A lot of religious folks in the U.S., particularly Christians, tend to align with right wing politics. Limited government, free market capitalism, rugged individualism, and the idea that everyone should pull themselves up by their bootstraps. I can’t help but wonder, is that really in line with the figure they follow?
Jesus, at least based on the texts we have, wasn’t exactly the embodiment of a Wall Street capitalist. He wasn’t born into wealth. He didn’t seek political power. He spent time with outcasts, healed the sick for free, fed the hungry without asking if they deserved it, and told a rich man to give up everything he had if he wanted to truly follow him.
He flipped tables at the temple when it turned into a business. He said it was easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich person to enter the kingdom of heaven. He spoke out against greed constantly. There's even the parable of the laborers in the vineyard, where everyone gets paid the same, no matter how long they worked. That’s not exactly a merit based wage system.
Yet in modern political discourse you’ll hear Christians arguing against welfare programs, universal healthcare, housing support, and debt relief, calling them handouts or socialism. If we're being honest, wasn’t Jesus kind of a walking embodiment of these things?
This isn’t to say all Christians are like this, or that faith and politics should always align a certain way, but there’s a tension here that I think deserves more discussion. Are we worshipping Jesus the man, or Jesus the mascot of a political ideology?
I’m not trying to be snarky. I’m genuinely curious how people reconcile that gap.
Jesus was not at all anti capitalist:
Matthew 25:14-28 -
The Parable of the Bags of Gold
"14 Again, it will be like a man going on a journey, who called his servants and entrusted his wealth to them. 15 To one he gave five bags of gold, to another two bags, and to another one bag, each according to his ability. Then he went on his journey. 16 The man who had received five bags of gold went at once and put his money to work and gained five bags more. 17 So also, the one with two bags of gold gained two more. 18 But the man who had received one bag went off, dug a hole in the ground and hid his master’s money.
19 After a long time the master of those servants returned and settled accounts with them. 20 The man who had received five bags of gold brought the other five. ‘Master,’ he said, ‘you entrusted me with five bags of gold. See, I have gained five more.’
21 His master replied, ‘Well done, good and faithful servant! You have been faithful with a few things; I will put you in charge of many things. Come and share your master’s happiness!’
22 The man with two bags of gold also came. ‘Master,’ he said, ‘you entrusted me with two bags of gold; see, I have gained two more.’
23 His master replied, ‘Well done, good and faithful servant! You have been faithful with a few things; I will put you in charge of many things. Come and share your master’s happiness!’
24 Then the man who had received one bag of gold came. ‘Master,’ he said, ‘I knew that you are a hard man, harvesting where you have not sown and gathering where you have not scattered seed. 25 So I was afraid and went out and hid your gold in the ground. See, here is what belongs to you.’
26 His master replied, ‘You wicked, lazy servant! So you knew that I harvest where I have not sown and gather where I have not scattered seed? 27 Well then, you should have put my money on deposit with the bankers, so that when I returned I would have received it back with interest.
28 So take the bag of gold from him and give it to the one who has ten bags. 29 For whoever has will be given more, and they will have an abundance. Whoever does not have, even what they have will be taken from them. 30 And throw that worthless servant outside, into the darkness, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.’"
The lesson of the story is of course that those who use their God given ability, the blessings that they are given, and do the best with them that they can, will prosper. Those who do not will not.
He did not discriminate between the rich and the poor or consider one more worthy than the other.
To expect people to do the best that they can with what they have to work with is actually a kindness to those people.
Jesus also had much to say about taking care of the truly helpless among us and was not opposed to VOLUNTARY charity to those. In fact he saw it as commendable and praiseworthy. He did distinguish between true charity and that given just for show.
