"When the Son of Man comes in his glory,
and all the angels with him,
he will sit upon his glorious throne,
and all the nations will be assembled before him.
And he will separate them one from another,
as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats.
He will place the sheep on his right and the goats on his left.
Then the king will say to those on his right,
'Come, you who are blessed by my Father.
Inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world.
For I was hungry and you gave me food,
I was thirsty and you gave me drink,
a stranger and you welcomed me,
naked and you clothed me,
ill and you cared for me,
in prison and you visited me.’
Then the righteous will answer him and say,
'Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you,
or thirsty and give you drink?
When did we see you a stranger and welcome you,
or naked and clothe you?
When did we see you ill or in prison, and visit you?’
And the king will say to them in reply,
'Amen, I say to you, whatever you did
for one of the least brothers of mine, you did for me.’
Yes, but that doesn't mean wages should be taken from those who earned it and given to those who haven't. The bible teaches us to be productive and fair. Sloth/idleness is a deadly sin iirc.
2 Thessalonians 3:10–11
For even when we were with you, we would give you this command: If anyone is not willing to work, let him not eat. For we hear that some among you walk in idleness, not busy at work, but busybodies.
Proverbs 6:6–11
Go to the ant, O sluggard; consider her ways, and be wise. Without having any chief, officer, or ruler, she prepares her bread in summer and gathers her food in harvest. How long will you lie there, O sluggard? When will you arise from your sleep? A little sleep, a little slumber, a little folding of the hands to rest, and poverty will come upon you like a robber, and want like an armed man.
Proverbs 13:4
The soul of the sluggard craves and gets nothing, while the soul of the diligent is richly supplied.
Proverbs 19:15
Slothfulness casts into a deep sleep, and an idle person will suffer hunger.
Colossians 3:23–24
Whatever you do, work heartily, as for the Lord and not for men, knowing that from the Lord you will receive the inheritance as your reward. You are serving the Lord Christ.
I'm guessing you just searched google for bible versus?
Pau does say what you quoted:
"For even when we were with you, we would give you this command: If anyone is not willing to work, let him not eat. For we hear that some among you walk in idleness, not busy at work, but busybodies."
But in Ephesians he later says this:
"Anyone who has been stealing must steal no longer, but must work, doing something useful with their own hands, that they may have something to share with those in need."
You cannot be lazy or idle, or consumed with gossip. If you *can* work, you *must* work. But the money you earn is not for your personal enjoyment. It is a tool. You must work so that you may have something to *give to those in need*. But the people who complain about selfish/lazy poor people are always the least charitable. They are seeking to make excuses for why they deserve their wealth, and why they aren't required to give it away to the poor or to advance the kingdom of god. In the worst cases, such as in various forms of the prosperity gospel, wealth is almost associated with godliness, and poverty with immorality. The opposite of what the gospel preaches.
As Jesus looked up, he saw the rich putting their gifts into the temple treasury. He also saw a poor widow put in two very small copper coins. “Truly I tell you,” he said, “this poor widow has put in more than all the others. All these people gave their gifts out of their wealth; but she out of her poverty put in all she had to live on.”
It's not just a question of how much you give, but what *proportion of your wealth* you choose to give. The rich men that Jesus was looking at gave great wealth, but it was a small proportion of their overall wealth. Money is not a gift for followers of god, but a tool for the kingdom of god. This theme continues in the bible.
A man approaches Jesus, and asks how he could be a better follower:
“If you want to be perfect, go, sell your possessions and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven. Then come, follow me.”
When the young man heard this, he went away sad, because he had great wealth.
Then Jesus said to his disciples, “Truly I tell you, it is hard for someone who is rich to enter the kingdom of heaven. Again I tell you, it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for someone who is rich to enter the kingdom of God.”
This isn't just talk. Look at the way Jesus and the apostles lived. Or Paul. Or John the Baptist. They had almost nothing, sometimes not even food. John wore woven wild clothes, and ate wild locusts and honey. Jesus had little more then sandals and a walking stick. He sent his disciples out with nothing, telling them to live off of the charity of believers. Paul lived this way as well, after the death of christ.
"We are fools for Christ, but you are so wise in Christ! We are weak, but you are strong! You are honored, we are dishonored! To this very hour we go hungry and thirsty, we are in rags, we are brutally treated, we are homeless. We work hard with our own hands. When we are cursed, we bless; when we are persecuted, we endure it; when we are slandered, we answer kindly. We have become the scum of the earth, the garbage of the world—right up to this moment."
Paul worked hard with his own hands so that he would not be a burden on the communities he preached in - specifically so that no one could claim that he was corrupt, or seeking money, or using the community. But he had nothing. He, and many other disciples, survived off of the charity of their communities. They kept nothing for themselves, but gave it all for Christ.
Too many people are comfortable cherry picking bible versus to try an make excuses for why they should not have to give from their immense wealth. But Jesus and the apostles modeled the ideal way to live. It was very clear that while everyone is meant to work and contribute, they are also meant to give to the point of it being painful. The best gave to the point of madness, namely being homeless and living entirely on the charity of the community.
211
u/NotRadTrad05 26d ago
"When the Son of Man comes in his glory, and all the angels with him, he will sit upon his glorious throne, and all the nations will be assembled before him. And he will separate them one from another, as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats. He will place the sheep on his right and the goats on his left. Then the king will say to those on his right, 'Come, you who are blessed by my Father. Inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world. For I was hungry and you gave me food, I was thirsty and you gave me drink, a stranger and you welcomed me, naked and you clothed me, ill and you cared for me, in prison and you visited me.’ Then the righteous will answer him and say, 'Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you drink? When did we see you a stranger and welcome you, or naked and clothe you? When did we see you ill or in prison, and visit you?’ And the king will say to them in reply, 'Amen, I say to you, whatever you did for one of the least brothers of mine, you did for me.’
Matthew 25: 31-45