Liberals often assume that Jesus was a liberal because he wanted to redistribute income to help the poor. However, regardless of religious beliefs, one can recognize that this is a deceitful, inaccurate assumption that stems from the view that involuntary wealth redistribution is morally superior to property rights.
In Matthew 5:17-20, Christ says, “Do not think that I have come to abolish the Law or the Prophets; I have not come to abolish them but to fulfill them.” So is Christ saying whatever laws are passed by the government must be good laws? In Luke 24:44 He says, “. . . [A]ll things must be fulfilled which were written in the law of Moses, and in the prophets and in the psalms, concerning me.” So obviously, He is talking about the Mosaic Law.
So what does the Mosaic Law say? In the Eighth Commandment, it states clearly, “Thou shalt not steal.” This commandment clearly says not to steal, no exceptions. It does not say that it’s okay to steal if someone has more than you, or if you can put their belongings to better use or that you should try to get someone else to steal for you. It says God wants you to not steal things. Period. That’s literally what it says: “Thou shalt not steal,” then a period.
However, if you still want to steal, or you want someone to do it for you, the Tenth Commandment has something for you, “Thou shalt not covet.” Again, God makes morality crystal clear.
What about Mark 12:31, when He says, “Love your neighbor as yourself”? Doesn’t that mean you should love poor people who are your neighbors and give them money? Well, all it says is to love your neighbor as yourself. Presumably, to most people, that would mean donate to the poor and helpless. But one should donate voluntarily, without stealing from neighbors you don’t love as yourself to give to the other neighbors whom you do love. After all, stealing and redistributing isn’t giving. It’s stealing and redistributing.
Consider the request Jesus is confronted with in Luke 12:13-15. A man comes up to Jesus with a complaint, “Master, speak to my brother and make him divide the inheritance with me.” Jesus replies, “Man, who made me a judge or divider over you? Take heed and beware of covetousness, for a man’s wealth does not consist of the material abundance he possesses.” He could have equalized the wealth between the two men, but nope.
In the words of Thomas Sowell, “I have never understood why it is “˜greed’ to want to keep the money you have earned but not greed to want to take somebody else’s money.” Yes, Jesus advocates for radical helping of your fellow man, but nowhere does He ever advocate stealing someone’s money to give it to someone else, because He was a conservative and wanted you to help people yourself.
