I cannot say that Jesus condemned wealth, per se, but he did condemn hoarding wealth by not using it to improve the situation of one's fellow man. Jesus did have one friend who was perhaps middle-class for the time, Lazarus. He shared his wealth with others less fortunate. When he died and was buried in a tomb for four days, Jesus came and raised him from the dead.
Jesus also taught a parable about a landowner who hired men to work for him for a day's wage. Over the course of the day, he found others to work in the field, and found more men hours later to work.
When the day's work was finished, the landowner paid those hired last their pay. Those who worked the full day noticed the others were given a full day's wage, and they assumed that they would receive more, but they were given the same pay as the others. When they complained to the landowner, he told them that he was paying them what they agreed to, and he also told them that he had the right to do so.
The point of the parable, I believe, was that when God leads His people to His kingdom, that none would receive more or less than anyone else.
I believe that Jesus was not a capitalist either, and I imagine that he is not pleased with the manner in which the CEOs are treating their workers.
You raise some thoughtful points about Jesus's teachings on wealth. However, the parable of the workers in the vineyard (Matthew 20:1-16) actually demonstrates a radical critique of market economics. The landowner explicitly rejects paying workers based on their labor time or productivity - the basic premise of wage labor. Instead, he ensures everyone has enough to live on regardless of how much they worked. This isn't a defense of private property rights; it's an illustration of God's abundance and grace that transcends market logic.
The example of Lazarus is interesting, but we should note that Jesus's friendship with him isn't presented as an endorsement of his economic status. Rather, when Jesus does talk directly about wealth, his message is consistently challenging: He tells the rich young ruler to sell everything he has. He says it's harder for the rich to enter God's kingdom than for a camel to go through a needle's eye. The Lord's Prayer asks for debt forgiveness. These aren't just calls for charitable giving while maintaining wealth - they're calls for radical economic transformation.
You're absolutely right that Jesus would condemn how modern CEOs treat workers. But that's because the entire system of private ownership and wage labor stands in opposition to his vision of God's kingdom - a kingdom where, as you note, none receive more or less than others, and all have enough.
I cannot say that Jesus condemned wealth, per se, but he did condemn hoarding wealth by not using it to improve the situation of one's fellow man. Jesus did have one friend who was perhaps middle-class for the time, Lazarus. He shared his wealth with others less fortunate. When he died and was buried in a tomb for four days, Jesus came and raised him from the dead.
Jesus also taught a parable about a landowner who hired men to work for him for a day's wage. Over the course of the day, he found others to work in the field, and found more men hours later to work.
When the day's work was finished, the landowner paid those hired last their pay. Those who worked the full day noticed the others were given a full day's wage, and they assumed that they would receive more, but they were given the same pay as the others. When they complained to the landowner, he told them that he was paying them what they agreed to, and he also told them that he had the right to do so.
The point of the parable, I believe, was that when God leads His people to His kingdom, that none would receive more or less than anyone else.
I believe that Jesus was not a capitalist either, and I imagine that he is not pleased with the manner in which the CEOs are treating their workers.
You raise some thoughtful points about Jesus's teachings on wealth. However, the parable of the workers in the vineyard (Matthew 20:1-16) actually demonstrates a radical critique of market economics. The landowner explicitly rejects paying workers based on their labor time or productivity - the basic premise of wage labor. Instead, he ensures everyone has enough to live on regardless of how much they worked. This isn't a defense of private property rights; it's an illustration of God's abundance and grace that transcends market logic.
The example of Lazarus is interesting, but we should note that Jesus's friendship with him isn't presented as an endorsement of his economic status. Rather, when Jesus does talk directly about wealth, his message is consistently challenging: He tells the rich young ruler to sell everything he has. He says it's harder for the rich to enter God's kingdom than for a camel to go through a needle's eye. The Lord's Prayer asks for debt forgiveness. These aren't just calls for charitable giving while maintaining wealth - they're calls for radical economic transformation.
You're absolutely right that Jesus would condemn how modern CEOs treat workers. But that's because the entire system of private ownership and wage labor stands in opposition to his vision of God's kingdom - a kingdom where, as you note, none receive more or less than others, and all have enough.