In the New Testament,
Jesus in Matthew 25:31–46 identifies himself with the hungry, the poor, the sick, and the prisoners.
[10] Matthew 25:31–46 is a major component of Christianity and is considered the cornerstone of Christian socialism.
[10] Another key statement in the New Testament that is an important component of Christian socialism is Luke 10:25–37 that follows the statement "You shall love your neighbour as yourself" with the question "And who is my neighbour?", and in the
Parable of the Good Samaritan Jesus gives the revolutionary response that the neighbour includes anyone in need, even people we might be expected to shun.
[11] (The
Samaritans were considered a heretical sect by Jews and neither would usually deal with the other.)
[11]
"Jesus Expels the Moneylenders from the Temple" by Giovanni Paolo Pannini
In the
Sermon on the Plain, Jesus says, "Blessed are you poor, for yours is the kingdom of God. Blessed are you that hunger now, for you shall be satisfied" (Luke 6:20, 21).
[12]
Christian socialists note that
James the Just, the brother of Jesus of Nazareth, in the
Epistle of James criticizes the rich intensely and in strong language:
Come now, you rich, weep and howl for the miseries that are coming upon you. Your riches have rotted and your garments are moth-eaten. Your gold and silver have rusted, and their rust will be evidence against you and will eat your flesh like fire. You have laid up for treasure for the last days. Behold, the wages of the labourers who mowed your fields, which you have kept back by fraud, cry out; and the cries of the harvesters have reached the ears of the Lord of hosts. You have lived on the earth in luxury and in pleasure; you have fattened your hearts in a day of slaughter
During the New Testament period and beyond there is evidence that many Christian communities practiced forms of sharing, redistribution and communism.
[14]