Published by Bless This Mess
How Jesus Would Deal With Today’s Economy?
The current economic mess has wrapped its tentacles around everyone. Those who have are losing, those who have not have even less, and those just starting out see no hope of ever having anything. Economists are calling it a recession, but the word “depression” seems more appropriate, given the emotional climate in the country and to a large extent, worldwide.
In an effort to confuse fascism with religion and promote the Obama administration’s push toward totalitarianism, liberal talk-show host Ed Schulz presumed to interpret passages from the New Testament in a way that made Jesus sound like the penultimate social engineer. But would Jesus really support government-sponsored health care? Would He have censured those involved in the free exchange of goods and services in favor of having Caesar’s administration redistribute those goods and services to “the poor?” Let’s look at what Jesus actually said about money, government and personal responsibility in order to get a better grasp on the question, What Would Jesus Do?
Set Priorities In Life
The first thing that Jesus recommended to His apostles was that they get their priorities in order. “Seek ye first the kingdom of God … then ALL ELSE will be added…” This statement doesn’t condemn the pursuit of wealth or property, but it does acknowledge that God is the source of all supply, rather than a job, Wall Street or the government. The Jewish (and later, Christian) habit of tithing one’s earnings is based on the premise that the money has been lent to you by God, and according to His will, a portion is to be passed on with no expectation of personal gain for tzedakah, or good works. God only asks for 10% of earnings as a condition of being a citizen under His rule (or a member of the tribe, Israel); the Obama administration has promised to raise the cost of being a citizen of the United States to 40% for those who earn the most, and step up “contributions” to Social Security from the current level of 15.2% in order to bail it out of its bankrupt condition for the rest of us. Membership in God’s community is a bargain by comparison.
Create and Multiply
When Jesus and his disciples attended the wedding at Cana, they discovered that the wedding party lacked wine. Did Jesus call His wealthy friends and demand “redistribution” of their stock to this financially-distressed couple? No – He took what was at hand (water) and turned it into wine. And what wine it was; one of the guests remarked that the groom had “saved the best vintage for last.”
Similarly, when Jesus was preaching to the throng gathered on the banks of Galilee, He didn’t ask the crowd to share whatever they brought with those who came unprepared. He took the four loaves and two fish that one of the attendees brought, multiplied it, passed out the “interest” and returned the principal to the boy who brought the food. Jesus reimbursed his host for the use of his boat by taking him to a prime fishing spot and having him lower his net, whereupon he brought up a net-breaking load. This is as far from “redistributing the wealth” as you can get! When John F. Kennedy lowered marginal tax rates, he stated, “A rising tide lifts all boats.” Jesus clearly believed in offering value for value, using what was at hand and leveraging His capital in order to meet His needs and raise the standard for everyone involved with His enterprise. This sounds a lot like Milton Friedman’s description of capitalism to me.
“Just Get In The Pool”
The Bill Moyers of the world love to conjecture that because Jesus showed compassion to society’s underdogs and outcasts, He would be in agreement with any government welfare or bailout scheme. This ain’t necessarily so. After all, when Jesus came upon the cripple who was inches away from the water in the pool at Bethesda, He didn’t force everyone else in line to move away so the man could get in, nor did he expect His disciples to carry the man to the front of the line. He listened to the gentleman complain about never having the chance to get into the water before the angel stirred it up, and then told him (with a perfect Yiddish inflection), “So get in the pool already!” If Jesus is the pattern, then our country needs to start making greater use of His “Welfare Reform Act” of 32 AD and start telling individuals and businesses that expect everyone else to shoulder the costs of their bad decisions and lack of initiative that it’s time they took action on their own in order to fix their problems.
Don’t Bury Your Talent
The compassion Jesus showed others never replaced their personal responsibility in a given situation and the parable of the talents is a prime example of Jesus’ expectations with regard to stewardship of resources
Three servants were given one talent each by their master, and a time limit of a few months to do something with that talent. One servant put his out into the marketplace and returned with several more talents. One servant took a more conservative approach, but still returned with the talents multiplied. The last servant played the game not to lose, rather than to win, and buried his talent in the ground. Who was the hero of this story? The servant who multiplied his talent was roundly praised, but the one who “saved” his for later earned nothing but scorn.
The takeaway from this story is this: whatever an individual is blessed with, be it money, good looks, athletic ability or some other “talent,” they have the obligation to put it to constructive use out in the marketplace and multiply it, rather than diminishing its value by burying it. When our society encourages risk taking, investing and entrepreneurship rather than spreading enough fear of the future that people are motivated more to bury their talents, then we have followed the pattern set in motion 2000 years ago.
“Get Thee Behind Me”
Finally, Jesus threaded the concept of personal responsibility into a tapestry depicting individual choices and the outcomes of those choices. During His own forty-day period of testing in the desert, Satan cajoled Him to “turn the stones into bread” during His fast, and offered to share dominion over the Earth in exchange for unlimited power and wealth. Jesus’ response was, “Get thee behind me, Satan.”
Today, people blame Joe Camel for their choice to smoke cigarettes, McDonalds for their obesity, public education for their lack of literacy skills, and everyone else (mainly white, heterosexual men) who may have more, be more, know more or earn more for their miserable existences. The banking crisis was blamed on those evil loan originators who allowed people with no income or job to apply. Advertising from Chase and Capital One FORCED people to take on a debt load they couldn’t handle. Advertising, cheap fast food, television and men may represent every hardship, temptation or obstacle in life, but ultimately it is the decision of the individual to give in to that temptation or refuse to confront the obstacle that accounts for their specific outcomes. It’s time to meditate on the mantra, “Man does not live by McDonalds alone,” and issue the command, “Get thee behind me, Chase Manhattan!” if we want to begin to repair the damage our choices have created.
There is nothing about Jesus’ life or ministry that indicates He would have promoted any of the Obama administration’s vision for America. He spoke of “rendering unto Caesar” and receiving abundantly from God; we should take a hint from history and change our own expectations.
