Have you ever thought about whether Jesus would be a liberal or a conservative? I recently heard a comment from some viewer mail on a cable news station that Jesus would have been a progressive liberal. I had to chuckle at that.
It prompted me to do some online looking and I found a number of Web sites that strongly believe Jesus would have been a liberal. They use Scripture verses pertaining to helping the “least of these.” Some twist verses to prove how Jesus would have stood for redistribution of wealth.
Nor, conversely, could you peg Jesus as a conservative. Tax breaks for the wealthy? Treating corporations similar to individuals in campaign finance? The Bible is pretty thin on these issues.
Well, here is the thing about Jesus. Jesus never spoke on behalf of the government or a CEO. He spoke on behalf of the people. He laid out before us a way of living that demonstrates the real character of who He is. Nothing in Scripture is ever “mandated.” The thing with giving is that it has to come from the heart.
In fact, the Word says in 2 Corinthians 9:6-7 that he who sows sparingly will reap sparingly and he who sows bountifully will reap bountifully. So yes, the more you give the more you will receive but that is a personal choice that must be made. And keep in mind that giving is not always about money. It may be about giving of our time or other resources that we have available to give.
These verses go on to say that each person should give as they purpose in their heart, not grudgingly or of necessity for God loves a cheerful giver. Giving is not something we do because we feel obligated, nor should we feel resentful about it. Then it’s not really giving.
Giving is something we do because we want to. It is something that comes from our heart and is a choice we make to bless someone else.
It really doesn’t matter what we may think about whether Jesus would have been labeled a liberal or a conservative. What matters is what He has done in our heart. As we give, no matter how that is done, we will reflect how much of Jesus is really in us.
Very good article; well done! Jesus was, of course, the perfect human, the perfect individual, the perfect personality, the perfect character. Therefore, He would most likely (I believe) have shown the perfect mix of both liberal and conservative ideals. His teachings include the best of both idea sets. That is why He can be appealing to all personalities; our desires are for Him. When the liberal talks of social charity for the poor, he harkens to Jesus’ love for the poor; when the conservative calls for equality across the board, he hearts for Jesus’ leveling words that make all men and women brothers and sisters in Him. Thank you for your compelling thoughts.