Jesus was a carpenter with His earthly father Joseph. He made things for trade until he left His earthly parents just as Joseph made things for trade.
I agree, but this wouldn't be any reason to say Jesus didn't bring a higher standard of brotherly love and mercy requiring communal living for it to be practiced effectively.
His purpose was not to share things (though he did willingly) and His purpose was not to get married and raise children.
I disagree. Jesus came to teach a higher level of communal sharing where a higher standard of brotherly love, mercy on the weak, and commandment keeping could be practiced. The reason He didn't marry and have children was because He knew He would be put death at a fairly early age and would not be able to personally care for a wife and children. His ministry also took up all His time. He would not have had time for a wife and children.
Christ was very loving, but His purpose here was much greater than simply to show us how to live. We are all sinners and will sin despite His example. His primary purpose was to be perfect and to die as a sacrifice for us.
I think
Let Us Reason puts it quite well:
http://www.letusreason.org/Doct60.htmMan's dilemma is SIN. No one is exempt from this. Yet, God had a solution from the beginning of the world. At a certain point in time He would become a man (John 1:14) and die for our sins (Jn.12:24. Somewhere in the eons of eternity was decided that the Son would be sent to earth. He was sent from heaven to earth to fulfill a mission of the utmost importance, to take care of man's debt of sin (He is the "Lamb slain from the foundation of the world" (Rev.13:8b.) He came to seek those who are lost (Mt.18:11; Lk. 9:56,19:10). Jesus' coming to earth is described in Philippians 2:6, He, "made Himself of no reputation, taking the form of a bondservant, and coming in the likeness of men. And being found in appearance as a man, He humbled Himself and became obedient to the point of death, even the death of the cross." This is the reason he became a man, to give His body as a sacrifice for our sin. He became human to save sinful humanity. Vs.8 "Being found in appearance as a man, he humbled himself and became obedient to the point of death, even the death of the cross." God from the beginning had required a substitutionary sacrifice for our sin. Since the Old Testament sacrifices of animal's was only temporary to cover sin, it was necessary to have something more, more powerful and lasting. Jesus is not just a human atoning for all the sins, He is God come in human flesh (1 Tim.3:16;. He died for all our sins past, present and future this can only be possible unless he is eternal. So unlike the Old Testament sacrifices it that could never take away sins, and needed to be repeated, this only had to be done once. As God, the Son's death had infinite value and His priesthood is an eternal one because the one who died was an eternal being (Hebrews 9:12-15). Hebrews 5:9: "And having been perfected, He became the author of eternal salvation to all who obey Him, 1 Peter 1:20: "He indeed was foreordained before the foundation of the world, but was manifest in these last times for you" Hebrews 9:26: "He then would have had to suffer often since the foundation of the world; but now, once at the end of the ages, He has appeared to put away sin by the sacrifice of Himself."John 12
1 Then, six days before the Passover, Jesus came to Bethany, where Lazarus was who had been dead,
[a] whom He had raised from the dead. 2 There they made Him a supper; and Martha served, but Lazarus was one of those who sat at the table with Him. 3 Then Mary took a pound of very costly oil of spikenard, anointed the feet of Jesus, and wiped His feet with her hair. And the house was filled with the fragrance of the oil.
4 But one of His disciples, Judas Iscariot, Simon's
son, who would betray Him, said, 5 "Why was this fragrant oil not sold for three hundred denarii
[b] and given to the poor?" 6 This he said, not that he cared for the poor, but because he was a thief, and had the money box; and he used to take what was put in it.
7 But Jesus said, "Let her alone; she has kept
[c] this for the day of My burial. 8 For the poor you have with you always, but Me you do not have always."
The purpose of those who are called is to "love your neighbor and be fishers of men". As Christ exemplified as such as we are to follow. However, the purpose of Christ was much more profound.
When Jesus threw the tradesmen out of the temple it was for abusing the purpose of God's temple. He did not condemn tradesmen who traded in general. Why would he? The OT is replete with characters making a living for themselves and their own families.
Again, Jesus Christ came to bring a higher standard of communal sharing than what was practiced in the Old Testament. The early Christian Church in Acts 2:42-47; 4:32-35 practiced this higher standard of communal sharing according to His and the apostles teachings and with the assistance of God's Holy Spirit.
In Acts 8:1, we read of a terrible persecution of the church in Jerusalem. They fled. They could flee because they had sold all of their real estate and most of their personal possessions. They were in effect packed and ready to leave.
This is the background of the decision by members of the Jerusalem church to sell their real estate and hold some (not necessarily all) of their money in common. There is no record of any other church in the New Testament period that did this.
Common money was entirely voluntary. Ananias and Sapphira sold their real estate, kept some of the money in reserve, and handed the rest over to the leaders of the church for use in the church. They told the leaders that they were giving all of their money. They made a big show of this. God then made an even bigger show. He killed them. But Peter made it plain to Ananias that their money had been theirs to keep. Their sin was in lying about the percentage (100%) of their gift (
Acts 5).
It is also worth noting that the Jerusalem church was the most poverty-stricken church in the New Testament. Paul took up a collection throughout the European churches on behalf of the Jerusalem church (II Cor. 9). Common property has a tendency to produce poverty except in extraordinary circumstances, such as in monasteries.
Ever hear of the Plymouth Plantation?
Yes, but I don't think they were practicing anything close to what Jesus Christ taught and what the early Church in Acts practiced. They didn't keep the Sabbath and other Holy Days mentioned in the Old Testament that Jesus and His followers kept for instance. I think they practiced a lot of the pagan customs the Catholic Church under the Roman conquers introduced.
I don't think the Puritans, the Amish, or even disciples of Ellen White are perfect but many are trying and I do believe that there were and are at least some of them who believed in the sacrifice God made for them. I am one who strongly believes that communism is stealing if at anytime someone feels pressured to give more than what they feel is right. By definition, that would mean that communism is stealing.
Jesus summed up in one commandment what it meant to follow Him. Love thy neighbor.
Jesus never even gave 10% and 10% is not a requirement contrary to what many preach. In fact, Peter made a mistake when he once said that Jesus would pay the tithe. It would of been a sin for Jesus to do so. Jesus was not a farmer and was not required to supply goods to the temple. Therefore, Jesus saved face for Peter by telling him to go to the water and catch a fish where he would find enough money to pay the tithe.
OT farmers were required to tithe a certain percentage of their wealth to support the priests, the poor, and to have enough left over for a celebration of their contributions at a place of worship. This tax in itself is a market principle since communism would require the submission
of all wealth.
The temple and animal sacrifice passed as being superfluous after the perfect sacrifice. Christ fulfilled all OT laws and then took them to the cross and bled. Our own bodies are now the temple of God and the sacrifice has been paid in full.
Edited by rippinit, 01 February 2008 - 02:52 PM.
