Make Profits Till I Come

Is God a capitalist? Now that I've gotten your attention, let me refer you to the Gospel of Luke, where Jesus told what I like to call “the Parable of the Investments.” Jesus tells how “a certain nobleman went into a far country to receive for himself a kingdom and to return. So he called ten of his servants, delivered to them ten minas, and said to them, 'Do business till I come’” (Lk. 19:12-13). First, there's that strange word minas: in Greek, it's even stranger, spelled mnas, and pronounced exactly the way it looks (each mna was the equivalent of about three months’ salary). This is actually a parable about that old-fashioned, unpopular word, responsibility. The nobleman in the story gave his servants a commission: The King James Version says, “Occupy till I come”; modern translations render this expression “Do business” or “Put this money to work.” In Greek, the word is pragmateuo (the source of our English word pragmatic). It means to be activist—what in modern parlance might be rendered pro-active. In economic terms, the master is commanding his servants to invest his resources wisely—in order to make a profit!

Clearly, these servants were given discretionary power about how to manage their lord's investments—not specific instructions. They had the freedom to invest their loaned resources wherever they chose. At the same time, they were also accountable to their lord for how they performed. So, when the master returned, he ordered them to turn in their profits to him. The first servant's investment of his mina had yielded ten minas: a 1000% return! The master replied, “Well done, good servant; because you were faithful in a very little, have authority over ten cities.” A similar outcome took place with the next servant, whose investment had yielded a fivefold return. The economics lesson Jesus is teaching is that faithfulness in little things will result in authority over great things (cf. Mt. 25:23)—the same “home economics” lesson parents teach when they assign children useful small tasks, in order to lead to more productive responsibilities.

But not all the servants were faithful. One servant, motivated by fear rather than love for his master (see 1 Jn. 4:18), hid his master's investment—in a handkerchief! His defense is a classic in missing the point: “For I feared you, because you are an austere man. You collect where you did not deposit, and reap what you did not sow.” In the master's rebuke, he orders the unfaithful servant's original investment confiscated, and given to the one who had earned the most. Jesus underscores the point: “For I say to you, that to everyone who has will be given; and from him who does not have, even what he has will be taken from him.” It is a basic principle of life, and Jesus repeatedly insists on it (cf. Mt.13:12; 25:29; Mk. 4:25; Lk. 8:18). The servant should at least have put his resources into the bank, Jesus says: Do something with God's gifts!

Christ's ultimate point is that the efficient servant will “put this money to work,” seeking to make profits, doing business, developing his capital. In contrast, inefficient and disobedient servants are judged: even what they have is taken away. It is a familiar pattern in economics: far from being the results of either “luck” or greed, profits are usually signals that people are faithfully discharging their responsibilities. But this is true everywhere: as a rule, proven responsibility is rewarded in the marketplace.

The parable's lessons are practical in every area of life. First, Jesus is teaching that God expects all His investments to yield a profit: God is the ultimate capitalist! Each of us has been entrusted with some of God's investments, God's capital—our resources, talents, abilities, jobs, relationships, and so on: ultimately, everything we are and have. The smallest gift is useful, like the child's loaves and fishes (Jn. 6:9).

Second, we can't stand still in life: We either make progress or lose everything. That means internalizing sound economic principles for ourselves. In the Book of Proverbs, “wisdom” means knowing what to do when new situations arise that you can't just “look up.” It includes momentum: working to develop an increasing capacity to use our resources. It also means the “economization” of our time, because, like it or not, time is irreversible: you can't bring the last moment of your life back. You can make restitution for wrongs you have done, you can make amends for mistakes in judgment, but one thing you can never do is go back in time and “do it over.” (Why don't we think of that before we have to repent?) St. Paul admonishes, “See then that you walk circumspectly, redeeming the time, because the days are evil” (Eph. 5:15). How are you redeeming—buying back—the time God has given you?

Third, look at the rewards given to the faithful servants: The Master doesn't give them “R&R,” a vacation, but greater responsibility, more work, and increased opportunity.... so that they can earn more profits!

We all have an economic task: putting our God-given resources to work until the Master asks to see the Balance Sheets.