Was Jesus a socialist?

Oh, unclench. It's worth asking.

Thank you, Mike, for sending this John Fugelsang tweet:

Brittanica says socialism is a:

social and economic doctrine that calls for public rather than private ownership or control of property and natural resources. According to the socialist view, individuals do not live or work in isolation but live in cooperation with one another.

Wouldn’t that part in bold define a working faith group, as well? Say, a Christian church? At the very least, wouldn’t this be a beautiful approach to a pandemic? Wear a mask? Would that help my neighbor? Then sure. Get a vaccine? Would that help my neighbor? OK. I’m on it.

If you haven’t already, please read Jesus’ Sermon on the Mount. Let’s start with the Beatitudes in Matt. 5:3-10:

3 “Blessed are the poor in spirit,
    for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
4 Blessed are those who mourn,
    for they will be comforted.
5 Blessed are the meek,
    for they will inherit the earth.
6 Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness,
    for they will be filled.
7 Blessed are the merciful,
    for they will be shown mercy.
8 Blessed are the pure in heart,
    for they will see God.
9 Blessed are the peacemakers,
    for they will be called children of God.
10 Blessed are those who are persecuted because of righteousness,
    for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.

If you’ll notice, the rich and the powerful are not highlighted here. In fact, attention is paid solely to those whom the world might consider downtrodden, or even a bit of a loser. Merciful? Peacemakers? How does that fit into this?

Exactly. It doesn’t. Some Biblical scholars tend to get the puckers when they hear the suggestion that Jesus was a socialist, because they may have a different definition of “socialism.” But read the Christian scriptures. You might not be so quick to pucker.

Back to the Sermon, what follows are new rules surrounding murder, divorce, and other nasty bits. The talk then veers into suggestions for praying and doing charitable acts in private, not for public acclaim. There’s a template for a prayer (now recited by rout by Christians around the world). Then there’s this, Matt. 6: 19-20:

19 “Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moths and vermin destroy, and where thieves break in and steal. 20 But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where moths and vermin do not destroy, and where thieves do not break in and steal.

One could hardly call that a ringing endorsement for capitalism. The rest of it talks about treading gently in general, with helpful allegories to explain things.

If we slide over to Acts 2: 44-45:

44 All the believers were together and had everything in common. 45 They sold property and possessions to give to anyone who had need.

(There’s more of that in Acts 4.)

Does this mean believers are to sell our goods and share with people in need? A fundamentalist would say yes, that’s exactly what it says. Someone with a more tempered approach to sacred text might understand that the verse was, at the very least, an admonition that we not get so attached to our possessions that we cannot give them away. I leave it to you to decide which is the more accurate interpretation, but when people who profess to be Christians decry school lunch programs or government programs that seek to lift up the vulnerable, you have to wonder if they’ve ever actually read the Book. I’m guessing no.