What Would Jesus Cut?In predictable fashion to the growing awareness in Washington that the borrowing-and-spending cycle is no longer sustainable, left-winger Jim Wallis has asked his fellow travelers, few of whom actually attend church or study the Bible, "What would Jesus cut?" I'm thankful to Wallis for asking the question, even if I agree with none of his answers. If we want to know what Jesus would cut, we should ask Him, not Jim Wallis. How do we do that? We can pray, of course — and we can consult His Word. I think we can learn about Jesus' government priorities by consulting the Bible — which is exactly what the Founding Fathers did when they wrote the Constitution. They wisely determined that Jesus didn't care too much for the government of fallen men. He warned the children of Israel not to desire the kind of government known throughout the world at that time, but instead to retain the unique, decentralized system of governance He prescribed to them during the era of judges (I Samuel 8). It was this admonition and other biblical lessons that persuaded the founders to devise a constitutional republic unlike any other that had existed before or since. The federal or central government would be strictly limited in its scope and powers. Most powers would be reserved to the states, communities and citizens in a self-governing model. The main purpose of the federal government was to protect and defend the country from attacks. Jesus also never instructed government to redistribute wealth, either at home or abroad. Taking care of the needy, feeding the hungry, clothing the naked were edicts to individual believers and facilitated through the synagogues (or assemblies or churches, as His followers know them today). While Wallis is quick to pronounce cuts in the federal budget and tax relief for the most productive sector of the economy as "unbiblical," he doesn't cite a single biblical reference to underscore his treatise.
It's not just the over-the-top histrionics that get to me - but just what are these vaccines he's talking about? And malaria? Is Wallis aware of the fact that his beloved, all-wise "progressive" federal government banned DDT, while it was saving millions of lives from the ravages of malaria far more efficiently than "bed nets"? And with regard to his food-as-a-natural-right thesis, I would direct him to the Apostle Paul who was personally acquainted with Jesus. He wrote in 2 Thessalonians 3:10: "For even when we were with you, this we commanded you, that if any would not work, neither should he eat." Pretty unbiblical talk, huh? As to the weapons of war that Wallis so detests, I would point him to two other passages from the Bible he may have overlooked: 1 Samuel 13: Here we learn that under the rule of Saul, the king the children of Israel wanted to protect them, there were no swords or spears to be found in the land, though they were apparently aplenty during the time of the judges. The result? The Philistines had their way with the people of Israel. Luke 22:36: Here Jesus admonishes his disciples to buy swords for protection, even if they have to sell their garments to purchase them. Again, how biblically incorrect. If only people like Wallis would actually read the Word without inserting their own human biases and prejudices into its interpretation, they would quickly grasp that the Bible is an economics text much at odds with their socialist, humanist worldview. It's a book that extols private property. It's a book that warns about the nature of government to steal from the people. It's a book that tells people to put their faith in God, not government. It's a book that teaches self-reliance and individual stewardship, not collectivism. So what would Jesus cut? He'd cut it all. And someday, He will. To find out more about Joseph Farah and read features by other Creators Syndicate writers and cartoonists, visit the Creators Syndicate Web page at www.creators.com. COPYRIGHT 2011 CREATORS.COM
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