Jesus Was Pro-capitalist Not Marxist or Socialist

  Jesus Supported And Sanctioned Pro-capitalist Economics

Jesus was a pro-capitalism economist because:

Jesus, being God. was omniscient, and so, He knew what was best for mankind. He was interested in and knowledgeable about economics. He spoke about the type of economics He supported and sanctioned for mankind in many of his parables and other teachings. The type of economics He supported and sanctioned for mankind was pro-capitalism, and He opposed and rejected the anti-capitalism of marxism, socialism, communism, and fascism (fascism is socialism de facto, where a tyrannical government controls the economy in such a totalitarian way that direct government ownership of the means of production, socialism de jure, is not necessary). So, it is time to listen to and accept what Jesus actually said about economics and stop the heresy and blasphemy that Jesus was a marxist, socialist, communist, or fascist..

Section 1

Jesus spoke about economics in the following verses. It would be helpful to review them now

MATTHEW

the teaching about not hoarding (Mt 6:19-24)

the teaching about not worrying about consumption (Mt 6:25-34)

Jesus OPPOSES HAVING TO PAY TAXES but uses a miracle to pay a tax (Mt 17:24-27)

the parable of the vineyard workers (Mt 20:1-16)

the parable of the one son (Mt 21:28-32)

the parable of the vineyard tenants (Mt 21:33-36)

the parable about the great wedding feast (Mt 22:1-14)

the teaching about paying taxes (Mt 22:17-22)

the parable about the employees (Mt 24:45-51)

the parable of talents (Mt 25:14-30)

MARK

the parable of the vineyard tenants (Mk 12:1-12)

the teaching about paying taxes (Mk 12:13-17)

the parable of the man going on a journey (Mk 13:34-37)

LUKE

the parable about the capitalistic moneylenders (Lk 7:41-43)

the parable of the foolish rich man (Lk 12:13-21)

the teaching about not worrying about consumption (Lk 12:22-31)

the teaching about not hoarding (Lk 12:32-34)

the parable of the faithful wise manager (Lk 12:41-48)

the parable of the unfruitful fig tree (Lk 13:6-9)

the parable about the great festival banquet (Lk 14:16-24)

the parable of the lost son (Lk 15:11-32)

the parable of the dishonest manager (Lk 16:1-13)

the parable of 10 minas (Lk 19:11-27)

the parable of the vineyard tenants (Lk 20:9-19)

the teaching about paying taxes (Lk 20:22-25)

Jesus OPPOSES HAVING TO PAY TAXES (Lk 23:2)

JOHN

the parable of the good shepherd (Jn 10:1-18)

Section 2

This section contains a summary of the many ways Jesus was pro-capitalist, and opposed and rejected marxism, socialism, fascism, and communism:

MATTHEW

---the teaching about not hoarding (Mt 6:19-24)

Hoarding is non-productive and anti-capitalistic, and so, one should not hoard.

---the teaching about not worrying about consumption (Mt 6:25-34)

This is the part of the Sermon on the Mount where Jesus tells the masses not to worry about demand for subsistence consumer goods and not be consumptionists (the doctrine of consumptionism and productionism is explained in section 3), because God will take care of them and provide for them. Jesus is trying to persuade them to follow a proper spiritual hierarchy of values and devote more time to leisure involving spiritual pursuits.

---Jesus OPPOSES HAVING TO PAY TAXES but uses a miracle to pay a tax (Mt 17:24-27)

Jesus declares that children of The King should be exempt from paying taxes to earthly kings. But, it is easier to help others and pursue spiritual pursuits, if one pays one’s taxes rather than causing trouble or getting into trouble, where one is imprisoned, or loses money, because one has to pay a fine or penalty. Jesus then uses his miraculous powers to create money out of thin air, and uses that to pay the tax, because he knew that confiscatory taxation is theft, and it harms productivity, because it reduces saving and investment, which reduces productive expenditure, which reduces demand for capital goods, which reduces total productive ability.

---the parable of the vineyard workers (Mt 20:1-16)

This is the parable where unequal wage rates were paid to the vineyard workers for the same kind of manual labor, by the capitalist owner of the property and capital, in order to make a profit for the owner of the property and capital, because Jesus knew that the owner of property has the right to use and dispose of his property as he wishes.

---the parable of the one son (Mt 21:28-32)

This is a parable of one son who followed his father’s instructions, guidance, and directions, and one who didn’t. The labor of property owners is productive labor, and not exploitation, because it is the intellectual labor of instruction, guidance, and direction.

---the parable of the vineyard tenants (Mt 21:33-36)

This is the parable where the vineyard tenants refused to pay the just rent owed to the owner of the property for the use of his property. These tenants were condemned by Jesus.

---the parable about the great wedding feast (Mt 22:1-14)

In the parable about the great wedding feast, the capitalist owner of the supplies being used properly performs the necessary and required intellectual labor of organizing, giving orders, setting goals, planning, making decisions, making judgments, assigning tasks, giving guidance, instructions, and directions to his employees, and the employees perform the tasks assigned by the employer.

---The teaching about paying taxes (Mt 22:17-22)

It is easier to help others and pursue spiritual pursuits, if one pays one’s taxes rather than causing trouble or getting into trouble, where one is imprisoned, or loses money because one has to pay a fine or penalty.

---the parable about the employees (Mt 24:45-51)

This is the parable where employees who faithfully carried out the intellectual labor of instructions, guidance, and directions of their employer were praised by Jesus, and employees who failed to faithfully carry out their employer’s instructions, directions, and guidance were condemned by Jesus.

---the parable of talents (Mt 25:14-30)

This is the parable where employees were paid by the owner of property and capital to invest his capital and make a just profit, belonging to the owner. If they were unable to invest, they were expected to deposit the capital with a lender and earn just interest for the owner. Those who failed to earn profits or interest for their owner were condemned by Jesus.

MARK

---the parable of the vineyard tenants (Mk 12:1-12)

This is the parable where the vineyard tenants refused to pay the just rent owed to the owner of the property for the use of his property. Those tenants were condemned.

---The teaching about paying taxes (Mk 12:13-17)

It is easier to help others and pursue spiritual pursuits, if one pays one’s taxes rather than causing trouble or getting into trouble, where one is imprisoned, or loses money because one has to pay a fine or penalty.

---the parable of the man going on a journey (Mk 13:34-37)

This is a parable about a man going on a journey who performs the intellectual labor of guidance, instructions, and directions for his employees.

LUKE

---the parable about the capitalistic moneylenders (Lk 7:41-43)

This is the parable about capitalistic moneylenders who earn interest on loans who are useful for production.

---the parable of the foolish rich man (Lk 12:13-21)

This is the parable about the man who properly became wealthy, and accumulated capital and assets by working hard, saving, and earning. But Jesus condemned him for what he did after he had gained property. He decided to stop his capitalistic productive lifestyle, and chose to adopt a nonproductive, consumptionistic, hedonistic lifestyle. He did not want to use his wealth to help others, and he did not want to pursue righteousness, justice, and spirituality, and did not want to pursue a relationship with God. That was why he was considered to be a fool, who just happened to be rich.

---the teaching about not worrying about consumption (Lk 12:22-31)

This is the part of the Sermon on the Mount where Jesus tells the masses not to worry about demand for subsistence consumer goods and not be consumptionists, because God will take care of them and provide for them. Jesus is trying to persuade them to follow a proper spiritual hierarchy of values and devote more time to leisure involving spiritual pursuits.

---the teaching about not hoarding (Lk 12:32-34)

Hoarding is non-productive and anti-capitalistic, so one should not hoard.

---the parable of the faithful wise manager (Lk 12:41-48)

This is the parable where employees are given instructions, guidance, and directions by the property owner about how to properly use his possessions. They were expected by the owner to learn and know his will, and to carry it out properly.

---the parable of the unfruitful fig tree (Lk 13:6-9)

This is a parable where the employee is given instructions, directions, and guidance by the property owner about a fig tree, and the employee is expected to know his employer’s will and carry it out properly.

---the parable about the great festival banquet (Lk 14:16-24)

In this parable, the capitalist owner of the supplies being used performs the intellectual labor of giving orders, setting goals, planning, making decisions, making judgments, assigning tasks, giving guidance, instructions, and directions to his employee, and the employee properly follows orders and performs the task assigned by the employer.

---the parable of the lost son (Lk 15:11-32)

This is the parable where one son of a rich man was given his share of his inheritance from his father early. But instead of being capitalistic and productive, he was consumptionistic and hedonistic, and wasted it on non-productive consumptionistic pursuits, and soon went broke. But since he knew that his father did not exploit his workers, and that his father was able to pay them a wage rate more than subsistence, he was able to return to his father and work as one of his employees.

---the parable of the dishonest manager (Lk 16:1-13)

This is the parable where the asset manager was condemned for acting dishonestly, and squandering the owner’s money, assets, and property, and hiding his actions from the owner. But Jesus approved of the fact that when the owner later found out how the manager, acting cleverly and being generous and kind, was able to gain friendships with the debtors and was welcomed by them. He praised the manager for being clever, faithful, and trustworthy in handling worldly wealth. Jesus approved of this, because one of the benefits of having money is to strengthen friendships, and to provide opportunities for being generous and kind. Also, people who are faithful and trustworthy in handling material wealth on earth can be expected to be faithful and trustworthy with spiritual wealth in the Kingdom of Heaven.

---the parable of 10 minas (Lk 19:11-27)

This is the parable where employees were paid by the owner of property and capital to invest his money and capital and make a just profit belonging to the owner. If they were unable to invest, they were expected to deposit the capital with a lender and earn just interest for the owner. Those who failed to earn profit or interest were condemned.

---the parable of the vineyard tenants (Lk 20:9-19)

This is the parable where the vineyard tenants refused to pay the just rent owed to the owner of the property for the use of his property. These tenants were condemned.

---The teaching about paying taxes (Lk 20:22-25)

Even though Jesus disapproved of having to pay taxes, he believed that it is easier to help others and pursue spiritual pursuits, if one pays one’s taxes rather than causing trouble or getting into trouble, where one is imprisoned, or loses money because one has to pay a fine or penalty for failure to pay taxes.

---Jesus OPPOSES HAVING TO PAY TAXES (Lk 23:2)

Jesus opposed having to pay taxes, because he knew that confiscatory taxation is theft, and paying taxes is detrimental to a prosperous and wealthy economy, because it decreases savings and investment, which decreases productive expenditure, which decreases demand for capital goods, and decreases demand for labor. When there is a decrease in the demand for capital goods, there is a decrease in total productive ability, which decreases, economic progress, which decreases accumulation of wealth for the economy as a whole. A decrease in the demand for labor leads to a decrease in the employment rate, and also a decrease in average wage rates, which causes a decrease in the standard of living for the average worker.

JOHN

---the parable of the good shepherd (Jn 10:1-18)

This is the parable about the hired employees, who are paid wages and should not expect a share of the profit, because they do not own the capital and final product, and because they do not care about the capital and final product in the same way and to the same degree as the owner/employer does.

Section 3

These teachings and the actions of those people that Jesus talked about, taken as a whole, are all compatible with and consistent with some of the most basic fundamental principles of capitalism and the doctrine of productionism, and are inconsistent with and incompatible with marxist exploitation theory, socialism, communism, fascism, and the doctrine of consumptionism:

- Jesus agrees with modern pro-capitalist economists that having to pay taxes is detrimental to a prosperous and wealthy economic system. Having to pay taxes reduces savings, which decreases investment, which reduces funds available for productive expenditure, which decreases funds available for demand for capital goods and funds available for demand for labor. Less funds available for demand for capital goods decreases total productive ability, which reduces production, which reduces supply, which leads to a rise in prices, which leads to lower standard of living of the average worker, which leads to increased worry about being able to afford subsistence goods, which means that they will have to work harder, which means less leisure time for helping others and for spiritual pursuits. Less funds available for demand for labor leads to lower average money wage rates, which leads to lower standard of living of the average worker, which leads to increased worry about being able to afford subsistence goods, which means that they will have to work harder, which means less leisure time for helping others and for spiritual pursuits. The fact that Jesus OPPOSES HAVING TO PAY TAXES necessarily makes Jesus an ally of those modern capitalists who oppose redistributionism, reparations, guaranteed income, spending by big government on welfare payments, and all other government spending which require huge confiscatory taxation.

- private property and private property rights are both natural and good because they are God-given

- private property rights include the right of ownership - the owner of the property (his land and productive expenditure) can use and dispose of his own property as he chooses

- the total demand for labor offered by a property or business owner can be whatever the owner chooses

- the owner can offer whatever wage rate he wants to, and the wage rate offered is unrelated to marxist ideas about the labor theory of value or the iron law of wages

- the employees, who are free to choose whether to accept or reject the wage rate offered, whatever it is, are not exploited or oppressed, and are not wage slaves

- the owner is free to hire as much supply of labor as he wishes

- the owner is free to pay unequal wage rates for the same type of job

- the owner is free to make as much profit as he can by controlling his costs (such as the cost of labor)

- accumulation of private property and/or wealth, in the form of savings and/or capital is good, and not to be considered greedy, because it is useful for the purpose of investing

- less consumption leads to more accumulation of savings

- gaining more profit and/or interest leads to more capital accumulation

- one ought to earn a high rate of profit by investing or reinvesting one's savings and one's accumulated capital in trade (buying and selling) or production of goods

- money gained in trade by an employee is sales revenue not wages

- one ought to earn interest by lending one's savings and capital, if one does not wish to, or cannot earn a high rate of profit by investing

- productivity and productiveness is a virtue

- hoarding is a wicked, and lazy/slothful/worthless vice because it is non-productive and anti-capitalistic

- business owners should reward good employees and punish bad employees

- egalitarianism is not considered a virtue

- employees should help business owners make a lot of money, because the more money the owners make, the more money the owners can afford to pay their employees

- Jesus told his listeners that they should not be like the heathens and pagans of his day, who worry too much about obtaining and consumption of subsistence goods, such as food and clothing, and who worry too much about security and safety. He told them that since God will take care of them, they do not have to work so much to get more money to buy the goods they need and desire. Since they don’t have to be workaholics, they can have more leisure time to devote to God rather than money. Thus, they can be guided by the right hierarchy of values.

Many modern-day intellectuals, businessmen, and economists are consumptionists, who believe in the doctrine of consumptionism. This doctrine asserts that people should worry about having more money, so that they can consume more, which is necessary to prevent depressions and mass unemployment. Consumptionists are similar to the heathens and pagans in Jesus’ day, because they all have the wrong hierarchy of values that emphasizes the need for more time working, more money, and less leisure.

But, modern-day intellectuals, businessmen, and economists, who consider capitalism to be the best economic system, are productionists, who believe in the doctrine of productionism. Productionism asserts that the goal of the economic system should be more production rather than more consumption. They know that capitalism is the economic system that correctly emphasizes production, which increases wealth, rather than consumption, which uses up and decreases wealth. This means that when capitalism is permitted to function properly, wealth will always be increasing, which means there will always be an abundance of good quality goods, at low prices, that can be easily afforded, so that people no longer have to worry about subsistence. And so, they don’t have to work so much, which means they will have more leisure time to devote to God rather than money. Thus, they can make choices based on the right hierarchy of values.

Finally, capitalism is the economic system that requires and demands preservation and protection of God-given natural rights, and that prohibits the initiation of force to violate these rights. This means that capitalism is the system of safety and security, which means that there is less need to worry about safety and security, and more time to devote to God. Irrational beliefs and atheistic beliefs, such as socialism, marxism, communism, and fascism, all require the use of force and violation of God-given rights to achieve their goals, and so, are immoral, sinful, and are the opposite of capitalism.

The fact that productionism is so compatible and consistent with the teachings of Jesus, and consumptionism is so incompatible and inconsistent with His teaching, is more proof that Jesus approves of and sanctions capitalism rather than opposing evil and atheistic anti-God systems such as socialism, communism, fascism, and marxism.

Section 4

Jesus approved of capitalism, but he did not mention anything about socialism, communism, fascism, or marxism.

Socialism

Jesus did not call for government ownership of private property and the means of production. Nor did he mention universal wage and price controls (which destroys the price system), rejection of the profit motive, statist government central planning, statist government monopoly, statist government bureaucratic management, statist tyranny, and forced labor. He knew that socialism causes the inability to make economic calculations, which causes the inability to plan, which causes economic chaos, shortages, statist anarchy of production, technological backwardness, exploitation of workers by statist government monopoly, hoarding, black markets, inefficiencies, waste, malinvestment, and capital decumulation, which leads to destruction, disaster, catastrophe, mass misery and suffering, and mass death, ridiculously long waiting lines. It also undermines responsibility and encourages dependence and parasitism.

Marxism

Jesus did not believe in the idiotic delusions of dialectic materialism, where inevitable clashes of economic classes will inevitably lead to dictatorship of the proletariat. He did not believe in marxist exploitation theory, where exploitation causes the oppressed and exploited proletariat masses to rise up and eliminate the bourgeoisie/capitalists/rich/landowners. He did not believe that the modes of production form the foundation of society, and that any ills in society were the result of imperfect modes of production. He did not say that inherent flaws and contradictions in capitalism lead to oppression and exploitation of the working class. He did not believe that fallen man would succeed in his quest for a classless egalitarian utopia on earth.

Communism

Jesus knew that fallen man would not be able to succeed in his quest for utopia on earth. Therefore, he knew that there would be no communist utopia, where there were no class distinctions, no private property, and government would wither away. Since communist utopia was impossible for fallen man, communism would not be able to solve the economic problem of scarcity. Individuals would not be able to succeed in gratifying, fulfilling, and satisfying every or nearly every need and desire.

Fascism

Jesus did not accept fascism as a good idea because he did not believe that government control of private property was a good idea. Jesus believed in individualism, because he believed that every individual soul was important. Belief in individualism nullifies and negates the collectivism necessary for fascism.

Section 5

References

Capitalism by George Reisman

Socialism by George Reisman

Understanding The Times by David Noebel

Ominous Parallels by Leonard Peikoff

Everything Jesus Taught by Herbert Lockyer

Dake Bible

The Narrated Bible In Chronological Order by F. LaGard Smith

Compass Study Bible

Good News For Modeern Man Bible

Tyndale Handbook Of Bible Charts and Maps

Systematic Theology by Wayne Grudem