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> Jesus said "the poor you will always have with you". Matthew 26:11. So according to Jesus poor people are just going to be around no matter what. The problem

> Jesus said "the poor you will always have with you". Matthew 26:11. So according to Jesus poor people are just going to be around no matter what. The problem of economic inequality is not solveable. That's ripping a small quote completely out of its context, and neglecting to point out that because it's not completely solveable doesn't mean that we shouldn't try... and to try is an emphasis of much of the gospels. Here's the context: https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Matthew+26%3A6-13%2CMark+14%3A3-9%2CJohn+12%3A1-8&version=NIV https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Matthew+26%3A6-... Reading the 3 parallel stories and noting that Judas was the instigator of the complaint according to John, suggests rather strongly that JC was pointing out the hypocrisy of a man whinging about perfume spilled when "He did not say this because he cared about the poor but because he was a thief; as keeper of the money bag, he used to help himself to what was put into it." Sounds just like these prosperity gospel megachurches, actually.

narrator 9y ago
It is certainly open to interpretation, but is it fair to say thst Jesus also was against all the buying of various animal's for sacrifice that was common to Judaism at the time because he didn't believe that the commercial aspect of buying and selling these sacrifices for forgiveness was holy? Having read the bible, the amount of burnt offerings and sin offerings and the meticulous cataloging of offenses requiring such offerings struck me as very central to the old testament and the Levitical law that goes with it.
- photojosh 9y ago
  Not sure if it was the selling itself or the profiteering that was the problem; I lean towards the latter. IIRC Jesus didn't say anything directly, but Hebrews 10:4 is pretty direct on it: "It is impossible for the blood of bulls and goats to take away sins." It is indeed fascinating to contrast the ritualism of the Old Testament to the anti-ritualism of the New.

narrator 9y ago

It is certainly open to interpretation, but is it fair to say thst Jesus also was against all the buying of various animal's for sacrifice that was common to Judaism at the time because he didn't believe that the commercial aspect of buying and selling these sacrifices for forgiveness was holy? Having read the bible, the amount of burnt offerings and sin offerings and the meticulous cataloging of offenses requiring such offerings struck me as very central to the old testament and the Levitical law that goes with it.

photojosh 9y ago
Not sure if it was the selling itself or the profiteering that was the problem; I lean towards the latter. IIRC Jesus didn't say anything directly, but Hebrews 10:4 is pretty direct on it: "It is impossible for the blood of bulls and goats to take away sins." It is indeed fascinating to contrast the ritualism of the Old Testament to the anti-ritualism of the New.