor will be with us always, but you will not always have me.' Also his little band was not poor. They had a treasury which they called 'the purse.' Judas Iscariot carried the purse. I'm thinking I read that he frequently stole from it and there was enough in the 'purse' that no one missed it. Yes, John 12:6 says Judas made that assertion because he was stealing from the purse not because he cared about the poor.
Jesus himself was NOT poor. He was not born in a stable because his family was poor. He was born in a stable because the inn was full. Has no one actually read the story of the Nativity? Sheesh! His family could afford a hotel and owed taxes. So they weren't flat broke. His father was a tradesman and his trade paid good money. It is clear in Jesus' teachings that He was educated, probably in the Egyptian mystery schools. It is clear He could read when He was found teaching from the scrolls in the Temple at age of about 12. He also references His ability to read when He said, 'it is written that man does not live by bread alone.' We also know He could write because he wrote in the sand when he stopped the good ole boys from stoning the woman. His family was well off enough to send Him to school and well off enough that He had enough credibility to gain followers. If He had been some poor guttersnipe no one would have paid Him any mind whatsoever.
Well alright then! Now we're getting somewhere. Now, there's one for you if that passage is in the bible. Now, let's look at all the other passages that Jesus himself spoke of, and we'll see where he stands on the rich vs the poor.
I think it'll be a fun little project.
I'm actually doing it right now, so you don't have to if you don't want to.
If it is in the Bible?
Tell you what, why don't we go through the Bible like you said and see what Jesus said about the poor.
Matt 5:3 Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
Matt 11:5 The blind receive sight, the lame walk, those who have leprosy are cured, the deaf hear, the dead are raised, and the good news is preached to the poor.
Not quite what you wanted, is it? Don't worry, the next is closer.
Matt 19:21 Jesus answered, "If you want to be perfect, go, sell your possessions and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven. Then come, follow me."
In order for that to work you have to start by doing it yourself, not try to force others to do it at gunpoint.
Matt 26:9-11 For this ointment might have been sold for much, and given to the poor. When Jesus understood it, he said unto them, Why trouble ye the woman? for she hath wrought a good work upon me. For ye have the poor always with you; but me ye have not always.
There is that passage you thought wasn't in the Bible.
Mark 10:21 Jesus looked at him and loved him. “One thing you lack,” he said. “Go, sell everything you have and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven. Then come, follow me.”
Still has to start with you, not the government.
Mark 12:42-43 And there came a certain poor widow, and she threw in two mites, which make a farthing. And he called unto him his disciples, and saith unto them, Verily I say unto you, That this poor widow hath cast more in , than all they which have cast into the treasury: They all gave out of their wealth; but she, out of her poverty, put in everything--all she had to live on."
If we were to apply your logic to this passage I could argue that Jesus thinks it is OK to tax poor people. Fortunately for you, I do not use Jesus to justify anything, I allow my arguments to stand on their own logic.
Luke 6:20 And he lifted up his eyes on his disciples, and said, Blessed
be ye poor: for yours is the kingdom of God.
Does that mean that if the government gives poor people money they loose out on the Kingdom of Heaven?
There are other verses, but by now you should have the idea that what you think and what the Bible actually says do not necessarily agree. If you want to argue for taxing the rich to give money to the poor, feel free. Just do yourself a favor and stop trying to argue that the Bible agrees with you.
Matthew 5:3 Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
The first quote on the poor from Jesus. Off to a brilliant start actually.
Matthew 5:41 And whoever shall force you to go one mile, go with him two.
This one is amusing. Not a poor vs rich comment, but one that makes me laugh at your statements of being forced to do something like help the poor. Jesus's passage here basically says that if you are forced to do something, in this case help the poor... you shall help them doubly so an be righteous!
Matthew 5:42 Give to him who asks of you, and do not turn away from him who wants to borrow from you.
The poor are asking of the rich... seeking more fairness and balance. But you keep resisting. The bible clearly favors the poor here.
Matthew 6:2 When therefore you give alms, do not sound a trumpet before you, as the hypocrites do in the synagogues and in the streets, that they may be honored by men. Truly I say to you, they have their reward in full.
Matthew 6:3 But when you give alms, do not let your left hand know what your right hand is doing.
Matthew 6:4 that your alms may be in secret; and your father who sees in secret will repay you.
Can never hear the end of conservatives claiming how much they give to the poor compared to cheapo liberals!
Matthew 6:19 Do not lay up for yourselves treasures upon earth, where moth and rust destroy, and where thieves break in and steal.
Matthew 6:20 But lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys, and where thieves do not break in or steal.
Matthews 6:21 for where your treasure is, there will your heart be also.
Sounds to me like Jesus isn't too fond of the rich hoarding their wealth. The greatest supporters of this kind of wealth and luxury of materialistic possessions in life are those supporting the millionaires and billionaires and seeking to deny the poor.
Anyway I had to take a pause from reading. My bible is super small and so many page after page had nothing to do with the rich or poor. I'll continue later.
But as far as things the bible said... what did the bible say about the rich and the poor? Because you know, the entire bible is the word of god, not just the passages of Jesus.
So here are some. I copied and pasted these by the way. But if you don't believe they exist, you deny the LORD! Haha, no, but feel free to look them up in your bible. And if you deny the context, please let me know and we'll go to the passage and read the entire page together!
Luke 6:20-21. Blessed are you who are poor, for yours in the kingdom of God. Blessed are you who hunger now, for you shall be satisfied. Blessed are you who weep now, for you shall laugh.
James 2:5. Did not God choose the poor of this world to be rich in faith and heirs of the kingdom which He promised to those who love Him?
Deut. 15:7. If there is a poor man among you, one of your brothers, in any of the towns of the land which the LORD your God is giving you, you shall not harden your heart, nor close your hand to your poor brother; but you shall freely open your hand to him, and generously lend him sufficient for his need in whatever he lacks.
This is god himself commanding you to help the poor. Doesn't need to be any government involved. You will help the poor or you will be seen as unworthy in the eyes of god. It's kind of a continuing theme here, as you'll notice.
Deut. 26:12. When you have finished paying the complete tithe of your increase in the third year, the year of tithing, then you shall give it to the Levite, to the stranger, to the orphan and the widow, that they may eat in your towns, and be satisfied.
Lev. 19:19ff. Now when you reap the harvest of your land, you shall not reap to the very corners of your field, neither shall you gather the gleanings of your harvest. Nor shall you glean your vineyard, nor shall you gather the fallen fruit of your vineyard; you shall leave them for the needy and for the stranger. I am the LORD your God.
Prov. 31:8ff. [Commandment to kings.] Open your mouth for the dumb, for the rights of all the unfortunate. Open your mouth, judge righteously, and defend the rights of the afflicted and needy.
Luke 3:11. And [John the Baptist] would answer and say to them, "Let the man with two tunics share with him who has none, and let him who has food do likewise."
Prov. 22:9 He who is generous will be blessed, for he gives some of his food to the poor.
Jer. 22:16 "Did not your father eat and drink, and do justice and righteousness? Then it was well with him. He pled the cause of the afflicted and needy; then it was well. Is that not what it means to know Me?" declares the LORD.
Deut. 15:10. You shall give generously to [your poor brother], and your heart shall not be grieved when you give to him, because for this thing the LORD your God will bless you in all your work and in all your undertakings.
Prov. 19:17. He who is gracious to a poor man lends to the LORD, and He will repay him for his good deed.
Jer. 7:5-7. "For, if you truly amend your ways and your deeds, if you truly practice justice between a man and his neighbor, if you do not oppress the alien, the orphan, and the widow, and do not shed innocent blood in this place, nor walk after other gods to your own ruin, then I will let you dwell in this place, in the land that I gave to your fathers forever and ever."
Is. 58:10. "And if you give yourself to the hungry, and satisfy the desire of the afflicted, then your light will rise in darkness, and your gloom will become like midday. And the LORD will continually guide you, and satisfy your desire in scorched places, and give strength to your bones; and you will be like a watered garden, and like a spring of water whose waters do not fail."
Luke 14:12-14. "When you give a luncheon or a dinner, do not invite your friends or your brothers or your relatives or rich neighbors, lest they also invite you in return, and repayment come to you. But when you give a reception, invite the poor, the crippled, the lame, the blind, and you will be blessed, since they do not have the means to repay you; for you will be repaid at the resurrection of the righteous."
Luke 12:44. "Sell your possessions and give alms; make yourselves purses which do not wear out, an unfailing treasure in heaven, where no thief comes near, nor moth destroys. For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also."
Mt. 19:20ff. The young man said to Him, "All these commands I have kept; what am I still lacking?" Jesus said to him, "If you wish to be complete, go and sell your possessions and give to the poor, and you shall have treasure in heaven; and come, follow Me."
Ezek. 16:49ff. "Behold, this was the guilt of your sister Sodom: she and her daughters had arrogance, abundant food, and careless ease, but she did not help the poor and needy. Thus they were haughty and committed abominations before Me. Therefore I removed them when I saw it."
Is. 10:1-3. "Woe to those who enact evil statutes, and to those who continually record unjust decisions, so as to deprive the needy of justice, and rob the poor of My people of their rights... Now what will you do in the day of punishment, and in the devastation which will come from afar?"
Luke 1:52ff. [Mary's Magnificat.] "He has brought down rulers from their thrones, and has exalted those who were hungry. He has filled the hungry with good things; and sent away the rich empty-handed."
Ezek. 22:29,31. "The people of the land have practiced oppression and committed robbery, and they have wronged the poor and needy and have oppressed the sojourner without justice... Thus I have poured out My indignation on them; I have consumed them with the fire of My wrath; their way I have brought upon their heads," declares the Lord GOD.
Jer. 5:28f. "[The wicked] do not plead the cause, the cause of the orphan, that they may prosper; and they do not defend the rights of the poor. Shall I not punish these people?" declares the LORD. "On such a nation as this, shall I not avenge myself?"
James 5:1-6. Come now, you rich, weep and howl for your miseries which are coming upon you. Your riches have rotted and your garments have become moth-eaten. ...Behold, the pay of the laborers who mowed your fields, and with you have withheld, cries out against you; and the outcry of the harvesters has reached the ears of the Lord of Sabaoth. You have lived luxuriously on the earth and led a life of wanton pleasure; you have fattened your hearts in a day of slaughter.
Luke 6:24. "But woe to you who are rich, for you are receiving your comfort in full."
Luke 16:19-25. "Now there was a certain rich man, and he habitually dressed in purple and fine linen, gaily living in splendor every day. And a certain poor man named Lazarus was laid at his gate, covered with sores, and longing to be fed with the crumbs which fell from the rich man's table; besides, even the dogs would come and lick his sores.
Now it came about that the poor man died and he was carried away by the angels to Abraham's bosom; and the rich man also died and was buried. And in Hades, being in torment, he lifted up his eyes, and saw Abraham far away, and Lazarus in his bosom.
And he cried out and said, 'Father Abraham, have mercy on me, and send Lazarus, that he may dip the tip of his finger in water and cool off my tongue; for I am in agony in this flame.'
But Abraham said, 'Child, remember that during your life you received your good things, and likewise Lazarus bad things; but now he is being comforted here, and you are in agony...'"
Prov. 29:7. The righteous is concerned for the rights of the poor; the wicked does not understand such concern.
1 John 3:17. But whoever has the world's goods, and beholds his brother in need and closes his heart against him, how does the love of God abide in him?
Luke 6:33ff. "And if you do good to those who do good to you, what credit is that to you? For even sinners love those who love them. And if you lend to those from whom you expect to receive, what credit is that to you? Even sinners lend to sinners, in order to receive back the same."
2 Cor 9:7. Let each one do just as he has purposed in his heart; not grudgingly or under compulsion; for God loves a cheerful giver.
Mt. 6:2-4. "When therefore you give alms, do not sound a trumpet before you, as the hypocrites do in the synagogues and in the streets, that they may be honored by men. Truly I say to you, they have their reward in full. But when you give alms, do not let your left hand know what your right hand is doing, that your alms may be in secret; and your Father who sees in secret will repay you."
Mt. 6:24. "No one can serve two masters; for either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will hold to one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and Money."
1 Tim. 6:10. For the love of money is a root of all sorts of evil, and some by longing for it have wandered away from the faith, and pierced themselves with many a pang.
Gal. 2:9ff. Recognizing the grace that had been given to me, James and Cephas and John... gave to me and Barnabas the right hand of fellowship, that we might go to the Gentiles, and they to the circumcised. They only asked us to remember the poor-- the very thing I also was eager to do.
Lev. 19:15. "You shall do no injustice in judgment; you shall not be partial to the poor nor defer to the great, but you are to judge your neighbor fairly."
Acts 2:44. All those who had believed were together, and had all things in common; and they began to sell their property and possessions, and share them with all, as anyone might have need.
Acts 4:32-35. And the congregation of those who believed were of one heart and soul; and not one of them claimed that anything belonging to him was his own, but all things were common property to them. And with great power the apostles were giving witness to the resurrection of the Lord Jesus, and abundant grace was upon them all. For there was not a needy person among them, for all who were owners of land or houses would sell them and bring the proceeds of the sales and lay them at the apostles' feet; and they would be distributed to each, as any had need.
Eph. 4:28. Let him who steals steal no longer; but rather let him labor, performing with his own hands what is good, in order that he may have something to share with him who has need.
2 Cor. 8:9. For you know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that though He was rich, yet for your sake He became poor, that you through His poverty might become rich.
Prov. 19:17. He who is gracious to a poor man lends to the LORD, and He will repay him for his good deed.
Prov. 14:31. He who oppresses the poor reproaches his Maker, but he who is gracious to the needy honors Him.
Mt. 25:31-46. "When the Son of Man comes in his glory, and all the angels with Him, then He will sit on His glorious throne. And all the nations will be gathered before Him, and He will separate them from one another, as the shepherd separates the sheep from the goats; He will put the sheep on His right, and the goats on His left.
Then the King will say to those on His right, 'Come, you who are blessed of My Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world. For I was hungry, and you gave Me something to eat; I was thirsty, and you gave Me drink; I was a stranger, and you invited Me in; naked, and you clothed Me; I was sick, and you visited Me; I was in prison, and you came to Me.'
Then the righteous will answer Him, saying, 'Lord, when did we see You hungry, and feed You, or thirsty, and give You drink? And when did we see You a stranger, and invite you in, or naked, and clothe You? And when did we see You sick, or in prison, and come to You?'
And the King will answer and say to them, 'Truly I say to you, to the extent that you did it to one of these brothers of Mine, even the least of them, you did it to Me.'
Then He will also say to those on His left, 'Depart from Me, accursed ones, into the eternal fire which has been prepared for the devil and his angels; for I was hungry, and you gave Me nothing to eat; I was thirsty, and you gave Me nothing to drink; I was a stranger, and you did not invite Me in; naked, and you did not clothe Me; sick, and in prison, and you did not visit Me.'
Then they themselves will also answer, saying, 'Lord, when did we see You hungry, or thirsty, or naked, or sick, or in prison, and did not take care of You?'
Then He will answer them, saying, 'Truly I say to you, to the extent that you did not do it to one of the least of these, you did not do it to Me.' And these will go away into eternal punishment, but the righteous into eternal life."
God loves and openly accepts the poor. God demands the rich aid the poor and help out his fellow man lest he not be accepted into the kingdom of god. Government need not be involved, because they are commands from god himself. I don't see anything in there about "well, you know if you want to today help them". Nope, it's commands to help the poor and needy among you.
