It is impolite to laugh at people who believe Jesus taught socialism. That doesn’t mean you shouldn’t do it. Mockery serves an important purpose. It makes people afraid to express themselves. People with bad ideas should be afraid to express themselves. Laughing at bad theology is a crucial ministry that few Christians are willing to undertake.
When anyone tells you Jesus was a socialist – laugh. I’m not suggesting a quick, muted giggle. Throw your head back, grab your sides, and guffaw loudly until tears stream down your cheeks. Suggesting that Jesus was ANY kind of political advocate is a punchline. It is properly classified as a joke. Understand that the person saying it does not know it’s a joke. They believe they are speaking a profound truth. Knowing this should extend your laughter by another 30 seconds.
Jesus said this:
“I am the way, and the truth, and the life; no one comes to the Father but through Me. If you had known Me, you would have known My Father also; from now on you know Him, and have seen Him. “
John 14
Not even once did Jesus suggest that a political system is “the truth and the life”. In fact, He suggested that social programs and God were separate things. We are to give Caesar what belongs to him, and give God what belongs to Him. Jesus didn’t say, “Give to Caesar so he can do good things.”
LOL! – Socialists say, “The government is the way, the truth, and the life.” Socialism puts political machinery in the place that Jesus claimed for himself. God and Jesus are, according to Jesus, the same person. If you’ve seen Jesus, you’ve seen God. Jesus didn’t come to improve life on Earth. You won’t successfully persuade a Socialist Christian of this fact so just laugh at them when they talk:
LOLOLOL – This is pretty typical of socialist advocates. They assemble Jesus from select parts of the New Testament and then claim He’s “not perfect”. But we can all agree He said some nice things so let’s leverage that and ignore the other stuff (about sin, repentance, pride, and selfishness). They’ve replaced Jesus with their personal wisdom without even realizing it.
All together now, LOLOLOLOLOLOLOLLOLOLOLOOOOOOOOOOOL! – Every good and perfect gift comes from democratic socialism. Compassion and caring happens when you vote. Socialism is the way, the truth and the life. I don’t need your brand of Christianity (which is the brand with Jesus in it).
Jesus was not a socialist. He wasn’t a capitalist either. Uproarious laughter is the correct response when anyone affiliates God with any political ideology. Laughing at people who say foolish things embarrasses them. When embarrassment turns into shame, people change their behavior. Mockery is an act of kindness when it leads someone to the truth.
Jesus answered, “I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me. 7 If you really knew me, you would know my Father as well. From now on, you do know him and have seen him.”
John 14:6
6 Responses
I just read an article on Facebook, where the writer said that they were a Socialist, and that they were proud to be one, because Jesus was a Socialist. They went on to say that Socialism was about caring, love, etc. I wasn’t quite sure what to reply. My immediate thought was that the article was an insult to our Savior. Then, I thought that possibly the writer was just ignorant of the truth.
Socialism is about political elites seizing power. They talk about compassion and caring to trick people into voting for them. Jesus was not a Socialist or a Communist. His authority was not from any Earthly system.
This is so great. 👍👏👏👏👏
I have to think the only reason people group Jesus into a political group is because they are insecure about that belief. So really I think that grouping Jesus actually shows insecurity about your idea.
I love it! Great observation, Jack!
John, you are brilliant.
If only Eve had laughed at the evil one, if only Christians are well-trained in the faith and encouraged to mock heresy, what an amazing world this would be.
My focus for this year, and beyond, is to train hard in theology. I would love to concurrently learn how to be a humorist.
I am not you, nor wish to be (especially since I’m female 🙂 and have a path laid out for me) but I like your tribe – a lot.
You, and your loved ones, have been in my thoughts and prayers.