WHO IS YESHUA? #232 - THE ECONOMICS OF THE KINGDOM OF GOD - PART 1
Moving Beyond Human Systems
When people look at the teachings of Ihu (Yeshua's name in the Paipera Tapu), they often try to fit his economic ideas into modern boxes. People ask whether he was a capitalist who believed in free markets, or a socialist who believed in state control. The truth is that Yeshua operated on a completely different level. He did not endorse capitalism, which focuses on accumulating wealth for personal gain, nor did he endorse state socialism, which relies on centralised government control.
Instead, Yeshua taught an economy centered on stewardship, care, and collective life force. In ancient Greek, this concept was called ekonomia, meaning the thoughtful management of the shared household so that everyone has enough. Modern capitalism is driven by chrematistics, which is the art of making money for the sake of money. Yeshua directly confronted this line of thinking, making it clear that a society built on endless extraction and greed will eventually destroy itself from the inside out.
The Source of Abundance
In the Kingdom of God, resources are viewed through the lens of abundance and shared responsibility rather than artificial scarcity. Wealth is not measured by how much a person hoards, but by how well the community is nourished and cared for. When people stop competing for basic survival and start sharing what they have, there is always more than enough.
To anchor this understanding, the scripture reminds us where our trust and focus must remain:
“Therefore don’t be anxious, saying, ‘What will we eat?’, ‘What will we drink?’ or, ‘With what will we be clothed?’... But seek first God’s Kingdom and his righteousness; and all these things will be given to you as well. - Matthew 6:31, 33 (Ethiopian Orthodox Bible)
Ge'ez text: እንክስ፡ ኢትጨነቁ፡ ወኢትበሉ፡ ምንተ፡ እንበልዕ፡ ወምንተ፡ እንሰቲ፡ ወምንተ፡ እንልብስ። ... አቅድሙ፡ እምቅድመ፡ ኵሉ፡ ሕሣbreak፡ መንግሥቶ፡ ለእግዚአብሔር፡ ወጽድቆ፡ ወዝንቱ፡ ኵሉ፡ ይወሰከክሙ።
Te Reo Maori, Paipera Tapu, 1868 translation: Na, kaua ra e manukanuka, e mea, He aha ta tatou e kai ai? He aha ta tatou e inu ai? Me whakakakahu tatou ki te aha?... Engari mātua rapua te rangatiratanga o te Atua, me ana mea tika; a ka tapiritia mai enei mea katoa ma koutou.
This baseline frequency shows that when a community aligns with the Creator's priority of justice and care, physical needs are met naturally through cooperation.
Tino Rangatiratanga in Action
This economic vision connects directly to the heart of tino rangatiratanga here in Taitokerau. Self-determination is not just a political slogan or a legal fight; it is the practical ability of our whānau, hapū, and iwi to govern our own resources and nourish our own people. For decades, our region has suffered under an economic model that treats our land and young people as resources to be extracted and exported, leaving our local communities with the leftovers.
By returning to the economics of Yeshua, which aligns with Te Ōhanga Mauri (the economy of life force), local control is restored. Tino rangatiratanga means building circular systems where our energy, food, capital, and talent stay right here at home. It means taking collective responsibility to fix the soil of our communities, creating local enterprises that restore the land rather than stripping it bare.
Leading the Way Forward
When we practice this way of living, we move away from economic models that cause division and poverty. Real progress is not about individual accumulation, it is about how the pie is shared and ensuring every whānau can thrive in peace and health.
Taitokerau has everything needed to lead this transition. By standing firm in our spiritual identity and grounding our economic life in shared stewardship, our region can show the world what a truly fair, thriving, and loving community looks like.
