"OCCUPY WALL STREET"--What would Jesus Christ say about it? I have largely avoided the "Occupy" fray mainly because I have been reading and waiting for a collective ethos. While much confusion and organizing is still going on I think I am seeing a common theme among "Occupy". It seems apparent in a sentence the message is: "We have been robbed by the greed of corporate America and demand our Government make you give us more of their greedy excess."
I must say I am always moved by people who involve themselves in civil disobedience and pay a price to raise the moral standards of society. Rosa Parks comes to mind. Is "Occupy" of the same standard as Rosa Parks or Patrick Henry's declaration "Give me liberty or give me death"? Peter the Apostle was jailed and beaten for preaching the Gospel. He ask should we obey God or man? His question is still a valid one.
We do indeed have an economic problem in our country. Who is to blame? The community I live in has had the highest unemployment rate in Virginia for the last 25 years. I see first hand the heartache every day. The reason unemployment is so high in our community and our country is fairly simple. Our jobs have gone over seas because labor is cheaper. Many Americans are spoiled. They will not work unless they can make a certain amount of money. I have neighbors who farm for a living. Every spring legal Mexicans come form Mexico and work the fields. I thought that they must be getting cheap labor...NOT SO. The pay is good. I ask, "If the pay is good, why don't you hire people here?" His answer--"People here won't do the work because it is so laborious". We are indeed a nation fat and spoiled people. I know college graduates washing dishes and working two and three part time jobs. There ws a time in this country when people felt ashamed to take Government help. They would take help, but only as a last resort. What ever happened to that work ethic? Now I know there are people who need help as a last resort but far too many expect help without even attempting to work. They feel entitled. In the garden of Eden God told Adam, "By the sweat of your face you will earn your bread."
Many of us lived through the protests of the sixties against the Vietnam War. But the sixties protest turned ugly as a general hatred developed for "The Establishment". The establisment became a nebulous term in which the revolution lost it's way and degraded into a mob who basically rebelled and lived in immorality and as an unfocused group. They were overcome by the excess of drugs, sexual immorality and hatred for the establishment even as they lectured of peace. If "Occupy" does not focus in a respectful and peacful way they could degrade into the same gutter.
Occupy is going to run headlong into some philosphcal and ethical dilemmas, namely where to draw the line on "excesses of greed". Within the movement protestors have different ideas as to who is the 1% and a sense of entitlement is evident among many in the "Occupy movement".
What would Jesus say? I relate here two dialogues that Jesus gave for consideration. One time a lady poured a bottle of expensive perfume onto Jesus. Some began to complain about such excess and ask why wasn't this sold and given to the poor. Jesus said, " Leave her alone the poor you have with you always but I shall go away". Notice that Jesus commended her act of love to Him while others judged her as a poor steward because she didn't distribute this wealth to poorer people.
Jesus gave a parable. He said that a man needed laborers for his field. Early in the morning he agreed with a man a certain wage to work for him that day. At mid day he hired another man to work and they agreed on the price. An hour before quitting time he hired a third man. When it came time to pay, he payed all of them the same. The man who worked all day expressed how unfair this was that he paid the man who only worked an hour the same amount as the one who worked all day. The man who hired said, I have not wronged you. I paid you as we agreed. IS YOUR HEART EVIL BECAUSE I HAVE DONE GOOD? IS IT NOT MY MONEY TO DO WHAT I WISH WITH IT? If a person is moral and honest, wise and works hard and makes more money than another, Jesus recognizes that he rightfully owns what he has earned. If someone has oppressed and stolen from others that is something to protest. But according to Jesus personal ownership is a good thing and no one has a right to take it away from you and give it to someone else. Jesus does require his servants to to be good stewards and help people but that arena is between the person and God; not a political matter, not a legal matter or protesting matter.
"Let him that stole steal no more: but rather let him labour, working with his hands the thing which is good, that he may have to give to him that needeth."--Ephesians 4:28
"Behold that which I have seen: it is good and comely for one to eat and to drink, and to enjoy the good of all his labour that he taketh under the sun all the days of his life, which God giveth him: for it is his portion."---Ecclesiastes 5:18
