How Much Have You Gained by Trading?
August 6th, 2007 | Michael Q. Pink
“And it came to pass, that when he was returned, having received the kingdom, then he commanded these servants to be called unto him, to whom he had given the money, that he might know how much every man had gained by trading.” (Luke 19:15) Please notice something here… Jesus is giving a parable about Himself. He gives his servants each a pound of money equal to about three months wages. You do the math. He then gives them one simple command… “Occupy till I come.” According to Barnes commentary, “the word ‘occupy’ here means not merely to possess, as it often does in our language, but to improve, to employ in business, for the purpose of increasing it or of making profit on it.”
He is talking about money and He commands them to make a profit with it. Surely Jesus wouldn’t really say that or if He did, then somehow money was an allegory for spiritual treasure - Hogwash. Look at the only question Jesus asks upon His return… “How much have you gained by trading?” He doesn’t ask for a story. He wants a financial accounting: Just the numbers please. How horrid! Who is this man, Jesus? I will tell you. Among many other things, He is also the wealthiest of the wealthy who has no equal. He is the King of kings and Lord of lords. He fully understands business and wants us to as well.
He wants us to get over our hang-ups about money and wealth. He wants us to grow up, be strong, mature and successful at our calling, be that as a librarian or business tycoon. And if it’s business, then He is very interested in the increase we produce and the return we deliver (revenues and profits). Notice also, that He gave the one who produced a tenfold return the unused capital from the unfaithful servant who had buried his money and produced no return. Why not give it to the guy who had produced a fivefold return? Didn’t he need it more? Maybe, but God is a businessman. He put His money with the guy who produced the higher returns. Wouldn’t you?
August 6th, 2007 at 9:15 am
I know this story well and while you may be correct with you analogy, I’ve always thought of it differently.
I believe he is asking us how we are doing with the free gift he has given us and the responsibility that comes with it.
I’m talking of course about our salvation and the great commission.
I believe he is asking how we are doing with the last instruction he gave while on Earth that is given in Matthew 28: 19-20
Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost:
Teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you: and, lo, I am with you always, even unto the end of the world. Amen.
August 6th, 2007 at 10:02 am
I feel firmly convicted that Jesus is talking about sharing the message of salvation using the talents he has given us. Be that phyiscal talents, the family (and country) into which we are born, gifts of the spirit, money, power, etc. I find it interesting that the term used for money in the parable is talents. The focus must always be on spreading the message using everything God has given us to the maxim advantage. Otherwise, we’ll get lost in our pride or in the love of money. That’s were spiritual maturity comes in.
August 6th, 2007 at 10:14 am
From an early age I always thought the parable of the talents (biblical currency) was an analogy for talents in the way we define talents today. I thought Jesus was using money because it’s something everyone understood.
I’m redefining my perspective on wealth and abundance as Michael takes us through this journey. I have to wonder if Jesus is indeed using an analogy, why would He use one that could so easily be misinterpreted? That in itself makes a pretty compelling case that we can take this parable at face value and use wealth to further His work.
Of course, I don’t want to lessen the spreading of the messages of salvation. That should still be Job One!
August 6th, 2007 at 11:55 am
Michael,
I have problems with your “bottom line” here. First, areas of agreement…..
Jesus is indeed talking about himself and his kingdom.
Jesus does want us to get over our our hang-ups about money and wealth. He wants us to grow up, be strong, mature and successful at our calling.
I suggest to you, however, that among the things that Jesus wants, He wants us to get over our hangs-up about the IMPORTANCE of money and wealth. Why do I say this?
The scriptures are filled with stories of people who focused on gaining wealth at the expense of spiritual things. The man who built bigger barns and storehouses was called a fool. The rich young ruler was told to give his money to the poor. Esau lost his portion of the inheritance over temporal things.
Jesus clearly stated, Don’t lay up treasures on earth but instead, lay up treasures in heaven. He also stated that you cannot serve God and money.
Accordingly, his PRIMARY message here CANNOT be that we should make profit and be wealthy. It must have a deeper spiritual application.
Your response to this viewpoint, as near as I can tell, is “Hogwash”. While this response is succinct, it is not particularly compelling as a reason to dispel this view.
Again, I agree with the idea that we should be solid business people, successful in what God has called us to do. However, the measure cannot be simply profitability. If it was. Jesus must have somehow failed his own test. He was a business guy that went into “full-time occupational ministry” and shortly thereafter had no place to lay his head. What happened to all that profit from his business?
August 6th, 2007 at 12:09 pm
Steve,
I appreciate your comments - particularly that you began with areas of agreement. This subject is worthy of much discussion, because there are so many widely-varied places for us to get “hung up.”
Here’s a thought with respect to Jesus failing his own test… there are many interesting perspectives that would lead us to indicate that Jesus was not, in fact, indicating that he was impoverished when he said that he had no place to lay his head. But no matter which side of that question you come down on, here’s perhaps a different way to look at the question of Jesus’ “profitabiliy.”
God invests one Son, reaps… millions? billions?
August 6th, 2007 at 12:16 pm
Totally agree with you, David. God’s economy clearly is built on “sowing and reaping” and investing one that multiplies into many. As you point out, God’s economy seems to be human lives and souls rather than finances.
Steve
August 6th, 2007 at 1:15 pm
Boy, have I needed this lesson. I’m trying to start a direct sales business that has proven over and over again to be successful for other women - if I would only gain some confidence and ask for the business. I never thought of myself as shy, but I tend to think people will be bothered by my asking them to do business with me. Another tough part for me is actually selling something. I love the product, but when it comes to selling it I stutter and stammer. I’m embarrassed to take people’s money even though I’m offering a wonderful product with a 100% satisfaction guarantee. Hearing this message that God expects us to make a profit and do well at business is extremely helpful to me. Thanks!
August 6th, 2007 at 1:18 pm
Steve,
I’m glad we’re in agreement here. And certainly, God’s economy is human lives and souls.
That being said, it was Jesus Himself who connected human lives and souls with money. In other words, the steward who managed to produce a high return financially was the one with whom the Master entrusted the oversight of numerous lives.
It seems to me that it’s too easy to see this purely as a metaphor and miss the point that Jesus was making about economic management. Using Biblical principles and accessing the supernatural resources God has made available to us through His Word and through His Spirit will inevitably result in multiplication.
The Church has been scared of this kind of thinking, however, and has steered clear of focusing on economics because we’ve been afraid to appear greedy. Certainly, if someone has issues with greed, repentance is in order. But we can’t applaud those whose labors have resulted in poverty and lack because to do so is clearly to align ourselves 180 degrees opposed to the principles that Jesus is teaching here.
We’ve all heard plenty of sermons against greed. Most of us have also heard sermons about prosperity that might have led us to question the motives of the preacher. It’s a sticky subject, there is no doubt. But I, for one, have come to believe that the numerous connections that Jesus made between money, increase, the Kingdom, and the condition of the heart ultimately mandate us to unashamedly produce financial increase. And to do so will require that we meditate on His Word, apply His principles, fellowship with His Spirit, and work to reach measurable goals.
I think Michael’s point here is well taken: God is inspecting our finances. It’s one of the indicators He uses. How are we doing?
August 6th, 2007 at 7:16 pm
It is a daily challenge to get our minds around “the whole counsel of the Word of God.” I just spent a weekend with my extended family discussing this very concept of financial return and our role in it. I’m asked questions like, “Should we sell everythng, simplify, spend more time just evangelizing?” I know that the passion I have to be successful in business is so I can use the financial gain to increase ministry, but what does a person say when someone comes back with, “Well, if Jesus is our example and He didn’t even have a place to ‘lay His head,’ what are we (Christians) doing building new homes, big businesses, etc.?”
August 6th, 2007 at 9:17 pm
Dear Selling Among Wolves
I am working on changing from a consumer attitude to a trading atitude.
I am meting up with Derek Gehl of the Internet Marketing Centre in Sydney Australia this weekend and taking a Small Business course to help with this project.
One of his offerings is a blog for people in his group. I am looking for a similar conection with Christians in business - e bay and internet - so that affiliates are Christians. Seling Among Wolves is a great eaxmple of sales training.
Can you get in touch with wisdom, suggestions and possible ongoing links?
Look forward to hearing from you.
Gretings form down under
Colin Dubi
(DubiTrading)
August 7th, 2007 at 7:31 am
To my brothers and sisters who have commented above. Please allow me to make one general response to all of the above… Thank you for taking the time to share your perspective. As is normal, I cannot possibly make all the disclaimers for what I am not saying in my blogs and still have space to put out a single, focused thought. Having said that, I do want to say this parable is not talking about talents or spiritual gifts. He is talking about money. Please look at the context. Jesus tells the story while at Zacchaeus the tax collector’s house. He is rich and in the tradition of tax collectors to this day, has extorted money by false statements, a sin for which he repents and promises to repay four fold. He also pledges half of his goods to the poor. It is in that context that Jesus tells a parable about money. To suggest that His story is ONLY a spiritual allegory in my humble opinion is hogwash. (I worked on a hog farm. I know whereof I speak.)
Having said that I am quick to acknowledge that it certainly has other applications, many of which may well be more important. Nevertheless, money is very important. Proverbs 10:15 says “The rich man’s wealth is his strong city; the destruction of the poor is their poverty.” Ecclesiastes 7:12 adds that “money is a defense”. Money is very important but certainly not more important than salvation, etc. However, if we can’t steward money how can we be trusted with eternal issues? (Luke 16:11) I believe being faithful with money is a proving ground to determine whether we can be trusted with true riches.
We can do a lot with money. Look at the book of Ezra. When it came time to rebuild the temple, God raised up Zerubbabel to build but He also raised up Cyrus who spent great sums to finance the project. The building of the first temple was financed by a former shepherd, King David, who had amassed great wealth much of which was dedicated to building that temple.
In Nehemiah when the wall was being rebuilt, the final section was built by the goldsmith’s son and the merchants. Mitch Mann suggests that the Nehemiah story is a shadow of what God is doing in these hours in history. He thought it not insignificant that it was the goldsmith’s son and the merchants who finished the last section on the wall and completed its fortification. It’s a picture of the church learning to master money instead of serve it and to use it for God’s purposes.
Gotta run now my friends… The plane is landing and you know what they are telling me to do… Blessings,
August 7th, 2007 at 7:58 am
Michael,
I for many years thought money was important. Now I am not so sure. Yes, we need money but If God knows we need it, He will supply all we need. I think sometimes we put way to much emphasis on our ability to do things to earn money.
I believe as Christians we are obligated to set a standard of living and when extra money comes in, we should not raise our standard of living but ask God what He wants us to do with it. It is because of His mercy and grace that we receive anything. Now saying that if we are truly obedient, God will continue to us us to build His kingdom. And that is what He is talking about in Luke. When Zacchaeus saw how important being saved by God was, he looked at his possessions and how unimportant they were, and thought about giving most of them away. Seek first His kingdom and all these things will be giving to us. When we start thinking they are ours is when we get into trouble.
Kern
August 7th, 2007 at 8:53 am
Kern,
Nicely put! Couldn’t have said it better myself.
August 7th, 2007 at 9:16 am
Do please send more revelation/motivation along these lines. There’s a release this morning in someone just saying it - fevre for profit that one has in business is JUST as viable for YHWH!
August 7th, 2007 at 9:18 am
One of the fundamental mindsets that we are dealing with here — underneath all the discussion about money — is the notion that my call to the business world is somehow not ministry.
For example, Julie: I fully respect and admire your passion and zeal to serve God. It is an enormously powerful thing to be willing to lay anything at the feet of Jesus for the purpose of serving Him.
Having said that, I wonder how many times we have assumed that our work was not a holy thing? It’s not a 501(c)(3) (here in the US) tax-exempt, not-for-profit organization so it must not be a ministry? Quite the contrary! Over and over again in Scripture, we see examples of men and women who were used by God while being who they were.
How could Moses have built the tabernacle without the craftsmen, the artisans, the skilled garment makers? My favorite example of this is in Exodus 31, where God says (in the Old Covenant, no less!) he has filled Bezaleel with the Spirit of God… to do what? To feed the hungry? To care for the needy? To play an instrument of worship? To preach a sermon? No… to work in gold, silver and brass, to cut stones, to carve timber, etc.
In other words, this guy had no doubt spent years of his life honing his craft… all the while being infilled by the Holy Spirit. Study the Old Covenant and see how rare it is for anyone to be described as having the Spirit of God within them. (He’s otherwise described as being upon them instead!)
My point here is this — God intends for us to view our work as a holy calling. To work as unto Him (Col. 3:23) — not just for our customers, employers, and co-workers, but for Him. Why? Because this is how He spreads everywhere His fragrance!
It is time for us to recognize that it is in doing what we were created by God to do that we ultimately fulfill His purpose for our lives. And in so doing, we will see increase in every area… not the least of which is in finances!
August 7th, 2007 at 9:35 am
David,
Moses did not build the tabernackle, God did. God brought all those craftsman and all the rest and all the money to Moses. If Moses would have not been obedient, God would have raised up somone else.
It is God doing all the work, not us. We are nothing more than God’s instrument for His purpose.
God uses people not because who they are but because they are obedient. Example, Saul, Israel frist King, was not obedient so God took his life ane replaced him with David.
My question for everyone is this: if God took everything away from us, our cars, our homes, our retirements, our health, our families, everything, would we still worship and adore God? Search your hearts and be careful with your answer because Paul said our hearts are very deceitful. Do you, do I, worship God for who He is and not what He can do for us.
August 7th, 2007 at 10:09 am
Alot of the misconception I believe lies in the notion that we are the “owners”. The correct perspective is one as a “steward” since God owns it all anyway. Good ole USA ownership mindset! We cannot look at our financial statement alone and declare success. God doesn’t own just 10% of our money He owns 100% and should be consulted on how it is spent. If we do that gain will follow. We need enough money to fulfill our God given vision so no exact amount of wealth will work across the board for all folks. Small visions require only small finances. Larger visons require larger amounts. If we could only understand and accept that fact then folks wouldn’t get their panties in a wad talking about wealth. Has there been abuse- you bet because those people didn’t understand the wealth was to fund Gods vision not for their personal excuse for excess.
Stewardship such a forgotten role in the modern church. We all have something to steward starting with our body, family, relationships… what have we done with these as well? Owning things cannot be wrong since God owns it all. Be a good STEWARD today!
August 7th, 2007 at 10:22 am
Simplicity Is Possible and Good
In Timothy 6, verse 8: “If we have food and clothing, with these we shall be content.” Christians can be and ought to be content with the simple necessities of life. I’ll mention three reasons why simplicity is possible and good. First, because when you have God near you and for you, you don’t need extra money or extra things to give you peace and security. Hebrews 13:5, 6 says,
Keep your life free from the love of money. Be content with what you have. For he has said, “I will never fail you nor forsake you.” Hence we can confidently say, “The Lord is my helper, I will not be afraid; what can man do to me?”
No matter which way the market is moving, God is always better than gold. Therefore, by God’s help we can be content with the simple necessities of life.
Second, we can be content with the necessities of life because the deepest, most satisfying delights God gives us through creation are free gifts from nature and loving relationships with people. After your basic needs are met, money begins to diminish your capacity for these pleasures rather than increase them. Buying things contributes absolutely nothing to the heart’s capacity for joy. There is a deep difference between the temporary thrill of a new toy and a homecoming hug from a devoted friend. Who do you think has the deepest most satisfying joy in life, the man who pays $100 for a fortieth floor suite downtown and spends his evening in the half-lit, smoke filled lounge impressing strange women with ten dollar cocktails, or the man who chooses the Motel 6 by a vacant lot of sunflowers and spends his evening watching the sunset and writing a love letter to his wife?
Third, we should be content with the simple necessities of life because we could invest the extra that we make for what really counts. Three billion people today are outside Jesus Christ. Two-thirds of those do not have a viable Christian witness in their culture. If they are to hear—and Christ commands that they hear—cross-cultural missionaries will have to be sent and paid for. All the wealth needed to send this new army of good news ambassadors is in the American church. If we, like Paul, are content with the simple necessities of life, thousands of dollars at Bethlehem and millions of dollars in the Baptist General Conference and hundreds of millions of dollars in the Protestant church would be released to take the gospel to the frontiers. And the revolution of joy and freedom it would cause at home would be the best local witness imaginable. The biblical call is that you can and ought to be content with the simple necessities of life. Therefore, don’t try to get rich.
Pursuing Riches Leads to Destruction
The third reason not to pursue wealth is that the pursuit ends in the destruction of your life. Verses 9 and 10:
Those who desire to be rich fall into temptation, into a snare, into many senseless and hurtful desires that plunge men into ruin and destruction. For the love of money is the root of all evils. It is through this craving that some have wandered away from the faith and pierced their hearts with many pangs.
No Christian wants to plunge into ruin and destruction and be pierced with many pangs. Therefore, no Christian desires to be rich. Test yourself. Have you learned your attitude toward money from the Bible, or have you absorbed it from contemporary American merchandising? When you ride an airplane and read the airline magazine, almost every page teaches and pushes a view of wealth which is the exact opposite from the view in verse 9. Verse 9 makes vivid the peril of desiring to be rich. The airline magazines exploit and promote the desire to be rich and to own images of wealth.
The assumption is this: One of the main reasons that the world and the church are awash in greed and money today —one of the reasons we are awash in all this is that our lives are intellectually and emotionally disconnected from infinite, soul-staggering grandeur. Inside and outside the church we are drowning in a sea of triviality, pettiness, banality, and silliness. Television is trivial. Radio is trivial. Conversation is trivial. Education is trivial. Christian books are trivial. Worship styles are trivial. It is inevitable that the human heart, which was made to be staggered with terrifyingly joyous dread and peace by an infinitely untouchable, embracing God—it is inevitable that such a heart, drowning in the all-pervasive, blurry boredom of banal entertainment, will reach for the best buzz that life can give: money and things.
The deepest cure is not any mental strategies—and I believe in them and have my own. The deepest cure is to be intellectually and emotionally staggered by the infinite, everlasting, unchanging sovereignty, holiness, wrath, justice, wisdom, truth, and mercy of God. And money is just one of the hundreds of day-to-day issues you face that will overwhelm you and debase your life without this kind of encounter with the living God.
That is why Romans 11:30-32 is relevant to all of us. My prayer is that God will give you/me the capacity to be spiritually jolted, since that is what happens to Paul here, and he is trying to pass it on to us. But finally it is God’s doing, not mine.
August 7th, 2007 at 10:54 am
[...] a great discussion on this subject going on over at Michael Pink’s blog. Check it [...]
August 7th, 2007 at 12:01 pm
Thanks David-
I learned a long time ago to leave dualism-that is to understand that there is no division in our lives as to sacred and secular. As a believer, everything I do in life is to be sacred…all is to be done wholeheartedly as unto God.
August 7th, 2007 at 12:20 pm
Right on! –Excellent!
August 8th, 2007 at 7:37 am
Kern,
You should also consider Proverbs 10:19
August 8th, 2007 at 12:29 pm
Woody,
I find your comment astounding!
Couldn’t this be applied with equal abandon to any pulpit pastor and, in fact, to Michael himself, who gives of his time regularly to share thoughts and perspectives? Just because someone takes the time to explain a concept does not make them unwise. Perhaps I misinterpreted the intent of your remark???
August 8th, 2007 at 3:28 pm
Thus says the LORD, your Redeemer, the Holy One of Israel, “I am the LORD your God, who teaches you to profit, Who leads you in the way you should go. Isaiah 48:17
First and for most we need to look at our relationship with God. There isn’t anything new or that hasn’t already been part of God’s knowledge, Wisdom or Vision. Our example of life by our Lord Christ Jesus has given us all the answer to “does God want us to profit.” Jesus devoted over 15% of His recorded words on the subject of money. Why is it so important to God? We need to understand that God owns it all and we have been asked to be good stewards of it all.
To each of us we have been given, based on the relationship you have with God:
Now it is required that those who have been given a trust must prove faithful. 1 Corintians 4:2
So ask God who teaches us to profit to teach you and to be faithful as His steward of the profits.
August 10th, 2007 at 12:56 am
Steve,
You said:
“Perhaps I misinterpreted the intent of your remark???”
You did.
August 14th, 2007 at 10:40 am
In regard to Colin’s comments last week…
Along the same line, I was wondering if there are additional opportunities to network, share ideas, etc. with the people in this group. I could use any amount of mentoring as I apply Michael’s teaching to my specific business endeavor. Again, I’m new to the group, so if someone could fill me in on this, I would appreciate it.
Thanks!
August 15th, 2007 at 8:50 am
Julie;
We are launching a brand new look to another site we run. (ChristianBusinessDaily.com) It should be ready to go the first week of September. It will be loaded with content but also provide an opportunity for membership with loads of free materials and opportunities to network. You will be notified when that comes out shortly. Blessings.
August 15th, 2007 at 9:56 am
Thank you Michael!
That sounds great!