Wall Street Paradigm

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Who is the world’s most famous Chief Executive Officer? At Wall Street Paradigm we believe that Jesus of Nazareth would be a heavy contender for the title. Granted this is a surprise to most, as the Church has exclusively presented Him as a religious figure that is the Son of God and the Savior of the World. That representation is primary and correct, but it does not exhaust the extent of His accomplishments.

It is our conviction that the Scriptures reveal that He also exemplified the characteristics of a gifted businessman. This can be discerned if we examine His life against the backdrop of a marketplace analogy. We hope that our analogy will be helpful to you. The daily challenges that we all face dictate that the availability of 24/7 help from a Knowledgeable Outside Source is a welcomed concept. It is our experience that divine input about business issues eclipses the wisdom of even the most creative boards and market consultants. Simply put, Jesus knows business on two counts. He is God omniscient and during His earthly sojourn He demonstrated practical entrepreneurial skills.

Jesus the Junior Partner

· As the oldest son He was a Jr. partner in his stepfather’s carpentry business. The Scriptures imply their business was well known in ancient Israel. People recognized Him as Jesus the carpenter’s son ₁.

· Jesus was not born in a stable because His family was poor. They had searched out Bethlehem’s hotels and they were overbooked. The start-up capital for the family business in Nazareth was not necessarily meager. When He was about two-years-old the Magi arrived on the scene with gifts for Him. The market value of the gold and expensive spices that they brought was likely impressive₂. The gracious entourage had traveled from Iraq to bring gifts for a Prince. In Middle Eastern culture such gifts would be an insult if they were not worth a considerable amount of money.

· Jesus learned the carpentry business from the ground up. His business career was launched when He was twelve. He labored in that arena for eighteen years. It was God the Father who placed the first man in the flawlessly beautiful Garden of Eden. Adam’s divinely mandated job description was to cultivate and keep the garden. Jesus was God incarnate. It would have been inconsistent with God’s nature for Him to be less than an excellent craftsman and a conscientious businessman.

· There are things mentioned in the Bible that give hints that the family’s firm operated in the black. This is implied in that Jesus completely fulfilled the Old Testament Law₃. To do so, He had to observe all of the various Sabbaths contained in Judaism, meaning that He took over 60 days off from any labor whatsoever each year. It was also mandatory for Him to make three yearly pilgrimages from Nazareth to Jerusalem for Passover, Pentecost, and the Feast of Tabernacles₄. It was then as it is now, not every Jew of His day complied with these observances. The fact that He did infers that the business was successful enough for Him to take the time off and to cover His travel expenses.

· Jesus was presented with the opportunity to make a vocational change at the age of thirty. His birth Father encouraged Him to launch a new business on His behalf₅. At the time of this change He had set aside sufficient funds to relocate to the seaside community of Capernaum and rent a dwelling₆. Several years previously His birth Father had retained the services of a famous PR personality, John the Baptist, to prepare the market for His Son’s new enterprise₇.

· Understandably, it may be difficult for some of traditional Christian backgrounds to think of Jesus’ ministry as a business. However, that which the Bible tells us of His ministry dictates that for it to function efficiently it necessitated the use of sound business principles. The fact that He had a total of 82 men whom He sent out by teams of two and a moneybox implies a number of things. They had to be trained. He had to make decisions about which individuals would best flow together in each team. There were schedules for where each team would go and when they would return from each trip. Those to whom they ministered on each trip covered the disciples’ food and lodging. However, the fact that most of them had families at home necessitated disbursements from offerings for the support of those families. His ministry also made contributions to the needs of the poor. This implies that some form of accounting was employed. The amount of revenue that His ministry generated was likely substantial. The ministries of Jesus and His team were flawlessly effective in blessing every area of people’s lives. When there is evidence that miraculous interventions have transformed people’s lives they have a natural inclination to reciprocate financially.

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The World’s Most Famous CEO