Jesus put the individual's needs ahead of the economy.
Matthew 8:28-34 28 When he came to the other side, to the country of the Gadarenes, two demoniacs coming out of the tombs met him. They were so fierce that no one could pass that way. 29 Suddenly they shouted, "What have you to do with us, Son of God? Have you come here to torment us before the time?" 30 Now a large herd of swine was feeding at some distance from them. 31 The demons begged him, "If you cast us out, send us into the herd of swine." 32 And he said to them, "Go!" So they came out and entered the swine; and suddenly, the whole herd rushed down the steep bank into the sea and perished in the water. 33 The swineherds ran off, and on going into the town, they told the whole story about what had happened to the demoniacs. 34 Then the whole town came out to meet Jesus; and when they saw him, they begged him to leave their neighborhood.
Do we ignore Jesus' example that ministering to the spiritual and physical needs of individuals is a higher priority than the economy?
Note: The economy of this Gentile town is based on the pig market. These two men (homeless, living in the tombs outside of the town) are possessed by demons. Demons apparently (Matt 12:43-45) want a host to inhabit. Jesus decides to free these men from being the host - which meant the men would be able to return to spiritual and physical health. It would appear rather than allow the demons to go look for more human hosts, Jesus sends them into the pigs who drowned themselves. The people of the town didn’t like this – it affected their pocket books and they asked Jesus to leave. These Gentiles preferred a healthy economy to persons and to Jesus. A musing: As much as the gospels talk about Jesus giving his followers the power to cast out demons and heal the sick, how come there isn't a seminary course in that? Instead we have courses focused on teaching us how to help people adjust to their circumstances. Hmm...
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