Q: Dear Pastor Mac:
Is salesmanship Christian? I don’t see Jesus selling anything in the Bible. On the other hand, He chased away the salespeople from the temple!
A: Yes, salesmanship can be Christian—for Christ was indeed a salesman! He clearly calls out to us, in both the Old and New Testaments, to buy from Him. Consider the following texts:
“I counsel thee to buy of me gold tried in the fire, that thou mayest be rich; and white raiment, that thou mayest be clothed, and that the shame of thy nakedness do not appear; and anoint thine eyes with eyesalve, that thou mayest see.”[1]
“Ho, every one that thirsteth, come ye to the waters, and he that hath no money; come ye, buy, and eat; yea, come, buy wine and milk without money and without price.”[2]
Yes, he chased away the “salespeople” in the temple, but reputable salespeople are always deeply disturbed by those who scandalize the profession. The thieves in the temple[3] sought to “drain some people to add unfairly to others.”[4] The Bible references above show that Jesus does what all good salespeople do—seek to provide benefits and add value to our way of life by helping us to want what we need.
You may argue that He doesn’t charge us for what He has to offer, since He says to buy without money. But money is only one of the many currencies of life. God wants our talents, our temples and our time. These are most costly currencies in the world.
It is by trading talent, temple, and time that we get money. However, unlike money, you can't simply make more time. Once spent, time is gone forever...unless you buy from Christ and obtain eternal life. What's the price? A totally devoted life. He died for you that you would live for Him. And when you live for Him, you'll live forever.
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