This is being posted two days after Labor Day (but it's still the week of Labor Day)

 A Biblical View of Labor

Wesley G. Vaughn, © 2012

Text: Ephesians 6:5-9

Labor Day, the first Monday in September, is the last holiday of Summer. It was established as a national holiday in 1894 to recognize the contributions of industrial workers. It now celebrates all those who work, no matter their field of endeavor. As we observe Labor Day, let’s consider what the Bible says about labor.

Labor is Worthy

Many people see labor as a curse, the result of sin. The basis for this is Genesis 3:19, which says, “By the sweat of your face you shall eat bread, till you return to the ground, for out of it you were taken; for you are dust, and to dust you shall return.” According to this view, God sentenced Adam (and all who follow him) to work. But is labor itself really the curse? It is NOT the Curse. There was Labor before the Curse. God Himself labored. Creation was His work, the fruit of His labor. On the seventh day of Creation God “finished his work that he had done, and he rested . . . from all his work that he had done” (Gen. 2:2).

Labor is Ordained by God

“The Lord God took the man and put him in the garden of Eden to work it and keep it” (Gen. 2:15). Before the Fall, humans were to work, to labor. They had a job to do. The angels, the Host of Heaven, have work to do, too, and they have not sinned; they are not under a curse. There is work to do, and there are angels and people to do it. God works, and we work too.

Labor is a Blessing

It is the Gift of God. Ecclesiastes 3:13 says, “Everyone should eat and drink and take pleasure in all his toil—this is God's gift to man.” (See also Eccl. 2:24)

Labor is Honorable

Proverbs is full of statements about the honor of honest work, such as, “In all toil there is profit, but mere talk tends only to poverty” (Prov. 14:23). On the other hand, slothfulness is seen as dishonorable (Prov. 21:25). Throughout history, Jewish rabbis have associated labor with honesty and integrity, while they consider laziness (sloth) as sin.

Labor is Beneficial

It provides needed exercise. Exercise is needful for good health: it builds and tones the muscles, improves circulation and breathing, and produces an overall feeling of well-being.

It produces needed things. Good work is productive, supplying food, fiber and other things for living. Psalm 128:2 says, “You shall eat the fruit of the labor of your hands; you shall be blessed, and it shall be well with you.”

It helps others. Beyond supplying ourselves, we can help others with their tasks or give to them from what we have produced. The Apostle Paul taught this as the opposite of stealing: “Let the thief no longer steal, but rather let him labor, doing honest work with his own hands, so that he may have something to share with anyone in need” (Eph. 4:28).

It satisfies. Accomplishment is a good source of satisfaction, especially when we see the fruits of our labors.

Worthy Examples of Labor

• God worked when He created the universe, and He is working now sustaining the world, ruling, judging, listening to His children.

• Solomon labored, even as the king. In Ecclesiastes, he lists many of his accomplishments.

• Nehemiah worked as the Cupbearer to the King of Persia. This was an administrative position with much responsibility. He was probably in charge of all the buying and preparation of food and drink for the palace. He took a leave from this job to go to Jerusalem to serve as governor and repair the walls, then returned to the palace to resume his duties. Obviously, Nehemiah was not afraid of work.

• Jesus worked as a carpenter before becoming a traveling rabbi. The nature of His labor then changed to teaching, mentoring and healing. Before this, as the Son of God, He had labored through Creation. As the Angel of the Lord, He had guided the Old Testament saints. His earthly labor culminated with the work of Salvation on the Cross, where He announced, “It is finished” (John 19:30). Now, in Heaven, His duties include interceding for us and being the CEO of the Church.

• Peter labored as a fisherman before Jesus called him to be a disciple. Then his job description changed to “man fisher” (Matt. 4:19, Mark 1:17).

• Paul was a tentmaker. When he became a missionary, he continued tent making to support himself and his ministry team (Acts 18:3; 1Cor. 4:12; 1 Thess. 2:9).

Labor Balanced with Rest

Labor is to be balanced with rest. The natural cycle is to work in the daytime and sleep at night, though in some jobs this order is reversed (John 9:4). The Old Testament law also prescribes a weekly day of rest. “Six days you shall labor, and do all your work, but the seventh day is a Sabbath to the Lord your God. On it you shall not do any work, you, or your son, or your daughter, your male servant, or your female servant, or your livestock, or the sojourner who is within your gates” (Ex. 20:9-10). This day of rest is for our benefit. Jesus said, “The Sabbath was made for man, not man for the Sabbath” (Mark 2:27).

Labor is Worship

Labor is obedience to God. He put us here to work (Gen. 1:28; 2:15). Paul told the Thessalonians that they should work (1 Thess. 4:11; 2 Thess. 3:10, 12) and gave himself as an example (1 Thess. 2:9; 2 Thess. 3:8). Furthermore, we are told that whatever our labor may be, we are to do it as though we are working for God (Eph. 6:5-8; Col. 3: 22-25; Titus 2:9-10; 1 Pet. 2:18-20). Therefore, in our labor we serve God.

Labor is Witness

Finally, our labor is a witness of our faith: a witness to those we serve, a witness to those we work with, and a witness to our families. Those who know us through our work judge us by our work. They judge not only us, but our faith. The testimony of our words carries more weight if our labor shows honesty, diligence, and a good attitude.

Two or Three

    Two or Three

(Scriptures quoted from ESV)

“Again I say to you, 

if two of you agree on earth about anything they ask, 

it will be done for them by my Father in heaven. 

For where two or three are gathered in my name, 

there am I among them” (Matthew 18:19-20).

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The two verses quoted here are at the end of Jesus’ prescription for how to handle a situation when one believer has wronged another. Aside from the issue of church discipline, verse 20 has assured Christians for almost 2000 years that Jesus is there when as few as two or three meet to pray. But I became curious as to why He made mention of the small number, and He did it twice. Why “two or three”?

In this passage, Jesus was giving instructions for the church. In the early church, local congregations were patterned after the synagogues in their organization and their activities. After all, Jesus and the first Christians were Jews who grew up attending their local synagogue. And synagogues had a vital role in the spread of Jesus’ church in the First Century.  

What was the synagogue?

Synagogue is the Greek translation of the Aramaic word for an assembly. It means gathering together. Most Jews did not live within walking distance of the Temple, where sacrifices were offered and the great festivals were observed. They were forbidden to work on the Sabbath, so they went to the local synagogue to study the Scriptures (our Old Testament), discuss what was read, and pray. Often, a rabbi would expound on the Scriptures, applying them to daily life. They also sang the Psalms.
 
In the Second Century, Justin Martyr described what Christians did in their meetings. What he wrote was a close match to synagogue meetings: reading Scriptures and letters from the Apostles, praying, singing songs, hearing an exhortation.

What other roles did the Synagogue play?

The synagogue was the center of a Jewish community, whether in Judea or Galilee, or in other lands. It was what kept the community together and preserved their religion and their values. Mothers first taught their children the letters (how to read Hebrew and Aramaic). Then they (at least the boys) learned the Scriptures in the synagogue school, taught by a rabbi. By the time a boy turned 12, he had memorized large parts of the Old Testament, especially the Torah (Books of Moses), including all of Deuteronomy. 

As a Jewish boy, Jesus was raised in the synagogue in Nazareth. There He learned the Scriptures. Luke tells us, “And Jesus increased in wisdom and in stature and in favor with God and man” (Luke 2:52). He learned so well that the scribes and teachers in the Temple who examined Him (for His bar mitzvah?) were surprised by his knowledge (Luke 2:47).
 
Jesus conducted part of His ministry in the synagogues of Galilee: “And he went throughout all Galilee, teaching in their synagogues and proclaiming the gospel of the kingdom and healing every disease and every affliction among the people” (Matt. 4:23). This included in his hometown:  “And he came to Nazareth, where he had been brought up. And as was his custom, he went to the synagogue on the Sabbath day, and he stood up to read” (Luke 4:16).
 
Synagogues also served as the post offices and news centers for Jewish communities (government postal services were only for government business). Jews who were traveling took letters from persons in one town to those in synagogues along their route. They also brought news with them.
As the center of the Jewish community, the synagogue was where community discipline was exercised. More than a place, the synagogue was its members. They enforced the Old Testament Law. Here is where disputes were settled, contracts confirmed. The synagogue was also the center for welfare, helping their needy. Tithes and offerings were collected for the temple in Jerusalem.

How did the Synagogue help the church to spread?

First, in Judea and Galilee, Jesus’ followers (called The Way) told about Jesus' death and resurrection in the synagogues, at least until they were driven out (they also met in the outer court of the Temple). When they were scattered after the stoning of Stephen (Acts 7), they first witnessed in the synagogues wherever they went.
 
On his missionary journeys, Paul went to the synagogue in each city on the first Sabbath he was in town. It was there he proclaimed Jesus as the Messiah. The first believers were Jews and “God-fearing” Gentiles from the synagogues. When they had to meet apart from the synagogue, they still followed the pattern for meetings. The one exception to starting at the synagogue was Philippi, where there was no synagogue.

Why “two or three”?

A synagogue could be established only if there were at least ten heads of households living within a Sabbath Day’s journey, less than a mile from the city limits. When Jesus said He would be there (in spirit) if there were as few as two or three, it meant that ten were not needed to function as a church. Effectiveness in prayer and fellowship did not depend on numbers, but on their relationship to Him (“in My name”).
 
Jesus also predicted that His followers would be persecuted. At times they would not be able to have more than two or three in one place. If and when we face persecution in this land, we will not always have the privilege of gathering by thousands, or hundreds, or even tens. We may at some time count it a blessing to meet with just one or two other believers. There, in the midst of persecution, will be Jesus. There will be His church.

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His House of Prayer

Where the Lord’s people are,

There is His Temple found;

And to be among God’s people

Is to stand on holy ground;

Where two or three or more of them

Meet in His name, then there

Is where the Lord is found,

Within His House of Prayer.

Wesley G. Vaughn

© 2008

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This article was published in the October 2016 issue of The Outreacher.