Wealth in itself seems not to be a sin according to Hebrew and Christian scriptures. Indeed, Abraham and the other patriarchs owned large herds of animals, the wealth of that time, as well as land.

However, those scriptures forbade placing wealth ahead of others’ basic needs. In addition, long term accumulation of wealth was challenged.

Landowners in the Hebrew scriptures were told to avoid reaping to the very borders of their fields during harvest. They were to leave generous portions for the poor to reap for themselves. They were to forgo that extra wealth for the benefit of the less fortunate.

Every fifty years, the Hebrew scriptures called for a Year of Jubilee. Large landowners were to give back land purchased by them that wasn’t part of their original inheritance. They had use of all the land they could buy for up to half a century, but eventually all means to wealth was to be returned to original owners.

Though Jesus indicated the difficulty a rich person experiences in entering the kingdom of heaven (as difficult as a camel going through the eye of a needle), he also followed this observation by saying nothing is impossible for God. Others of his parables condemned the rich, not for their riches, but for centering their lives on wealth and for ignoring the needs of the poor around them.

What are modern equivalents of not reaping to the very borders and of returning land every so often to original owners?

A just society meets the needs of all citizens for basic food, shelter, and medical care.

For a Jubilee equivalent, consider taxing wealth as well as income (wages). The amounts collected might not only support basic needs of the less-well off, but also provide for job training and education, benefitting all of society—including, of course, the wealthy.