When I was a child my parents made certain that I not only went to Sunday School every Sunday, but also read and understood the Bible and its teachings. In the same vein they made sure I read and understood the Declaration of Independence and the Constitution of the United States. And they taught me how the two are connected in principle.
The Framers of the Constitution understood that for this nation to grow and prosper, we needed to be individualists, unfettered by a government that rules over us, instead, having a government that serves us best by not interfering in personal matters - including religion! The only task of government was to provide for our national defense, to protect and preserve our individual rights and freedom.
Christianity says much the same; that it is our personal interaction with others that defines us, and not what government does. The Bible speaks often of how little faith Jesus had in any government. "Pay unto Caesar that which is Caesar's, and pay unto God that which is God's". And while many on the left believe that is proof that Jesus wanted the government to take care of the less fortunate, the opposite is true - based on his other teachings, He was saying that yes, we need to follow the laws of Man and pay our taxes, as that is the law, but our responsibilities - the ones God gave each of us to care for one another - is OUR responsibility, not that of government.
Saying government and not the individual should handle our responsibilities to the less fortunate is like paying the government to hug your family for you because you don't want to be bothered or don't have the time. NO! It is for each of us to do, not Government. Not socialism. Jesus was the opposite of a socialist - He did NOT ask government to do ANYTHING. He asked US, each individual, to do God's work. He did things Himself, and implores us to do the same. It is the task of each individual to take care of one another - we are our "brother's keeper."
The left also claims Jesus was a socialist because he did not believe in capitalism. After all, He overturned the tables of the money-changers, did He not? Yes, He did, but they seem to miss the entire context. He did not overturn the tables out of any disdain for capitalism. The Scriptures clearly state that the money-changers were operating in God's house, and on the Sabbath. THAT was his gripe - not capitalism. And He said as much.
As for capitalism, itself, Jesus very much believed in capitalism, as clearly indicated in his Parable of the Talents, where the servant who did not grow his wealth was punished and the servant who grew his wealth the most was richly rewarded. There are other instances in the Bible where both Jesus and God Himself promotes increasing one's wealth, because if you do not, you would not be in any position to help the less fortunate.
Christianity is quite clear - it asks YOU to care for the less fortunate, not the government. YOU are the one God looks to, not our government. It's a lot like asking someone to say "I love you." If you have to ask for it, it isn't worth anything. If the government has to take from you in order to use it to help others, then YOU have failed in your responsibility to God. You passed your responsibility off to others. Much like sending your kids away to some boarding school, paying strangers to raise your kids, and then trying to take credit for how they turn out (or passing the blame if they turn out badly).
No, Jesus was the furthest thing from a socialist, or even a "social justice" warrior. Whenever you add a qualifier like "social" to a noun like "justice", you change its entire meaning, often to something quite opposite. For example, "social justice" would presume that people "take from the rich and give to the poor". But "justice" is the opposite - justice would dictate that the person who works for, and earns something is entitled to it. And if that individual then chooses to use some of it, out of his good heart, to benefit the less fortunate, then that is justice, and God's will.
SHORT TAKE: It is the individual - you, me and uncle George - who must each and on our own - attempt to earn our path to Heaven. No government can do that for us. Governments do not go to Heaven.
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