3-29-05 A non-apology

Technically, I owe an apology to my father.
In one of our forbidden discussions, he mentioned the quote "there will always be poor", attributed to Jesus, and allegedly spoken to Judas.
"That's not in the Bible." I said. "That's from Jesus Christ Superstar."
"I know it's in there. But, they got it from the bible."
"No. they didn't." I said. "It's not. A lot of things that people think are in the Bible aren't.'
"I'm pretty sure it's in there." he persisted.
"No. It's not."
Now, the reson that I say this discussion was forbidden is that my father and I are not allowed to discuss anything political. A treaty was reached earlier this year between my father, mother, wife, and myself, wherin my father and I are forbidden from political discussions for the overal well-being of the family. Our discussions have a tendancy to reach a level that is unhealthy for everyone involved.
Nevertheless, we occasionally slip several lines into one such discussion before one or the other of us gracefully bows out. The Jesus quote came in in one such slip. The conversation had to do with socialism, a forbidden topic.
My rebuttal was, of course, incorrect.
The actual quote is " The poor you will always have with you; but you will not always have me" according to the New American Bible, Matthew, Chapter 26 verse 11.
Please note that in the opening of the entry, I have noted that "technically", I owe him an apology. However, as the error occured in the course of a forbidden conversation, I could not admit the error to him, nor rightly apologize, without acknoledging the forbidden conversation occured - an offense for which we are equally guilty. His comment (though it is true, in contrast to my rebuttal) was an equally offensive violation of the original treaty. It was designed to stir a reaction and invoke a political discussion.
So, I will mention the matter no further to my father, nor to any other of the treaty's original parties. But, to the reader of this blog, I can confess: i know now that my statement was erronius. I hereby admit the error and apologize to the principal of accuracy.
Now, let's talk about Jesus.
Matt 26 : 6-13 reads:
"Now when Jesus was in Bethany in the house of Simon the leper, a woman came up to him with an alabaster jar of costly perfumed oil, and poured it on his head while he was reclining at table. When the disciples saw this, they were indignant and said, "Why this waste? It could have been sold for much, and the money given to the poor." Since Jesus knew this, he said to them, "Why do you make trouble for the woman? She has done a good thing for me.The poor you will always have with you; but you will not always have me. In pouring this perfumed oil upon my body, she did it to prepare me for burial. Amen, I say to you, wherever this gospel is proclaimed in the whole world, what she has done will be spoken of, in memory of her.""
The line "There will be poor always" was uttered by Jesus. What does it mean. Did jesus consider poverty an incurable social condition? If so, did he advocate leaving the poor to their own struggle, or striving to end poverty? Did Jesus value charity, or did he believe, in the Ayn Rynd or libertarian tradition, that it was a waste of time?
Let us consider some other quotes from Jesus:
"Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust consume and where thieves break in and steal; but store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust consumes and where thieves do not break in and steal. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also." (Matthew 6:19-21)
"You lack one thing; go, sell what you own, and give the money to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; then come, follow me." (Mark 10:21)
"Be on your guard against all kinds of greed; for one's life does not consist in the abundance of possessions." (Luke 12:15)
"The land of a rich man produced abundantly. And he thought to himself, 'What should I do, for I have no place to store my crops?' Then he said, ' I will do this: I will pull down my barns and build larger ones, and there I will store all my grain and my goods. And I will say to my soul, 'Soul, you have ample goods laid up for many years; relax, eat, drink, be merry.' But God said to him, 'You fool! This very night your life is being demanded of you. And the things you have prepared, whose will they be?' So it is with those who store up treasures for themselves but are not rich toward God." (Luke 12:16-21)
"Do not work for the food that perishes, but for the food that endures for eternal life, which the Son of Man will give you." (John 6:27)
Also, there is the Matthew 25:30-46 parable of "Whatsoever you do for the least of my brothers, that you have done unto me."
A friend of mine is a Christian who is currently taking a class on personal finance from his church. I spoke to him last week, and he reported that he was finding the material tought to swallow. The class was teaching that possessions and money were not the end aim of life. As such, the class taught that regular contributions, both to charity and to social social institutions (in that case, likely the church giving the class), are essential components to Christian life.
After all, it is supposedly easier for a camel to fit through the eye of a needle than it is for a rich man to enter the kingdom of God, according to Mark 10:24.
Now, as to the socialism, and caring for the poor, that was the topic my father's and my forbidden discussion:
Many in the US don't realize that the socialist revoloutions in latin America in the last 50 years are based on Christian theology. "Liberation Theology" was the name given to a school of catholic theologians in the 1960s in latin America who aregued that the division of poor and wealty, the oppression of poor countries and economic segments to serve the betterment of the wealty, the denial of human rights to oppressed peoples, exclusion, marginalizaion, and the participation or endorcments of these systems formed a "social sinfulness".
From Castro and Che, to the recently challenged leaders in Venezuala and Haiti, this thology is very popular with the Catholics of Latin America.
Of course, since socialism is the enemy of capitalism and the US, I was taught that Castro and Che were evil people. I was genuinly surprised to find out that both are (were) deeply religious.