Jesus is NOT a socialist
I felt compelled to write this post because everyone (including my parish priest) references the story about Jesus and the fish and bread that he hands out to everyone. As if that automatically makes Jesus a socialist, and if you don't agree with Jesus, then you might as well go to Hell, you horrible capitalist. Okay, maybe not that extreme, but this story comes up a lot.
And once again, I disagreed with my parish priest about the meaning of this story. This homily happened awhile ago, but I remember not agreeing with the interpretation, but I wasn't sure why. But it sat heavy on me. And every time someone talked about that particular story (and usually it was someone who doesn't even believe in God but wants to persuade you to believe in socialism), it once again made me frown. Like I was missing something but I didn't know what.
Until now.
This is why I read the Bible. Because now I understand what I'm missing. (This also makes me a bad Catholic, but I can't shake my Protestant roots.)
Last night, when I was flipping through the Bible, I stumbled upon this passage:
Matthew 25 New International Version (NIV)
The Parable of the Ten Virgins
25 “At that time the kingdom of heaven will be like ten virgins who took their lamps and went out to meet the bridegroom. 2 Five of them were foolish and five were wise. 3 The foolish ones took their lamps but did not take any oil with them. 4 The wise ones, however, took oil in jars along with their lamps. 5 The bridegroom was a long time in coming, and they all became drowsy and fell asleep.
6 “At midnight the cry rang out: ‘Here’s the bridegroom! Come out to meet him!’
7 “Then all the virgins woke up and trimmed their lamps. 8 The foolish ones said to the wise, ‘Give us some of your oil; our lamps are going out.’
9 “‘No,’ they replied, ‘there may not be enough for both us and you. Instead, go to those who sell oil and buy some for yourselves.’
10 “But while they were on their way to buy the oil, the bridegroom arrived. The virgins who were ready went in with him to the wedding banquet. And the door was shut.
11 “Later the others also came. ‘Lord, Lord,’ they said, ‘open the door for us!’
12 “But he replied, ‘Truly I tell you, I don’t know you.’
13 “Therefore keep watch, because you do not know the day or the hour.
I'm not going to lie: I've literally never heard/read this passage before. Of course, I've never read the entire Bible before either, but I've also never heard someone reference this. In this passage, Jesus isn't saying that the wise should share their oil with the foolish. Even the wise in the passage admit that "there may not be enough for both us and you." So, theoretically, they could share and might have enough for everyone. Jesus leaves that part vague. But what is certain is that the foolish are being punished for not being prepared, and rightfully so, because Jesus ends the parable with this: "Late the others [the foolish] also came. 'Lord, Lord,' they said, 'open the door for us!' But he replied, 'Truly I tell you, I don't know you.'" Jesus is making it pretty clear that the foolish only have themselves to blame. None of the blame falls on the wise for not sharing. In fact, he is showing how the wise were rewarded in this story.
Now, let's look at that infamous fish and bread passage:
John 6:1-14 New International Version (NIV)
Jesus Feeds the Five Thousand
6 Some time after this, Jesus crossed to the far shore of the Sea of Galilee (that is, the Sea of Tiberias), 2 and a great crowd of people followed him because they saw the signs he had performed by healing the sick. 3 Then Jesus went up on a mountainside and sat down with his disciples. 4 The Jewish Passover Festival was near.
5 When Jesus looked up and saw a great crowd coming toward him, he said to Philip, “Where shall we buy bread for these people to eat?” 6 He asked this only to test him, for he already had in mind what he was going to do.
7 Philip answered him, “It would take more than half a year’s wages[a] to buy enough bread for each one to have a bite!”
8 Another of his disciples, Andrew, Simon Peter’s brother, spoke up, 9 “Here is a boy with five small barley loaves and two small fish, but how far will they go among so many?”
10 Jesus said, “Have the people sit down.” There was plenty of grass in that place, and they sat down (about five thousand men were there). 11 Jesus then took the loaves, gave thanks, and distributed to those who were seated as much as they wanted. He did the same with the fish.
12 When they had all had enough to eat, he said to his disciples, “Gather the pieces that are left over. Let nothing be wasted.” 13 So they gathered them and filled twelve baskets with the pieces of the five barley loaves left over by those who had eaten.
14 After the people saw the sign Jesus performed, they began to say, “Surely this is the Prophet who is to come into the world.”
It's important to emphasize that the people Jesus is feeding are those who followed Him. He isn't just feeding anyone and everyone in this passage. He is feeding the people who are following Him. The people came to see Jesus and listen to Him. I think this is an important distinction to make. And I look for what is not included. None of the people said that they were hungry. There is no evidence that any one was complaining about food. It just says, "When Jesus looked up and saw a great crowd coming toward him, he said to Philip, 'Where shall we buy bread for these people to eat?'"
This passage is really about how Jesus will provide for those who follow Him. Even if it seems impossible, Jesus already knows what you need and is willing to provide it to you, if only you would come to Him. This passage is very powerful and comforting. It is unfortunate that it has become so bastardized by political motives. It has nothing to do with politics. But it has everything to do with following Jesus.
And once again, I disagreed with my parish priest about the meaning of this story. This homily happened awhile ago, but I remember not agreeing with the interpretation, but I wasn't sure why. But it sat heavy on me. And every time someone talked about that particular story (and usually it was someone who doesn't even believe in God but wants to persuade you to believe in socialism), it once again made me frown. Like I was missing something but I didn't know what.
Until now.
This is why I read the Bible. Because now I understand what I'm missing. (This also makes me a bad Catholic, but I can't shake my Protestant roots.)
Last night, when I was flipping through the Bible, I stumbled upon this passage:
Matthew 25 New International Version (NIV)
The Parable of the Ten Virgins
25 “At that time the kingdom of heaven will be like ten virgins who took their lamps and went out to meet the bridegroom. 2 Five of them were foolish and five were wise. 3 The foolish ones took their lamps but did not take any oil with them. 4 The wise ones, however, took oil in jars along with their lamps. 5 The bridegroom was a long time in coming, and they all became drowsy and fell asleep.
6 “At midnight the cry rang out: ‘Here’s the bridegroom! Come out to meet him!’
7 “Then all the virgins woke up and trimmed their lamps. 8 The foolish ones said to the wise, ‘Give us some of your oil; our lamps are going out.’
9 “‘No,’ they replied, ‘there may not be enough for both us and you. Instead, go to those who sell oil and buy some for yourselves.’
10 “But while they were on their way to buy the oil, the bridegroom arrived. The virgins who were ready went in with him to the wedding banquet. And the door was shut.
11 “Later the others also came. ‘Lord, Lord,’ they said, ‘open the door for us!’
12 “But he replied, ‘Truly I tell you, I don’t know you.’
13 “Therefore keep watch, because you do not know the day or the hour.
I'm not going to lie: I've literally never heard/read this passage before. Of course, I've never read the entire Bible before either, but I've also never heard someone reference this. In this passage, Jesus isn't saying that the wise should share their oil with the foolish. Even the wise in the passage admit that "there may not be enough for both us and you." So, theoretically, they could share and might have enough for everyone. Jesus leaves that part vague. But what is certain is that the foolish are being punished for not being prepared, and rightfully so, because Jesus ends the parable with this: "Late the others [the foolish] also came. 'Lord, Lord,' they said, 'open the door for us!' But he replied, 'Truly I tell you, I don't know you.'" Jesus is making it pretty clear that the foolish only have themselves to blame. None of the blame falls on the wise for not sharing. In fact, he is showing how the wise were rewarded in this story.
Now, let's look at that infamous fish and bread passage:
John 6:1-14 New International Version (NIV)
Jesus Feeds the Five Thousand
6 Some time after this, Jesus crossed to the far shore of the Sea of Galilee (that is, the Sea of Tiberias), 2 and a great crowd of people followed him because they saw the signs he had performed by healing the sick. 3 Then Jesus went up on a mountainside and sat down with his disciples. 4 The Jewish Passover Festival was near.
5 When Jesus looked up and saw a great crowd coming toward him, he said to Philip, “Where shall we buy bread for these people to eat?” 6 He asked this only to test him, for he already had in mind what he was going to do.
7 Philip answered him, “It would take more than half a year’s wages[a] to buy enough bread for each one to have a bite!”
8 Another of his disciples, Andrew, Simon Peter’s brother, spoke up, 9 “Here is a boy with five small barley loaves and two small fish, but how far will they go among so many?”
10 Jesus said, “Have the people sit down.” There was plenty of grass in that place, and they sat down (about five thousand men were there). 11 Jesus then took the loaves, gave thanks, and distributed to those who were seated as much as they wanted. He did the same with the fish.
12 When they had all had enough to eat, he said to his disciples, “Gather the pieces that are left over. Let nothing be wasted.” 13 So they gathered them and filled twelve baskets with the pieces of the five barley loaves left over by those who had eaten.
14 After the people saw the sign Jesus performed, they began to say, “Surely this is the Prophet who is to come into the world.”
It's important to emphasize that the people Jesus is feeding are those who followed Him. He isn't just feeding anyone and everyone in this passage. He is feeding the people who are following Him. The people came to see Jesus and listen to Him. I think this is an important distinction to make. And I look for what is not included. None of the people said that they were hungry. There is no evidence that any one was complaining about food. It just says, "When Jesus looked up and saw a great crowd coming toward him, he said to Philip, 'Where shall we buy bread for these people to eat?'"
This passage is really about how Jesus will provide for those who follow Him. Even if it seems impossible, Jesus already knows what you need and is willing to provide it to you, if only you would come to Him. This passage is very powerful and comforting. It is unfortunate that it has become so bastardized by political motives. It has nothing to do with politics. But it has everything to do with following Jesus.
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