Teachings of Jesus

Jesus taught during a period of Roman rule in Palestine, which was characterized by exploitative practices. Jesus’ teachings seem to acknowledge the necessity of property and land ownership accumulation as part of the social, economic, and political practices of His time (Gotsis, “Early Christian Representations,” 467–505; Witherington, The Rest of Life, 35, 132, 155). For example, in His parables He regularly refers to landowners, vineyard owners, tenants, and laborers (Kloppenborg, The Tenants in the Vineyard).

However, Jesus was ultimately concerned with a life that exhibits rest and focus on God’s kingdom (Witherington, The Rest of Life, 6, 33–37, 63, 85). He urged His followers to seek the kingdom of God and His righteousness rather than wealth (Matt 6:33), and He called His followers to serve God rather than money (Matt 6:24; Luke 16:13). Vearncombe argues that Jesus’ teachings—distinguishing between riches and poverty—promote a reversal of worldly economic values, from an orientation around profit or self-interest to an embrace of social obligation and reciprocity (e.g., Luke 6:24; 16:19–21; Vearncombe, “Redistribution and Reciprocity,” 199–236). Borgman clarifies that Jesus’ teachings do not address simply relinquishing or keeping possessions; rather, they stress that caring for the poor and seeking justice is honoring to God, while seeking wealth beyond that necessary for security and comfort dishonors God (Borgman, The Way According to Luke, 156–70).