In His epic speech which we refer to as the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus gave authoritative commentary on many of the Old Testament teachings as well as correcting some of the conventional perspectives of contemporary rabbis. One teaching had to do with the eighth commandment, “You  shall not steal.” The Lord added some corollaries to the basic axiom. Paul does the same thing in this letter to the Ephesians. The way to obtain what you want is not by stealing, but by working hard for it. For his present audience, Paul recognizes that work in most cases involved manual labor of some sort, or as we would say today, blue-collar work. Businesses usually involved selling something one made or grew. The service industry was largely manned by slave labor. There were few if any “office” jobs. For most people, one’s work was tied to one’s hands.

Physical work is good. After all, in the perfect environment of the Garden of Eden, God gave Adam and Eve work to do in tending to the garden. Ecclesiastes tells us that in spite of the vanity of life there is a potential that “… every man who eats and drinks sees good in all his labor—it is the gift of God” (Eccl 3:13). Paul practiced what he preached. In his final address to the Ephesian elders, he said, “I have coveted no one’s silver or gold or clothes. You yourselves know that these hands ministered to my own needs and to the men who were with me. In everything I showed you that by working hard in this manner you must help the weak and remember the words of the Lord Jesus, that He Himself said, ‘It is more blessed to give than to receive’ ”  (Acts 20:33-35).

So, we followers of Christ should work hard for three reasons: 1) there is satisfaction in work, 2) working provides for our needs and 3) working provides for the needs of others. Work is not an evil task of a fallen world. Certainly sin has made it more difficult, but the problem is not with work, per se. But rather the problem has to do with our own sinfulness that has turned work into a drudgery, a means to selfishly accumulate money for ourselves, a path to power and control over others or a desperate attempt to fulfill our need for significance. Stealing is a way to obtain things without working for them. That’s being a taker, rather than a giver. The unity of the church depends upon everyone being a giver.

Lord, help me remember the purpose of work, so that I can learn to be more generous with the things You have provided me through work.