thinking bible.

You asked

how do jesus's parables or teachings about wealth and labor compare to this deuteronomic law?

The passage, plainly, with room to sit with it.

Deuteronomy 24:14-15

You shall not oppress a hired servant who is poor and needy, whether he is one of your brothers, or one of your foreigners who are in your land within your gates. In his day you shall give him his wages, neither shall the sun go down on it; for he is poor, and sets his heart on it, lest he cry against you to Yahweh, and it be sin to you.

This passage is from the book of Deuteronomy, part of a series of laws given to the people of Israel as they prepared to enter the Promised Land. These laws, presented as Moses' final instructions, cover a wide range of social, civil, and religious duties for the community.

What systems or practices in our society might unintentionally oppress those who are poor and needy today, and how can we address them?

Keep thinking

Read alongside it

  • James 5:4

    Condemns those who withhold wages from laborers, echoing the Deuteronomic concern for justice.

  • Matthew 20:1-16

    Jesus' parable of the laborers in the vineyard explores themes of fair pay and generosity, though not in the context of employer exploitation.

  • Leviticus 19:13

    Another Old Testament law that explicitly states not to defraud a neighbor or withhold a hired worker's wages overnight.

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