Jesus was among the wealthiest 5 percent!

[Jeb Stuart Thurmond]

Next time some whining welfare bum aka democrat gives you some commie class-war nonsense about Jesus being some sweat-stinking blue-collar type, give them this:

There are a few hints as to the socioeconomic status of Jesus’ family. The common wisdom is that they were poor. Evidence for this comes from his birth in a stable/cave, the meager sacrificial offering, and Joseph's occupation as a carpenter. But a careful look reveals a different picture –

The nature of his birth (no room at the Inn) suggests that they were of limited means. Yet their means were not so limited that they didn’t apply to the Inn for a room, whereas most peasant travellers would either stay at the side of the road or stay with relatives. Hence, the election of staying at an Inn demonstrates at least a middle class background. Nor were they so impoverished that they didn’t make the journeys to Jerusalem for the holy days. And, apparently, Joseph made enough money that he had to go to Jerusalem to pay taxes. As indicated in another section, Joseph, was a master builder not a carpenter, and the opportunities for a master builder in the bustling area of central Galilee were many...

The wedding at Cana, and the participation of Jesus’ mother, suggest that they were squarely in the middle class. Moreover, Jesus had many friends and associates from the wealthy class (e.g., Lazarus, Joseph of Arimathea) and many of his stories indicate his familiarity with the issues confronting the landed gentry.

Finally, Jesus's education indicates that he was not a peasant. In those days, literacy was reserved for the top 3 to 5% of the population. No poor peasant's son would know how to read and write, speak Greek, and have an expert command of the scriptures.

Even if it were true that prior to Jesus' birth the family was poor, surely after he was born, with the gift of gold from the Magi, Jesus' family had sufficient funds.

"The manger did not symbolize poverty but a peculiarity of location caused by circumstances." (Spong, 1992, p. 144)

"There is notoriously little accurate information about Jesus's circumstances. But what there is clearly indicates that his family was well-to-do, and that his upbringing was of a kind available only to those with status and financial resources...Jesus is obviously literate and well educated...when education was essentially an adjunct of class." (Baigent, Lee & Lincoln, 1986, 30-31).

"In the Gospels, Jesus is called a tekton, a Greek word that meant not merely a carpenter skilled in making cabinets or furniture but a designer, construction engineer, or architect. A tekton could build a house, construct a bridge, or design a temple." (Starbird, 2003, p. 53)

The most common themes in Jesus' parables (vineyards, slaves, ownership disputes) would dictate that Jesus had been the owner of a large vineyard with serious production problems revolving around lazy slaves.

Conclusion:

Jesus was among the wealthiest 5 percent of society, his dad was an archetect and he owned a big vineyard with lots of lazy slaves who had to be beaten a lot. In, short, JESUS IS A REPUBLICAN!

[H. Montague Worthington]

Re: Jesus was among the wealthiest 5 percent!

Conclusion:

Jesus was among the wealthiest 5 percent of society, his dad was an archetect and he owned a big vineyard with lots of lazy slaves who had to be beaten a lot. In, short, JESUS IS A REPUBLICAN!

I certainly am glad that the scholarly research about Jesus' socioeconomic background has finally been established with certainty, once and for all. I am sick of hearing from hippies, pinkos, communists and liberals that Jesus worked for the poor. Please excuse the rough language, but to that I say, BALDERDASH!

How do I know? Because I feel the spirit of Jesus in my heart. When I beat the Asian slave laborers in my factories, I feel the spirit of Jesus. When I evict the Cathylick family for being late on their rent two days or making noise after 10 p.m., I feel the spirit of Jesus deep in my heart. When I hear the screams of the heathens being punished in my basement, the very essence of the spirit of Jesus fills my soul and makes my heart race. When I hear the jibberish cries of the Filipino mothers as I give the signal for the bulldozer to bury their children's charred and mutilated bodies in a mass grave out behind the factory, it's the spirit of Jesus that I feel deep in my soul.

And I'm glad that there is finally undisputed, rock-solid evidence that Jesus was a take-no-prisoners capitalist. If you think about it, it all makes perfect sense-- for how else are the poor supposed to LEARN that they're just a bunch of worthless fetid meat, made for the exploitation of their betters?

[Pastor Isaac Peters]

Re: Jesus was among the wealthiest 5 percent!

What an excellent post, Brother! In fact, when I took the matter into my prayer closet, Jesus guided me to a passage of Scripture showing that during His earthly ministry, He had preferred a Robb Report level of living for Himself over basic sustanance for those who had made the lifestyle choice to be poor:

John 12:3-8: Then took Mary a pound of ointment of spikenard, very costly, and anointed the feet of Jesus, and wiped his feet with her hair: and the house was filled with the odour of the ointment. Then saith one of his disciples, Judas Iscariot, Simon's [son], which should betray him, Why was not this ointment sold for three hundred pence, and given to the poor? This he said, not that he cared for the poor; but because he was a thief, and had the bag, and bare what was put therein. Then said Jesus, Let her alone: against the day of my burying hath she kept this. For the poor always ye have with you; but me ye have not always.

Oh, and note carefully who took the bleeding-heart liberal Democratic position. That's right — it was Judas Iscariot! Just like the welfare pimps in the modern-day Democratic Party, he only feigned interest in the poor in order to incite class warfare for his own ends.

[Trent Harvey, Jr.]

Re: Jesus was among the wealthiest 5 percent!

So, who will Jesus vote for? Looks like the class-warring jealous poorofascists from the people's republic of envyland, and their propagada organ they call "The Fabulous Life" has an answer:

[SUV]

Re: Jesus was among the wealthiest 5 percent!

[Jeb Stuart Thurmond]

Re: Jesus was among the wealthiest 5 percent!

Here you can see the blessings Jesus has showered upon John McCain, as seen from His point of view in the heavens:

[H. Montague Worthington]

Re: Jesus was among the wealthiest 5 percent!

Jesus would be absolutely against capital gains taxation and the Democrat's Death Tax.

[WilliamJenningsBryan]

Re: Jesus was among the wealthiest 5 percent!

Here you can see the blessings Jesus has showered upon John McCain, as seen from His point of view in the heavens:

Jesus will bestow an additional blessing on John McCain come this November as he will be the next occupant of our nation's White House.

Glory!

[papparat]

Re: Jesus was among the wealthiest 5 percent!

See, Brothers & Sisters, this is where I am confused.

Living in the Mother Country, we have our Monarch who descends from those anointed by God. Herself also so anointed The only Christian, albeit the wrong sort, Monarch extant.


That is until the Divine Right of Kings was taken away by those beastly Republicans, Cromwell & the rest of his traitorous crew, who severed the head of our late Majesty Charles 1st.

Even our late King James 1st., whose Bible we hold so dearly, had the Divine Right.

Given Jesus', Praise His Name, lineage & common appellation of "King of Kings" Does it really mean, that America is only God's chosen Colony & not Country as previously thought.

I do understand that there may be those amongst the Brethren & Sisterhood, who may be unaware of other countries, as so few need to travel.

However as the Mother Land is closer to the Holy Land & that the Christ's Kingdom is obviously a Monarchy,that is everlasting & a myself & the Tyke Brother, Temperance do live in a Monarchy which is also everlasting, where we don't have to think about bothering to vote for a President.

The notion of voting for a President is an anathema to us & more readily associated with the Revolting French who also beheaded their last representative of the Divine Right.


I look at a coin in my pocket & see her image ( our blessed Monarch, with the letters D.G. REG D.F.(Dei Gratia Regina Fidei Defensor) after her name, which means 'By the Grace of God, Queen, Defender of the Faith' A language that our Lord ( another Monarchist term/Title) would understand & spoke as an educated man in his earthly guise

So Christ the King must be a Monarchist & Must be Wealthy & possibly just using the Colonies for his Divine Will oh and this Bush chap

I crave enlightenment

[Ezekiel Bathfire]

Re: Jesus was among the wealthiest 5 percent!

See, Brothers & Sisters, this is where I am confused.

Living in the Mother Country, we have our Monarch who descends from those anointed by God. Herself also so anointed The only Christian, albeit the wrong sort, Monarch extant. That is until the Divine Right of Kings was taken away by those beastly Republicans, Cromwell & the rest of his traitorous crew, who severed the head of our late Majesty Charles 1st.

Cromwell was a fine character and did good work in papist Ireland. Cromwell realized that Charles was attempting to usurp God’s place on Earth and this left Cromwell, as a Godly man, with no choice.

Even our late King James 1st., whose Bible we hold so dearly, had the Divine Right.

The salient point is “albeit the wrong sort” (see above) Thus all can be dismissed. The question of King James is that he was appointed by God to do a job, and he did it well. Look upon it as hiring a plumber to fix your faucet – the man does a good job but do you trust him with the hip-replacement operation or your pension? No.

Such must have been the thought of The Lord of Hosts, for it was during the reign of James VI & I that the Mayflower set sail. Thus God had seen that His Inerrant Word was published and that the Pligrim Fathers could take this great treasure and resource to distant lands.

And who were those upon the Mayflower but Dissenters, those whose departure would leave Great Britain as a godless, empty hulk as the True Spirit of Christianity made its way West to the Land of the Free.

In doing so, they also took with them the language that we now know as American. The language of England is now merely British and I suspect that it irritates God mildly to hear it spoken.

Given Jesus', Praise His Name, lineage & common appellation of "King of Kings" Does it really mean, that America is only God's chosen Colony & not Country as previously thought.

As the Mayflower, despite vicissitudes, reached her goal, under the guidance and protection of the Almighty, we can see that He clearly wanted the venture to succeed. He chose this outcome to distance the Faithful from the Unsaved Trash and thus we can confidently say that America is God’s Chosen Country, first in the geographical sense and later, after God’s Wrath was felt by King George, politically.

I do understand that there may be those amongst the Brethren & Sisterhood, who may be unaware of other countries, as so few need to travel.

Was it not some Englishman who said, “Abroad is beastly”? (Sounds like a homer but he probably had it right.)

However as the Mother Land is closer to the Holy Land

but so distant from Heaven

& that the Christ's Kingdom is obviously a Monarchy, that is everlasting & a myself & the Tyke Brother, Temperance do live in a Monarchy which is also everlasting, where we don't have to think about bothering to vote for a President.

The point here is that the British monarchy will merely, out of greed and self-interest, continue its apostate rule, whereas by the Power and Blessing of Christ, we the people, may eventually attain (and we are soooo close with Mr Bush) a True Christian State, after which there will be no need for elections, as Paradise will have been attained.

The notion of voting for a President is an anathema to us

…and you are mislead by false prophetess and get the government you deserve.

& more readily associated with the Revolting French who also beheaded their last representative of the Divine Right.

A frog with a divine right – even God would laugh!

I look at a coin in my pocket & see her image

was she blinkig at the unaccustomed daylight? ( our blessed Monarch, with the letters D.G. REG D.F [satanic words deleted] after her name, which means 'By the Grace of God, Queen, Defender of the Faith'[/quote]…and we all know that it is the wrong faith. It is rather like defending the east when the attack is from the west.

A language that our Lord ( another Monarchist term/Title) would understand & spoke as an educated man in his earthly guise

It is the language of the antichrist the vicar of Rome and a tongue of demons. I would ask for any biblical reference to Christ speaking Latin.

So Christ the King must be a Monarchist

Christ is the King of Kings, I think this puts Him a little higher than the run of the mill monarch – He is God.

& Must be Wealthy

I think that he was probably “financially comfortable” in an "old money" way, but not ostentatiously rich as the “eye of the needle” parable will evidence.

& possibly just using the Colonies for his Divine Will oh and this Bush chap

He certainly takes the greatest interest in America, it is, as I hope I have explained above, His favourite country.

I crave enlightenment

Now you are enlightened, are you ready to accept Jesus?

[papparat]

Re: Jesus was among the wealthiest 5 percent!

Dear Master Bathfire,

You err on several counts.

Cromwell had warts, sure marks of the Devil

What is a Faucet? It is not known to me, do you perhaps mean a Tap ? Middle English, from Old French fausset, cask stopper, from fausser, to break in,

Why use the language of Nobility, as in Lord in a Republic ?

Mayflower: When going West it went to our Colonies beyond the Sea therefore not the Land of the Free.

The dialects of the Americas are varied in origin, if you take away the corrupt language of the Italians, Germans, Swedes & ye God the French, you will find the root is that of the West Country of England in particular Cornwall (a former Kingdom) & Devon.

There is no language called British

God, sirrah, is an Englishman. It was Englishmen who sailed the Mayflower.

What wrath did King George suffer. I think you may refer to an American Revolution, piffle sirrah, 'twas merely another of our Civil Wars, with a few foreigners thrown in, notably the heinous French

Bush will soon retire to be a Tax Burden for the rest of his days. McCain is very suspect, surely Mc is a heathen indication of his forebears from the Wild Irish , who are beyond the pale & Cain Gen. 4:

1. [15] And the LORD said unto him, Therefore whosoever slayeth Cain, vengeance shall be taken on him sevenfold. And the LORD set a mark upon Cain, lest any finding him should kill him.
2. [16] And Cain went out from the presence of the LORD, and dwelt in the land of Nod, on the east of Eden

1John.3

1. [12] Not as Cain, who was of that wicked one, and slew his brother. And wherefore slew he him? Because his own works were evil, and his brother's righteous.

Jude.1

[1] Woe unto them! for they have gone in the way of Cain, and ran greedily after the error of Balaam for reward, and perished in the gainsaying of Core.

A Son Of CAIN Beware Brothers & Sisters, Beware

Christ was well schooled & spoke Latin:

Luke.20

1. [22] Is it lawful for us to give tribute unto Caesar, or no?
2. [24] Shew me a penny. Whose image and superscription hath it? They answered and said, Caesar's.
3. [25] And he said unto them, Render therefore unto Caesar the things which be Caesar's, and unto God the things which be God's.

When looking at a Coin

1Tim.6

1. [13] I give thee charge in the sight of God, who quickeneth all things, and before Christ Jesus, who before Pontius Pilate witnessed a good confession;

They would have conversed in Latin, Pilate could not speak the Native Language of Christ

He is taking an Interest, the Floods in IWOA, The Fires In California.

America is being visited by plagues.

Repent afore it is too late, there is still time, I will assist with my prayers for your blighted land

[papparat]

Re: Jesus was among the wealthiest 5 percent!

Dear Pastor Ezekiel,

Please re read, nowhere did I claim God was a Brit. He is an Englishman, which is well known amongst all civilised people, another Nationality entirely.

Regards & & respect & forgiveness too, as you are perhaps unaware of the defining nations of Great Britain

[papparat]

Re: Jesus was among the wealthiest 5 percent!

Dear Pastor Ezekiel,

Please re read, nowhere did I claim God was a Brit. He is an Englishman, which is well known amongst all civilised people, another Nationality entirely.

Regards & & respect & forgiveness too, as you are perhaps unaware of the defining nations of Great Britain As God is Omnipotent He would not need a Passport, a tad dangerous to suggest such a thing (beware lightening strikes!)

From the Time Travellers Guide to Stuart England

In 1634, William Prynne, a Puritan, is clamped in the stocks and has his ears cut off. He's offended Charles I by publishing Histriomastix, a massive attack on the profanity of stage plays. Charles I's wife, Henrietta Maria, is particularly annoyed by Prynne's denunciation of female actors, whom she employs for private entertainment.
The Prynne case shows how important religion is in 17th-century England. Everyone is obsessed by God, and every important event – from the Gunpowder Plot to the Popish Plot, and from the Civil Wars to the colonisation of Ireland – has a religious dimension.



God is an Englishman
Most English people believe that they are a 'godly nation', the chosen people. But religion is a tricky area – disputes about how to honour and praise God result in heated arguments and violent confrontations.
The fear is that Protestant England – widely seen as a free country – will be subverted by Roman Catholics who, in league with Continental powers, will impose a tyranny and force everyone to worship as Catholics.
Everyone, except for a tiny number of secret atheists, sees God's hand in everyday events, so wars, plagues and fires are all divine retribution for people's sins.
Monarchs are obeyed because they are God's appointed rulers (the 'divine right of kings'); the Bible is the most widely read book; and sermons from the pulpit are the equivalent of the television news.
Protestants and Catholics
The official religion is Protestantism, a reformed version of Christianity, and travellers from foreign lands who believe in Islam or Judaism are seen as heathens. Protestantism became the official religion with Henry VIII's reformation in the 1530s, when he split with the pope in Rome because he wanted a divorce from his first wife, Catherine of Aragon, who appeared to be unable to produce a son.
Since then, most of England's monarchs have been Protestants, although a sizeable minority of the population – an estimated 40,000 in 1603, mainly among the upper classes – remain Catholic. (See also Ireland).
When a monarch marries a Catholic – as Charles I does when he weds Henrietta Maria – or becomes one, as James II does, there is trouble. The religious policies of Charles lead to civil war, and his son James is forced to abdicate in 1689.
The existence of a Catholic minority also has other effects – people are paranoid about secret plots and fear civil unrest and invasion.
Puritans
As well as Catholics, there is another minority: the extreme Protestants known as Puritans, who are religious fundamentalists and want to reform the Church and society and make them much more pure. They believe that individuals can have direct communication with God without the need for bishops and an elaborate Church hierarchy.
Puritanism is a religion of the word (that is, the Bible) and of the individual. It stresses the role of divine providence in everyday events.
For example, when the Puritan diarist Adam Martindale's second son John – named after an earlier son who died young – also dies in infancy, Martindale and his wife think it might be a sign from God. They fear 'lest we had offended God by striving with his Providence to have a John'.
What do ordinary people think about Puritans? They are less than enthusiastic. In 1616, the people of Lancashire complain that local Puritans are trying to stop their usual Sunday amusements, including dancing and archery.
One Wiltshire girl describes her Puritan minister's sermons as 'bibble babble'. In 1633, James Nicholson of Yorkshire declares that 'I care not a fart of my tail' for any minister.
Power
When the Puritans get into power after the execution of Charles I in 1649, they close theatres and try to impose a godly pattern of behaviour on the 'unruly poor'.
They also fight furiously among themselves: the Independents, who believe that congregations should be self-governing, squabble with Presbyterians, who reckon they should bow to a central authority. In the last years of the century, a climate of toleration gradually arises as people become exhausted by religious bigotry.
In 1656, Oliver Cromwell allows Jewish people to settle in London for the first time since they were expelled in 1290. A synagogue opens in Creechurch Lane, Aldgate.
Radical sects
The differences between the smaller religious groups can be baffling. Anabaptists, plain Baptists, Presbyterians or Independents have been known to engage strangers in doctrinal disputes. Other radical groups include Quakers, Shakers, Ranters and Muggletonians, as well as dozens of weird and wonderful millenarian sects that emerge during the social upheaval of the Civil War.
Many groups, such as the Fifth Monarchy Men, believe in the immanent second coming of Christ and will try and persuade you that the end is nigh. Their proponents are often lower class in origin and may get into trouble with the authorities. (See DIY politics)
Some sects, such as the Quakers – founded in the 1640s by George Fox – believe that true Christians should 'quake' in awe before God. They think that everyone, including women, has the right to speak out during
meetings.

It is frequently stated that “God is an Englishmen”. I shall make no comment upon the veracity of this statement, beyond observing that no one can actually disprove it. I concede that if God is an Englishman, then maybe he is an ex-pat and has taken omnipresent residence in California.

See also :http://findarticles.com/p/articles/m...6?tag=untagged

[Ezekiel Bathfire]

Re: Jesus was among the wealthiest 5 percent!

Dear Master Bathfire, You err on several counts.[some amusing but elementary errors deleted]

Cromwell’s warts were indeed a sign – they were a sign and reminder that he was not perfect – something he himself humbly acknowledged – only God is perfect.

Your explanation of Christ’s speaking Latin is superficially credible (or, in Latin “bollix”) but, a deeper consideration would show it to be merely the start of an unfounded and biblically dubious legend:

The ruler’s head was placed on coins as a symbol of power and authority – all Christ had to know was that the graven image was that of Caesar, the rest flowed.

At the interview with Pilate, there would have been an interpreter – why should a Governor, who had to deal with (to him) an endless amount of uneducated rabble all gibbering in some incomprehensible dialect of some local tongue, bother to learn a raft of foreign languages or expect everyone to speak Latin? No, the place would have been swarming with local interpreters.

I’d draw your attention to the time of the Norman Conquest of England (how embarrassing to be defeated by the French) the nobility spoke Norman French. If they wanted to know what the peasants were babbling about, they would use an interpreter.


On the question of the word ‘Lord’, if I may refresh your memory, you will recall the article from The Pall Mall Gazette, December 5, 1897, Wednesday, Page 18, clearly states that the origin of “Lord” is “Law Ward”. Hence someone who keeps / administers the law; a fair partial definition of one aspect of God and little to do with monarchy.


As far as God being English, a charming conceit: God created the world 6000 years ago; hence He was there before the division of the tribes after the flood. Need I say more? God merely favors nations – He favored England because it rejected the vicar of Rome, England fell into his displeasure because (as explained) of the blasphemy of its monarchs and naturally America became His favorite nation.


As for the Captain of the Mayflower, as explained, it was God’s guidance that did the job and with that behind you, an Irishman, a Polack or even a jigaboo could have succeeded.


Despite all your errors, I feel that you have the potential makings of a Christian (if not a True Christian™) if you can dispel any thought that Britain is anything more than a cesspit of moral decay and depravity and accept that the anglican’t church is a nest of queers bent on being bent.

[papparat]

Re: Jesus was among the wealthiest 5 percent!

E for Effort Bathfire old chap, E for effort.. Spirited Defence, quite spirited
Bless you