Jesus CFO: Lessons Jesus Taught That Apply To Business

The (Un)wise Steward (text Luke 16)

There's a story that Jesus tells that is very often misunderstood; it goes like this: There's this old guy that hears through the grapevine that he's about to get fired. He thinks to himself that he is too old to dig ditches or to beg, and is concerned about what he will do in the future (some out there can relate to this, like in #ZoomTown). So he went to all of his clients and told them to pay only 1/2 or 1/3rd of what they owed, and forgave the balance.

The lord commended this man and said that he made friends in the world. At first glance, you would think this guy is a crook, and why would the lord commend him?

Think of Scrooge. The employer here is concerned that his employee was stealing from him. It's all about the money, and his god was Mammon obviously, who is the god of money. The steward in this story, did something that most of us would never imagine; work for no pay. But, it probably went well for him when he ingratiated himself to all his clients, knowing that his days are numbered. The question of whether he was truly unjust, or whether his lord only accused him of such, is never answered, but Jesus says something cryptically "And I?say?unto you,?Make?to yourselves?friends?of?the mammon?of unrighteousness;?that,?when?ye fail,?they may receive?you?into?everlasting?habitations." What did he mean? One possibility is to use the opportunity of failure, or the loss of a job, to point to "everlasting habitations", which sounds like eternal life to me.

You have to first learn about the merchant class of old. The master whom this senior had worked for, probably sold bushels of grain, or skins of wine wholesale. So he entrusts the steward with 100 units, which for example are worth 1 piece of silver each, and the master is expecting to receive 100 pieces of silver. The merchants back then doubled the price (which today is called 'Keystone"), and sells to clients for 2 pieces of silver per bushel (retail). So the one that bought 5 bushels of barley gets invoiced for 10 pieces of silver, then the steward tells him to discount his bill in half and only pay 5 pcs. Imagine how you would feel if the bank that you owed a million dollars to, called and said just pay half, and we'll forgive the rest. Or for that matter, a salesman tells you to only pay half the invoice, and he's taking care of the rest.

What happened here is that by forgiving half the balance, he forfeited his markup, and paid the master in full, but was fired anyway. Instead of digging ditches, he most likely was hired by one of the many debtors he forgave. This is a principle that repeats itself and has to do with unmerited favor. It works today, just as it did back then.

Breaking Bread

When was the last time you treated someone for dinner? Until recently, this was not a very big deal. Today, with prices at restaurants increasing dramatically, it is that much more appreciated (hint, I love to be invited to dinner at Northwoods Inn, any location, in Southern California [:-)]) . What if someone took care of half your rent, or loan payment? They'd probably be considered a dear friend.

Golden Rule Marketing

I've written about the #GoldenRule, and how the version we all hear does not make sense "Do unto others as you would have them do unto you". What Jesus actually said, to paraphrase, was consider the things that you love when others do them for you. In our recent visit to the South Island in New Zealand, we were treated like royalty by our hosts. They provided shelter, a vehicle, and their friendship. THAT, is what I love when others do unto me. The balance of Jesus' statement was "likewise, do so unto others". "Do like", not necessarily "do what."

Examples

My friend helped with extend the lean-to on my barn last weekend, and I was grateful. He does not have a barn that I can help him extend, but he has other needs which I can meet. My wife loves chocolate: I love vanilla. Knowing this, I love to give her what SHE likes. If I did unto her what I wanted her to do unto me, it would mean I give her vanilla, hoping she gives me vanilla back, or she may give me chocolate, hoping I give her chocolate back, and we're both not pleased. It's through building relationships, that you learn the needs and wants people have. This certainly applies to clients, and can be a key component in #marketing.

Magic Genie

Another take on this. Recently I had a live event where the question was "what if you met a magic genie, what would your 3 wishes be (except $$)?" My point was that you never know when someone in the audience is able to meet that need, and perhaps be your magic genie. Consider being that genie to someone you meet.

In Conclusion

There are other versions of this story, some title the story in #Luke16 the 'unjust steward'. Jesus said you cannot serve mammon and God, or you cannot serve two masters. This is open to interpretation. I see it as some people will not do a thing for anyone unless they get paid. They end up forfeiting potential friendships when they covet money. Imagine a realtor that says "pay me to show you the property". There are many things in business, that you do without being paid, like RFQs, then you hope 2 or 3 out of 10 get accepted. If you called a friend to help you move, and he said "sure, for $20 per hour", you would probably be very disappointed.

I speak as a layperson to laypeople; this is not a Theological debate. How many of us get 'hit up', by those who we barely meet, and they're trying to send us an invoice. My advice would be, first of all, to learn what 'jurisdiction' means. Juris, is 'the right', diction is 'speech'. The right to speak. Just because you connect with someone, does not mean they have the time to speak with you at your convenience. But then again, reply as often as you can. Be personal (no funnels please), and talk when it's convenient with your prospect. You should learn something about them, like what are their issues, problems, wants and needs. LIke they say, find a problem, then solve it. Meet those needs, and you may have a client for life.

References: #PastorJackHibbs (who opened my eyes to this principle), visit https://jackhibbs.com/ / Online Blue Letter Bible, all versions, https://www.blueletterbible.org/

#JesusCFO

Jesus CFO Table of Contents