Jesus the Socialist?
Jesus Christ taught and did many things during His life. But did He teach social justice? What do we mean by social justice? Social justice is giving each person what is rightfully theirs. Most people would put say “It is helping those in need get the things they need.” Social justice is a hot topic both in the political and Christian realms. Depending on who is talking, you may hear the terms redistribution of wealth, socialism, entitlement and communism. I will not attempt to deal with whether food, clothing, shelter and healthcare are entitlements or whether or not it is the government’s role to fulfill these shortfalls. I will focus on the teachings of Christ in regards to the poor, the sick and taxes. In the synoptic gospels, there are over ten recurring records of teaching on the poor and over twenty on healing. The book of John contains similar passages. Clearly, Jesus had an opinion on these topics. The Poor “ So then, none of you can be My di