One of the key aspects of the broader left-wing is that it lacks a foundational basis for any of its beliefs. There is no logical consistency required because nothing being attempted is logically consistent. Everything is a moving target except the end goal of pushing toward the deconstruction of Western civilization under the guise of overcoming "oppression."

That's how you end up with House Majority Leader Hakeem Jeffries quoting a singular verse from the Bible to promote a political position while likewise rejecting almost everything else it contains. 

ALSO SEE: Why Is Hakeem Jeffries Getting a Free Pass for the Disaster That Is the Democratic Party

Hang on a second. Is Jeffries suggesting Christianity should have a profound influence on how our government operates? Because I've been assured that such a position amounts to "Christian nationalism" and is a form of tyrannical fascism. It's the same clown-nose-on, clown-nose-off routine we constantly get from the left. If they believe something helps their cause, then it is worthy of inclusion. If it doesn't, only its omission will suffice. Thus, Jeffries won't be standing on the House floor quoting any scriptures about sexuality, identity, sin, salvation, or a range of other issues that contradict the Democratic Party's obsession with unbridled hedonism. 

But let's forget that for a moment and analyze only what Jeffries is implying with his citation. Here's what Matthew 25:35 says. 

"For I was hungry and you gave me food, I was thirsty and you gave me drink, I was a stranger and you welcomed me.

The broader context is Jesus speaking of a final judgment where people will be separated "as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats." He goes on to describe those who fed and clothed him when he was in need. The people then respond by saying they never saw him needing to be fed or clothed, at which Jesus explains that if you did that for the "least of these," you were doing that for him.

Why does Jeffries' reading of it miss the mark? Because that verse is about the individual, not the involuntary activity of government. It tells "you" to feed and clothe the needy while not turning away the stranger. It is not a commandment for politicians (many of whom give almost nothing of their own incomes to charitable causes) to forcibly confiscate other people's money to funnel it through a dozen different middlemen so that some small fraction of what was collected might finally reach someone in need. 

Jeffries is correct that we should be caring for the "poor, sick, and afflicted," but the vehicle he is pushing to do so actually contradicts the scripture by overriding individual responsibility and ministry. No one is going to stand for God one day and be able to claim they fed and clothed the poor because Hakeem Jeffries taxed them without their input, and maybe some of that money made it to someone else that they never met. 

The framing of Matthew 25:35 and its surrounding verses is that of actions taking place within the confines of a personal relationship. In other words, an individual chooses out of righteous motivation to take their own resources and use them to help others around them. We see that play out in the Book of Acts when the Church is described as pooling resources so that none went without. The modern left-winger who never otherwise reads the Bible will cynically and falsely claim that's a case for communism, but at no point does the Bible call for an impersonal, involuntary statist governmental system to take the place of us living out our faith in our daily lives. 

In that sense, I could agree that the pendulum has swung too far for some on the right, in that they've allowed their political ideologies to become an excuse to not help those in need. We should not allow our frustrations with the government to turn us into cold and uncaring people who abscond from the commands of scripture. But a person can object to something being the government's role while still walking it out personally in the way the Bible describes. In fact, to pass the buck to the government is to miss the scripture and its mandate entirely. 

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