Jesus was the first Republican:

Yes... shame your enemies.

The times were interesting.. Herod's building projects had come to an end so unemployment was high and the Jewish factions were fighting each other and the Romans. Recipe for disaster.

 

Duuuuuude! I haven't said anything to the contrary of what you have posted. Knarley!!! What you posted last is quite correct.

 

Mainline Churches decided they would "supercede" the Word of God.....much like Roman Catholicism as well as the Pharisees. I know enough about the Sanhedrin to know, they were the enforcers. Some were Pharisees and some were Sadducees and that is why they were "sad you see"! LOL

 

Jesus was NOT a collectivist. That is where you go wrong. Jesus appeals to the hearts of individuals. We are not saved or baptized in mass. We do it as individuals. Our giving is from a cheerful heart not because we are coerced by a collectivist government. No Jesus is not a right winger but He is right! Minority leaders, Civil rights leaders and union organizers are ALL collectivists! They pit one group against another to promote worldly peace. Jesus brings a Peace that is different than what the world or government can bring. He said so. He does it by changing the "individual heart". Try it!
If I was to be wrong about this you would have to rewrite the Bible. Jesus would have made Caesar a disciple and coerced him to change the government possibly to a theocracy where God would be on the throne. I am not wrong!

 

Give into Caesar, that which HE/they are entitled. {Unspoken part}so that it may do its job of providing the desperate, BREAD AND CIRCUSES. Jesus believed in MOAR generosity than JUST welfare.

 

Jesus' teachings on nonviolent resistance: "You have heard, 'An eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth,' but I say, Offer no violent resistance to one who does evil."

 

Didn't he say turn the other cheek? Margo..... a man in that culture would rather have taken a full blow to the face with a fist than a slap on the cheek. They saw a slap on the cheek as not so much a physical threat, but rather as a deep sign of humiliation. Followers of Jesus are to walk in humility. A slap on the cheek does not diminish us in any way. However, if you assault a Christian in a physically threatening way or any of his family members, that person has every right to defend himself (or herself) even if that includes physical violence.

 

When Jesus quoted "Render unto Caesar what is his.....all He was doing is differentiating the Worldly system of things from the Kingdom of God. Do you see the difference?

 

No, I see Jesus legitimating welfare. The bible even sets guidelines for begging. Welfare, is mentioned many times.
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You didn't have to be a genius to know that if the five Jewish factions continued fighting each other and the Romans, they would LOSE and that would be the end of Temple Judaism.. You don't understand the Sermon on the Mount at all.

 

Certainly.. that's how Ruth and Naomi survived.. It was the law that they be allowed to glean the fields after the harvest.

A Jewish widow with no son was in a desperate situation and utterly penniless and without property.

 

And who gives to the beggars?....individuals at their discrepancy. No Jesus did not legitimize a collective confiscating money for redistribution. In no way did He ever legitimize "forced giving".

 

That is called "gleaning". We do that privately in Thrift Stores throughout the nation. Churches are very active in that. Our Church sends a truckload of left over clothing, and personal needs to the Navajo Res every month. No force is involved. We bring articles weekly to Church because we care.

 

Fact is, the right wing wants to LORD their picky and partisan vetting of the WORTHY poor. So they can punish those they CHOOSE.

 

It was the law that widows could glean the edges of the fields.

 

That you consider charity thru your tax contributions, IS ON YOU. YOU are the one that does that, NOT the gov.

 

What does that have to do with anything? Temple Judaism was destined to end anyway.....it did in 70 A.D. as Jesus predicted. The Roman government eventually failed also. The Kingdom of God continues on to the end. The Sermon on the Mount dealt with an awful lot, but I don't believe Jesus was concerned with preserving ANY worldly system of government. Right, I don't consider myself a genius, do you?

 

Discernment in giving is being a good steward of Gods money. Leftists don't care if who gets the money as long as it is distributed. Drug addicts don't need money, they need spiritual guidance. Give a man a fish he'll eat for a day. Teach a man to fish, he'll eat for a life time. That type of wisdom flies right over a leftists head!

 

Jesus wasn't living in a political vacuumn, you know... and he was an observant Jew.

 

Charity through government redistribution is not charity at all. How many bureaucrats have their hand in the till? Giving is supposed to be a "blessing" to those who give. Do you feel blessed when you get your check and the government has taken money? Are you even conscious of how much actually goes to "widows and orphans"? Wouldn't it be better if you met those individual yourself and attended to their needs? Perhaps once a year you could by a widow a used car, or once a month take an orphan to a baseball game or movie.

 

He had absolutely nothing to do with politics. His mission superseded and still does, all human wisdom and games we play. His mission was to reach the heart of individuals and transform that. Precisely why He often spoke in parables....stories that reached people on a personal level. Politics do not take the time or concern to do that. I remember one of Jesus' prayers. "Thank you Father for hiding these things from the wise and prudent yet revealing them to babes".
That is precisely why He said...."give that which is Caesar's to Caesar and give to God what is God's. The two are unrelated. It was a trick He responded to. The Pharisees tried to trap Him into suggesting that paying tribute to Caesar denied the Kingdom which would have been seen as denying Roman authority. The authority of Jesus transcends ALL human authority.

 

Yes, I do feel blessed, that the most desperate are provided for. I wish it were better. You obviously don't. YOUR CHOICE.

Do you think the pastor or priest etc should GET A CUT? Of your CHURCH contributions? Same deal.

 

Yes some Pastors do make themselves rich as do most bureaucrats. That is wrong. You don't muzzle the oxen as they tread out the wheat however. Do you feel particularly blessed when some trade food cards to buy drugs? Are you blessed when politicians use your so-called giving in a way to buy votes?

 

Contrary to popular opinion, Jesus was big into politics. Seriously. In fact, Jesus directly challenged the political and religious powers of his day. Those powers were the wealthy ruling classes of Judea; the Sadducees and Pharisees.