Coveting the Gain of Another

      Many Jews had a misconception of Jesus's purpose: Some thought he would be a great Macabbean-type general who came to fight the revolution for independence, others that he was a pretender to Herod's throne, and still others that he came to usher in prosperity. The group of people gathered with Jesus were a mob of Pharisees, scribes, and lawyers (Luke 11), or modern-day religions, the media and lawyers. Look at what was important to them. One of them expressed it succinctly:

In the mean time, when there were gathered together an innumerable multitude of people, insomuch that they trode one upon another... And one of the company said unto him, Master, speak to my brother, that he divide the inheritance with me. And he said unto him, Man, who made me a judge or a divider over you? And he said unto them, Take heed, and beware of covetousness: for a man's life consisteth not in the abundance of the things which he possesseth. (Luke 12:1,13-15)

      There was a mob! That is known because they "trode one upon another." Each one wanted something from Jesus. It seems that few if any were after the knowledge to obtain eternal life, but what was in it for each of them! The apostles had even questioned Jesus of their own importance in the Kingdom of God (Mat 18:1). Everyone seemed to wonder, what's in it for me? without thinking, maybe eternal life!
      The mob seemed to think there was to be a revolution. Everyone wanted their share - fair or not. For the covetous, Jesus was nothing more than a foreshadowing of Karl Marx, and their "Doctrine of Christ" was not far from Marxism! They were entirely wrong. Jesus came to bring peace on earth (Luke 2:14), knowing full well that it would be dissension (Mat 10:34-36).
     In the passage above, one man made it plain what he was after: He wanted his brother to share his inheritance with him. He wanted what belonged to his brother. That is covetous and is the central doctrine of Marxism: "From each according to his ability, to each according to his needs" (Marx, Karl (1875). "Part I". Critique of the Gotha Program).
     The one with ability was the brother who obtained the inheritance. (It could be that he was the eldest and felt that he deserved the inheritance.) At that time the oldest son bore the burden of the family and was entitled to the inheritance providing the parent found him fitting. (We should know the story of Isaac who obtained the inheritance from Esau.) That manner of inheritance is called primogeniture. The eldest received all of the estate except for smaller things which were left as gifts. This man wanted "social justice" and the playing field leveled. That was not to be because Jesus described that as covetousness which is a violation of the Tenth Commandment.
    Jesus also made the following pronouncement regarding the poor:

For ye have the poor with you always, and whensoever ye will ye may do them good: but me ye have not always. (Mark 14:7).

     That passage was given to selfish covetous people and was a profound statement against socialism! If Jesus had wanted, he could have ended poverty by simply thinking it away. He could have created Marx's utopian society right there on the spot. He didn't do that! He came to heal the nations (Rev 22:2) not to finance their pleasure. Poverty was one of the penalties of original sin (Gen 3:17). Poverty was the curse for mankind. Life in the wilderness of the world was meant to be tough. That is a consequence of sin and life in this world is tribulation.
     "Utopia" is an ideal society with perfection in government and civil life. Jesus didn't want that to be on earth. That description fits God's Paradise on earth with the addition of spiritual well-being. Adam and Eve wanted the pleasures but not the authority of God. Mankind expelled themselves because they wanted what Marx would someday promise, not what God had provided for them. Marxism is just one of the many "fruits" offered by the Serpent: idolatry, seditions, envyings (Gal 5:20:21) and likely all the others mentioned there.
     Jesus suggested charity. There is a huge difference between taxation and charity. That difference is because of one word Jesus said - "whensoever you will." Charity is willingness to give. Taxation is the requirement to provide. Marx's dictate was to take what one has and give to those who have not. There is one problem with that: The one who has more is likely not to be willing to give to those who have less. That's when Satan really gets slappin' knee happy: he says, Then use force!
     Jesus also pointed out that "Me you have not always". The focus, or Jesus's will, was that rather than lusting after what others have, they should cherish him! That is in total opposition to Marxism which indicates that God is merely to console people in their serfdom when he said "Religion is the sigh of the oppressed creature, the heart of a heartless world, and the soul of soulless conditions. It is the opium of the people" (Marx, Karl; A Contribution to the Critique of Hegel's Philosophy of Right, 1844).
     Compare what Marx said about religion to what God says about socialism: 

For the love of money is the root of all evil: which while some coveted after, they have erred from the faith, and pierced themselves through with many sorrows. (1 Tim 6:10).

     Without any bias from me, that passage refers to capitalism and socialism. The difference is that capitalism propagates incentive to improve whereas socialism the incentive to receive. Unfortunately those who are motivated to "work by the sweat of (their) face" (Gen 3:19) may not want to give a share to those who will not work, or if they do, minimally so. Those who have the love of money have erred from their faith. That is an adequate description of socialist Christians who espouse "social justice' rather than the mercy and grace of God!
     Reread the passages from Luke at the top. Jesus asked, "Man, who made me a judge or a divider over you?" The answer to that question is that Satan did that. Karl Marx was an emissary of the Devil, and socialism is the antithesis of the Law of God. That is called "the law of sin". In modern times, Karl Marx's spirit lives, but he is dead. Someone always must assume that socialist demon. It seemed to have taken over George Soros who could be name Marxist of the Century.
     Jesus went on to say, "a man's life consisteth not in the abundance of the things which he possesseth." It is not what we materially have which is comforting. The "prosperity" promised to the seed of Abraham was not really the Promised Land on earth but abundant life in the Kingdom of God. Most of the Jews but Abraham missed the point of the promise. It was not for prosperity in the Holy Land but prosperity in the Holy Kingdom which will someday be right there with Jesus as King (Rev 21:2). 
     All this fighting over Israel is the exact story of the covetous man who wanted his brother's inheritance. Israel, and adjoining lands, are the Jews inheritance. The people of the kingdom of Allah covet the inheritance of the Jews. By the law of primogeniture, this inheritance should go to the oldest son. Instead it went to Isaac who willed it to Jacob (Israel) because that was the Grantees will!
     It is very socialistic for Muslims to covet the Jewish inheritance, and not surprisingly, there assistance comes from socialist nations. The division of Israel is against the will of God and is socialism in principle.