Introduction
In his parable of the talents, Jesus spoke of three men their master entrusted with his money. In this context, the word "talent" (Greek: talanton; G5007) refers to a 75-pound (34-kilogram) weight used for currency exchange, not "talent" as a God-given ability to do something unique. Jesus narrated:
Again, it will be like a man going on a journey, who called his servants and entrusted his wealth to them. To one he gave five bags of gold, to another two bags, and to another one bag, each according to his ability. Then he went on his journey. The man who had received five bags of gold went at once and put his money to work and gained five bags more. So also, the one with two bags of gold gained two more. But the man who had received one bag went off, dug a hole in the ground and hid his master's money. After a long time the master of those servants returned and settled accounts with them. The man who had received five bags of gold brought the other five. "Master," he said, "you entrusted me with five bags of gold. See, I have gained five more." His master replied, "Well done, good and faithful servant! You have been faithful with a few things; I will put you in charge of many things. Come and share your master's happiness!" The man with two bags of gold also came. "Master," he said, "you entrusted me with two bags of gold; see, I have gained two more." His master replied, "Well done, good and faithful servant! You have been faithful with a few things; I will put you in charge of many things. Come and share your master's happiness!" (Matt. 25:14-23).
However, we may apply the typology to both money and vocation. It is just as important to use the natural gifts and talents that God gave us to be good stewards of material things. Our daily lives involve constant interaction between our vocations, work, skills, and mammon. We must exercise self-control in choosing careers that allow us to have property and finances first! However, if we fail to exercise self-control, there are negative results in life, which may lose us a good job or goals. God also deals with consequences for fraud, waste, and abuse of the natural talents he gives us. Consider the rest of Jesus' parable:
Now the one who had received one valuable coin came and said, "Master, I knew that you are a hard man. You harvest grain where you haven't sown. You gather crops where you haven't spread seed. So I was afraid. And I hid my valuable coin in the ground. Here, you have what's yours." His master replied, "You evil and lazy servant! You knew that I harvest grain where I haven't sown and that I gather crops where I haven't spread seed? In that case, you should have turned my money over to the bankers so that when I returned, you could give me what belonged to me with interest. Therefore, take from him the valuable coin and give it to the one who has ten coins. Those who have much will receive more, and they will have more than they need. But as for those who don't have much, even the little bit they have will be taken away from them. Now take the worthless servant and throw him out into the farthest darkness." People there will be weeping and grinding their teeth (Matt. 25:24-30).
Between Work & Vocation
Merriam-Webster defines vocation as "a summons or strong inclination to a particular state or course of action, especially a divine call to the religious life." The Bible refers to this as a "calling," meaning that God calls someone to minister and serve in the Christian church. The biblical Greek word for "calling" is klēsis (G2821), which is the noun form of kaleō (G2564, "to call" or "to summon"). This meaning is significant because the Greek word for "church" in the New Testament is ekklēsia (G1577, "called out"), a compound derived from the same verb form. A vocation is a life devoted to Christian ministry and service God sovereignly calls a person to do. It is not just any employment, though some church leaders teach this erroneously. Paul of Tarsus wrote:
As a prisoner for the Lord, then, I urge you to live a life worthy of the calling you have received. Be completely humble and gentle; be patient, bearing with one another in love. Make every effort to keep the unity of the Spirit through the bond of peace (Eph. 4:1-3).
He has saved us and called us to a holy life—not because of anything we have done but because of his own purpose and grace. This grace was given us in Christ Jesus before the beginning of time (2 Tim. 1:9).
In both of these passages, Paul used the noun klēsis. The primary calling that all disciples of Jesus receive is salvation, which then sets us on a course toward a holy personal life, resulting in us helping others learn about God. The Holy Spirit imparts his fruit and gifts to assist us with these kingdom efforts (see John 14:26). This was the reason Paul warned:
By the grace God has given me, I laid a foundation as a wise builder, and someone else is building on it. But each one should build with care. For no one can lay any foundation other than the one already laid, which is Jesus Christ. If anyone builds on this foundation using gold, silver, costly stones, wood, hay or straw, their work will be shown for what it is, because the Day will bring it to light. It will be revealed with fire, and the fire will test the quality of each person's work. If what has been built survives, the builder will receive a reward. If it is burned up, the builder will suffer loss but yet will be saved—even though only as one escaping through the flames (1 Cor. 3:10-15).
Here, Paul compared himself to a blue-collar construction worker whose attention to detail resulted in a successful project. A vocation is a form of work but for a higher divine purpose. Although healthcare and service industry jobs require a dedication to helping others, we complete a vocation explicitly in the name of Jesus. A believer can turn an otherwise mundane job into a vocation by becoming a Christian ministry. For example, a medical professional can work in a mission hospital, or a psychiatrist can open a center for Christian counseling. There is nothing wrong with regular employment, but a vocation is an eternal devotion to God. Hence, Paul testified that some work legacies would survive God's refiner's fire while it would destroy others.
Sabbath for Us—Not Us for the Sabbath
Consider the sabbath, in which God required the Israelites to stop working each seventh day of the week, the seventh year, and each seven of seven years—the jubilee after the conclusion of forty-nine years (see Exod. 23:10-12; 31:12-17; Lev. 25). Jesus taught us that God never meant for us to toil, but to be at rest (see Mark 2:27). The sabbath was a reminder that humankind had it easy in the Garden of Eden before we chose to sin. Remember, work is a condition of the fall, a consequence: "By the sweat of your brow you will eat your food until you return to the ground, since from it you were taken; for dust you are and to dust you will return" (Gen. 3:19). However, the scriptures do not justify being lazy and irresponsible just because God once intended for us to rest. Paul said, "For even when we were with you, we gave you this rule: 'The one who is unwilling to work shall not eat'" (2 Thess 3:10). He also admonished us:
Slaves, obey your earthly masters in everything; and do it, not only when their eye is on you and to curry their favor, but with sincerity of heart and reverence for the Lord. Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for human masters, since you know that you will receive an inheritance from the Lord as a reward. It is the Lord Christ you are serving (Col. 3:22-24).
Conclusion
For some people, God calls them out of the workforce to do ministry. However, for others, God calls them to minister and serve while they do the main job to earn income (i.e., "bi-vocational"). Most rabbis and first-century church leaders were bi-vocational. For example, Paul was a tentmaker (see Acts 18:3). Throughout his letters, Paul called his fellow ministers "co-workers." One main takeaway from this article is that vocation is work; however, work is not a vocation. Paul worked with Priscilla and Aquila making tents, but all three of them made sure to have time left for teaching scripture (see Acts 18:26). Spiritually, those of whom God calls to ministry and service help us on our way to Jesus' final sabbath rest on the last day! In Revelation, while in exile at Patmos, John testified:
This calls for patient endurance on the part of the people of God who keep his commands and remain faithful to Jesus. Then I heard a voice from heaven say, "Write this: Blessed are the dead who die in the Lord from now on." "Yes," says the Spirit, "they will rest from their labor, for their deeds will follow them" (Rev. 14:12-13).
Then, the Father will give every righteous person a vocation in his kingdom of heaven (see Rev. 22:3). However, the work in heaven will be restful, not the fatigue-producing toil we experience right now. The prophet Isaiah foresaw this restful labor in the New Jerusalem:
They will build houses and dwell in them; they will plant vineyards and eat their fruit. No longer will they build houses and others live in them, or plant and others eat. For as the days of a tree, so will be the days of my people; my chosen ones will long enjoy the work of their hands. They will not labor in vain, nor will they bear children doomed to misfortune; for they will be a people blessed by the LORD, they and their descendants with them (65:21-23).
Prayer
Blessed are you, LORD our God, King of the universe; by whose Spirit the whole body of your faithful people is governed and sanctified: Receive our supplications and prayers which we offer before you for all members of your church, that in our vocation and ministry we may truly and devoutly serve you; through our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. Amen.
Bibliography
Alcorn, Randy. "9 Facts about Heaven That Will Surprise You." Nashville: Lifeway Christian Resources, 2016. https://www.lifeway.com/en/articles/pastor-questioning-heaven.
Attridge, Harold W., ed. The NRSV HarperCollins Study Bible, Revised and Updated with Apocryphal and Deuterocanonical Books. San Francisco: HarperOne, 2006.
The Book of Common Prayer. Huntington Beach, CA: Anglican Liturgy Press, 2019. p. 568. http://bcp2019.anglicanchurch.net/wp-content/uploads/2019/08/BCP2019.pdf.
Darling, Daniel. "Work, Dignity & Our True Value." Tysons, VA: Institute for Faith, Work & Economics, 2022. https://tifwe.org/work-dignity-our-true-value.
Dobson, Kent, ed. NIV First-Century Study Bible: Explore Scripture in Its Jewish and Early Christian Context. Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 2014.
Gehrlein, Russell. "How Does Adam's Sin Impact Work?" Tysons, VA: Institute for Faith, Work & Economics, 2022. https://tifwe.org/how-does-adams-sin-impact-work.
Kaiser, Walter C., Jr., and Duane Garrett, eds. NIV Archaeological Study Bible: An Illustrated Walk through Biblical History and Culture. Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 2006.
Keener, Craig S., and John H. Walton, eds. NIV Cultural Backgrounds Study Bible: Bringing to Life the Ancient World of Scripture. Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 2016.
Rose, Reagan. "Will We Work in Heaven?" Belleville, MI: Redeeming Productivity LLC, 2019. https://www.redeemingproductivity.com/will-we-work-in-heaven.
Smith, Irene. "We Have Talents We Can Give as Gifts to Christ." Tysons, VA: Institute for Faith, Work & Economics, 2021. https://tifwe.org/we-have-talents-we-can-give-as-gifts-to-christ.
Whelchel, Hugh. "The Gospel & Our Various Christian Callings." Tysons, VA: Institute for Faith, Work & Economics, 2022. https://tifwe.org/the-gospel-our-various-christian-callings.
⸻. How Then Should We Work? Rediscovering the Biblical Doctrine of Work. Tysons, VA: Institute for Faith, Work & Economics, 2012.
Wright, N. T. Surprised by Hope: Rethinking Heaven, the Resurrection, and the Mission of the Church. San Francisco: HarperOne, 2008.
Comments