Bivocational Perspective: Redeeming the Curse of Labor

Of course, many great spiritual leaders were also supported by churches, or even the government, and there’s nothing inherently wrong with making a living from the work of the gospel. But every Jesus follower is called to full-time service to Jesus. Our movement as a whole has been hurt by the notion that only a small percentage of humans are called to ministry.

So what is up with this idea of calling? The word actually means to be “set apart.” In the Old Testament, God set apart the family or line of Aaron as a priestly line. People born to this tribe grew up knowing that they would follow their grandfathers, fathers and brothers into a more dedicated branch of the Jewish people, and as such, they would tend to the religious customs, needs and traditions related to the temple, to the Scriptures and to the daily guidance of the Jewish people. These designated people continued until the time of Jesus, but there were also several other groups of people who seemed a bit more “set apart.” The Pharisees or teachers of the law were a distinct group that lived a more religiously legalistic life. They were the holders of truth and knowledge, and they gave the marching orders to the Jewish religious affairs (often corrupted by political and financial power that kept everyone toeing the line). The Sadducees were an upper-class spiritual sect that hung around and kept watch over the temple.

Neither of these groups was Jesus’s favorite.

There were also the Essenes (ancient-day monastics), who lived away from the city and focused on simplicity and perfect holiness. Intermixed with all of these groups were countless rabbis teaching their own small bands of followers. In every case, these people felt “set apart”; their lives were uniquely called of God, unlike the normal townspeople.

What made the life of Jesus so peculiar was that when he came, he called a band of men and women who fit none of these categories. They were what you might call “peasants.” The disciples were of mundane stock. Some fishermen, a doctor, some carpenters, tax collectors and the rest just standard dudes. The women who assembled around Jesus and his mission were most likely working the land or had simple jobs selling their wares. One notable woman had actually made her living from selling her body. Clearly her trade must have shifted as she joined Jesus’s inner circle, but she, along with every other disciple, supported the mission through a trade. Then after the disciples, we see men like Paul become apostles—the new name for the new leaders of Jesus’s movement. Paul, who was a part of the very powerful sect of Pharisees prior to his conversion, had to leave his “set apart” vocation with the upper-crust spiritual elite and work his apostleship as a normal man with a day job. In other words, as Jesus exalted Paul in true spiritual influence, he had to first get him out of the spiritual-political bubble he was in.

Consider these words about our calling:

You are called to pray at all times (1 Thess. 5:17), work with your hands, and live a simple life (4:11). If you will not work, you shall not eat (2 Thess. 3:10). You are all called as priests unto our God (1 Pet. 2:9). You all have been given the ministry of reconciliation (2 Cor. 5:18-19).

For those who are interested, we will spend a little more time on the pro-pastor thing in a minute, but I don’t want you to miss the hand that is waving right in front of our faces. These verses are for every man and woman.

God’s kingdom needs laborers of all kinds.

Hugh Halter
Hugh Halterhttp://www.hughhalter.com

Hugh Halter is founder of Post Commons and Lantern Network, former U.S. director of Forge America, and on faculty at Northern Seminary. He is the author of a number of books, most recently Flesh: Bringing the Incarnation Down to Earth and Brimstone: The Art and Act of Holy Nonjudgment.

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