Jesus had great interest in jobs and economy

If Jesus were living in America in 2012, he would agree completely with both Mr. Romney and President Obama. He would define the great issues of the nation as jobs, wealth and the economy.

Jesus made his reputation as a Jewish economist. He had very strong opinions about wealth and property, about the relationship between the rich and the poor. He also was intensely religious and loved nothing more than debating the meaning of the law of God or Torah. He is presented in the Gospel of Luke as being a precocious 12-year-old boy, who was totally absorbed in debating religious leaders in the Jerusalem Temple about the meaning of Torah. From early childhood he must have understood that he was seen as a brash, pushy kid from a small town in northern Palestine, an area without religious leadership and an unemployment rate of more than 50 percent.

Incredibly, most poor people take on the understanding of life that their oppressors represent and teach. It was true then, it is still true today. Whether by divine wisdom or genius insight, Jesus figured out what wealthy and powerful people were doing to the poor, illiterate people with whom he lived. Primarily through his teaching and storytelling, he became identified as a populist teacher with a good deal of influence. He was good news to the poor and bad news for those who clung to their riches.

Clearly, Jesus was fascinated by Torah and its application to everyday life. Luke’s gospel reports that a lettered leader of the religious community approached Jesus and asked how to attain eternal life. Jesus responded with two questions of his own. What does Torah say? How do you read it? The first question is easy to answer. The second is the real test.

Jesus knew what Torah said, and he had strong opinions about how Torah should be read. Jesus had come to his own understanding of the property codes in the book of Leviticus. These codes are credited to Moses, but more probably come from the massive rewrite of Israelite traditions during the years of Babylonian exile in the sixth century BCE.

Torah is very straightforward. Land, and ultimately all wealth, belongs to God. God places wealth in the control of human beings, not as owners but as stewards. For Israelites, time was divided into blocks of seven years. Land was not tilled in the seventh year. Wealth was shared and God was recognized as the truest owner. After a series of seven, seven-year blocks of time, a year of jubilee was declared. During the year of Jubilee, all land was to be returned to the control of the priests who, in the name of God, were to make a new and fresh distribution of all land. The wealthy turned loose of their stewardship and the poorest of the poor were given land and were encouraged to be productive for God and their fellow Israelite. All slaves were set free and all debts were canceled.

Almost every Israelite knew what Torah said. Torah had not been followed in anyone’s memory. The poor had given up on the idea of a year of jubilee in this life.

According to Luke’s gospel, early in the public ministry of Jesus he went to a synagogue gathering and read a passage from Isaiah.

“The Spirit of the Lord is upon me.

“God has sent me to bring good news to the poor.

“God has sent me to proclaim release of captives and liberty to the oppressed.

“This is the acceptable year of the Lord.”

Everyone in his hearing understood what he was saying. Israelites had gone too long without a year of jubilee. It was time for the wealthy to turn loose of what they had accumulated. It was time for the poor to receive their full stewardship.

At the time that the Israelite system of Sabbaths and a Jubilee were codified, the economic and political structures may have accommodated such radical economic and social changes in a one-year observance of Jubilee. Hundreds of years late, when Jesus lived and taught, the combination of Roman rule, compliant fat cats and religious fundamentalists made the observance of Jubilee impossible. However, even though the codes could not be instituted, the principles of the ownership of God, the end of slavery and economic justice were possible. Those in power knew what was in Torah, but they were not interested in reading it with new eyes of compassion and justice.

Jesus died almost 2,000 years ago, but the laws of Sabbaths and Jubilees are still on the books today. Depending on how one reads, Torah still has a powerful message.

The evils of greed and mindless ownership are with us in ever-growing magnitude. Resulting inequities and injustices surround us. We Americans live in a secular society. Christians have a responsibility to influence and train the consciences of our fellow citizens.

Here in election season, Jesus appears on the scene and asks the same two questions. What does Torah say? How do you read it?”

The Rev. Howard Bess is a retired American Baptist minister, who lives in Palmer. His email address is hdbss@mtaonline.net.

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