Jesus was a communist.
Yes, you read that correctly. Jesus Christ of The Bible, was not only against the rich, but advocated for the same economic philosophies as many forms of communism &/or socialism do.
Acts 2:44–45
“Now all who believed were together, & had all things in common, & sold their possessions & goods, & divided them among all, as anyone had need.”
Matthew 19:21–24
“If you want to be perfect, go, sell your possessions and give to the poor, & you will have treasure in heaven. Then come, follow me.” When the young man heard this, he went away sad, because he had great wealth. Then Jesus said to his disciples, “Truly I tell you, it is hard for someone who is rich to enter the kingdom of heaven. Again I tell you, it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for someone who is rich to enter the kingdom of God.”
This is Jesus literally saying that if you’re a true Christian, you will want to be charitable & not live in excess while others suffer because material possessions should have no meaning to you. If they do & you’re hoarding wealth then it’s going to be hard for you to go to heaven as you’re showing large amounts of greed & materialism in your heart. Proverbs 19:17 “Whoever is kind to the poor lends to the Lord, & he will reward them for what they have done.” Proverbs 14:31 “Whoever oppresses the poor shows contempt for their Maker, but whoever is kind to the needy honors God.” Jesus is the son of god, & yet he rode into Jerusalem on a donkey & lived a humble life free from extravagance while helping those in need & shunning the rich & powerful. Jesus said several things In Luke that are completely opposed to greed, & gaining wealth, over helping the less fortunate.
Luke 16:19–24
“There was a certain rich man who was clothed in purple and fine linen and fared sumptuously every day. But there was a certain beggar named Lazarus, full of sores, who was laid at his gate, desiring to be fed with the crumbs which fell from the rich man’s table. Moreover the dogs came and licked his sores. So it was that the beggar died, and was carried by the angels to Abraham’s bosom. The rich man also died and was buried. And being in torments in hell, he lifted up his eyes and saw Abraham afar off, and Lazarus in his bosom. Then he cried and said, ‘Father Abraham, have mercy on me, and send Lazarus that he may dip the tip of his finger in water and cool my tongue; for I am tormented in this flame.’”
Luke 14:12–14
“When you give a luncheon or dinner, do not invite your friends, your brothers or sisters, your relatives, or your rich neighbors; if you do, they may invite you back and so you will be repaid. But when you give a banquet, invite the poor, the crippled, the lame, the blind, & you will be blessed. Although they cannot repay you, you will be repaid at the resurrection of the righteous.”
Luke 12:16–21
The ground of a certain rich man yielded plentifully. & he thought within himself, saying, ‘What shall I do, since I have no room to store my crops? So he said, ‘I will do this: I will pull down my barns and build greater, and there I will store all my crops and my goods. And I will say to my soul, “Soul, you have many goods laid up for many years; take your ease; eat, drink, & be merry.” ’ But God said to him, ‘Fool! This night your soul will be required of you; then whose will those things be which you have provided? “So is he who lays up treasure for himself, & is not rich toward God.”
A capitalist would argue that it’s unfair to have to give your time, possessions, money & food to strangers who didn’t earn it. But is that how Jesus feels? Apparently not. He says that wealth, materials & possessions mean nothing to God, & that we exist to serve him & love/help others. When does Jesus ever advocate for creating great wealth in excess or exploiting people’s labor for your benefit? Never. Because Jesus’s mentality doesn’t have a foundation in capitalism. Jesus had the economics of a communist &/or socialist. Proverbs 22: 6–9 asks us to teach our children that wealth inequality is bad, & directly says that those who give their excess to the poor will be blessed. “Train up a child in the way he should go, & when he is old he will not depart from it. The rich rules over the poor, & the borrower is servant to the lender.
He who sows iniquity will reap sorrow, & the rod of his anger will fail. He who has a generous eye will be blessed, for he gives of his bread to the poor.” Ask yourselves honestly. Do these quotes reflect the mentality of a billionaire businessman, or a humble socialist fighting for a more giving society? I think you know the answer.
Disclaimer: I’m NOT saying Jesus would have been a fan of Soviet Russia, or any of the forms of Authoritarian Communism that have existed thus far. Nor would he have advocated for the radical & often violent revolutions that Marx wanted, & that Communists have historically used. All I’m saying is that if we all had a heart like Jesus’s, we would long for a classless, equal society, free from materialism & suffering. Since we don’t however, I can’t realistically see Communism working anytime in the real world.
