Jesus says, "Sell your possessions and give to the poor" (Luke 12:33). Acts describes how the early believers carried out this instruction (2:45). Paul writes that Christians with means must be "rich in good works, generous and ready to share" (1 Timothy 6:18). John warns that God's love does not live in anyone who refuses to help brothers and sisters in need (1 John 3:17).

Christians through the ages have responded to these teachings with acts of compassion and generosity. Yet these and other Old and New Testament Scriptures address more than an individual response to people in need. They call believers to be a corporate witness to the nations--a "city on a hill"--that models the just and compassionate practices of the reign of God.

What the church does first, the nations are expected to adopt and implement more widely. This has occurred many times in history, as practices first embraced by followers of Jesus have been taken up as national public policy. Some examples are public food programs for the hungry, income assistance for the poor, hospitals for the sick and laws providing for the just treatment of workers.

Scripture addresses systemic, not just individual, issues of economic justice. The Law of Moses called for an equitable redistribution of land every 50 years (Leviticus 25) and included many other provisions for just economic relations (Leviticus 19:35-36, Deuteronomy 24:14-15). The prophet Isaiah censures monopolistic practices that deprive people of their homes and livelihood (5:8-10). Amos condemns the exploitation of the poor through unjust institutions (2:6-7, 4:1, 5:12). The apostle James denounces the wealthy who defraud their employees (5:4). And Jesus himself promises a great re-ordering of society in which the positions of the rich and poor will be reversed (Luke 1:52-53, 6:20-26, 16:19-31).

The church calls the nations to correct these injustices and replace them with policies and practices that approximate more closely the reign of God. When we pray in the Lord's Prayer, "Thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven," we are praying for right economic relationships among all people and societies.

The Apostle Paul expresses this moral imperative by applying to economic relations generally the lesson of the manna given to the Israelites in the wilderness. He writes, "The one who gathered much did not have too much, and the one who gathered little had no lack" (2 Cor. 8:1-15). The goal, Paul says, is "equality." This refers not to mathematical equivalence, but to a "fair balance" in which all people have enough for lives of sufficiency and dignity.

Every day 30,000 children die of preventable or treatable poverty-related illnesses. Clearly, we are not stewarding the world's economy as God intends (Genesis 1:27-29). But there is nothing inevitable about this tragedy. If the economy is unjust, it can be altered more in the direction of God's will. After all, the redemptive power of Jesus Christ is at work in the world! Echoing Jesus' statement about the Sabbath (Mark 2:27), we can confidently proclaim and resolutely work to realize the truth that "the economy exists to serve people, not people to serve the economy."

Questions for Reflection

• What biblical stories and texts speak most clearly about God's concern for economic justice?
• What economic injustices are identified in the Bible? What kinds of changes does the Bible call for to correct these injustices?
• What economic injustices can you identify in your community, country and world?
• What would it look like for these injustices be corrected?
• What are some practical steps your household or church can take to promote economic justice?