{"id":11015,"date":"2025-08-06T09:21:48","date_gmt":"2025-08-06T13:21:48","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/socialjesus\/?p=11015"},"modified":"2025-08-07T12:10:29","modified_gmt":"2025-08-07T16:10:29","slug":"just-distribution-wealth","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/socialjesus\/2025\/08\/just-distribution-wealth\/","title":{"rendered":"A More Just Distribution of Wealth"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<\/head>

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Image by Canva<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Again, it\u2019s a community founded on a more just distribution of the wealth than that which had been created by the unjust economic system they already had. Scholar James Robinson describes it in his book The Gospel of Jesus: In Search of the Original Good News.<\/i> We read from this book last week:<\/p>\n

Welcome Readers! <\/i><\/b>Please subscribe to Social Jesus Here<\/i><\/b><\/a>.<\/i><\/b><\/p>\n

This is Part 2 of<\/strong> Bending Our World\u2019s Arc Toward Justice<\/b><\/a><\/p>\n

\u201cThe human dilemma is, in large part, that we are each other\u2019s fate. We become the tool of evil that ruins another person as we look out for ourselves, having long abandoned any youthful idealism we might once have cherished. But if we each would cease and desist from pushing the other down to keep ourselves up, then the vicious cycle would be broken. Society would become mutually supportive rather than self-destructive. This is what Jesus was up to. Jesus\u2019 message was simple, for he wanted to cut straight through to the point: trust God to look out for you by providing people who will care for you, and listen to him when he calls on you to provide for them. God is somebody you can trust, so give it a try.\u201d (James M. Robinson, The Gospel of Jesus: In Search of the Original Good News<\/i>, Kindle Edition Loc. 58)<\/p>\n

On the next page Robinson continues:<\/p>\n

\u201cPut in language derived from his sayings: I am hungry because you hoard food. You are cold because I hoard clothing. Our dilemma is that we all hoard supplies in our backpacks and put our trust in our wallets! Such \u2018security\u201d\u2019 should be replaced by God reigning, which means both what I trust God to do (to activate you to share food with me) and what I hear God telling me to do (to share clothes with you). We should not carry money while bypassing the poor or wear a backpack with extra clothes and food while ignoring the cold and hungry lying in the gutter. This is why the beggars, the hungry, the depressed are fortunate: God, that is, those in whom God rules, those who hearken to God, will care for them. The needy are called upon to trust that God\u2019s reigning is there for them (\u2018Theirs is the kingdom of God\u201d\u2019).\u201d (James M. Robinson, The Gospel of Jesus: In Search of the Original Good News<\/i>, Kindle Edition. Loc 71)<\/p>\n

The early Jesus followers grasped these gospel truths and sought to put them into practice:<\/p>\n

All the believers were together and had everything in common. They sold property and possessions to give to anyone who had need. (Acts 2:44-45)<\/p>\n

With great power the apostles continued to testify to the resurrection of the Lord Jesus. And God\u2019s grace was so powerfully at work in them all that there were no needy persons among them. For from time to time those who owned land or houses sold them, brought the money from the sales and put it at the apostles\u2019 feet, and it was distributed to anyone who had need. (Acts 4:33-35) \u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Next, Luke\u2019s Jesus shares a story about expectation and preparedness in the context of the\u00a0 <\/span>unjust and unjustifiable practice of slavery. We\u2019ll consider that in Part 3<\/strong><\/a>.<\/p>\n

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Are you receiving all of RHM\u2019s free resources each week?<\/p>\n

Begin each day being inspired toward love, compassion, justice and action. Free.<\/p>\n

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This is why the poor, the hungry, the mourning are blessed: a community of just distribution will care for them.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":4129,"featured_media":11021,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[732,729],"tags":[1971,2720,284,903,194],"class_list":["post-11015","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-economic-justice","category-liberation-theology","tag-enough","tag-lectionary-reading","tag-liberation-theology","tag-resource-sharing","tag-wealth-redistribution"],"yoast_head":"\nA More Just Distribution of Wealth<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"This is why the poor, the hungry, the mourning are blessed: a community of just distribution will care for them.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" 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