The Bible, the Pilgrims & Our Liberty
Jerry Newcombe
We tend to take both work and rest to the extremes. We either see the world glorifying the constant hustle, or we see it celebrating self-indulgent laziness. But Jesus offers a radically different (and better) view of how we use our time. Here are five cultural messages about productivity and what Jesus says about your time instead.
If social media ever tries to sell you on the idea that having “it all” is desirable, remember what Jesus told the rich man who asked how to attain eternal life in Matthew 19:21 (NIV): “If you want to be perfect, go, sell your possessions and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven. Then come, follow me.” We can be better stewards of what we have in this life if we remember that its worth doesn’t compare to our treasure in heaven.
Immediately following the story of the rich young ruler, the Gospel of Matthew records Jesus’ parable of the workers in the vineyard (20:1–16). Jesus tells of laborers who were hired at different times throughout the day. Some early in the morning, some in the afternoon, and some just an hour before the workday ended. When it came time to be paid, the landowner gave every one of them the same wage. This parable is often understood to mean that it’s never too late to receive salvation, but it is also saying that our effort does not correlate or contribute to our salvation. Our reward is determined by God’s grace and generosity, not our productivity.
Culture says you can have it all. Jesus says you can have eternal life.
In the parable of the talents in Matthew 25:14–30, Jesus describes a master who entrusts his wealth to three servants before going on a journey. Each servant receives a different amount “according to his ability.” Two of them put the money to work and doubled their master’s investment. But the third servant, out of fear, buried what he was given and did nothing with it. When the master returns, he praises the first two for being faithful and entrusts them with more. But the servant who hid the talent is rebuked for doing nothing with it. The lesson in this parable is not that we are responsible for the outcomes, but that we are called to use the resources that God has entrusted to us, just like the vineyard workers responded to the call to work, some for the full day, and others for an hour.
We can all relate to Martha when Jesus came to her house and she was “distracted by all the preparations” and “upset about many things.” But what did Jesus tell her when she asked him to tell Mary to help? He says to her in Luke 10:38-42 (NIV), “Martha, Martha… Mary has chosen what is better, and it will not be taken away from her.” Like Martha, our busyness can distract us. But making space to abide with Jesus, like Mary, can yield more fruit in our lives. Mary chose better.
Slowing down is not just important to allow our fruit to grow. Jesus tells us that rest is essential. In fact, Jesus taught that “the Sabbath was made for man” in Mark 2:23–28. Sabbath rest is a gift to us from our Creator who modeled rest for us. We can rest knowing that God isn’t impressed when we are super busy, and he’s not disappointed when we slow down. We can rest knowing that God wants us to rest, and he gave us a day of rest as a good gift.
Editor’s Note: This article was originally published in Common Good Magazine. Republished with permission.
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