Hirelings

It seems that the difference between the definitions of “prostitute” and “mercenary” is simply what kind of work is being sold. Mercenary and merchant are words that have the same root. Our most common use of the word mercenary is related to the work of a soldier. The idea from its beginning was simply trading work for pay.

Malachi reported an impending judgement by Yahweh that included His judgement of people who had cheated hirelings (mercenaries) of their wages. Being a hireling is not evil, then. Yahweh even defends hirelings against their oppressors.

Jesus taught in what we call the 10th chapter of John’s Good News that to simply be a hireling is to naturally have less commitment than to be an owner, who lays his life down for the business. When I am a member of the family that owns sheep, I will take the safety and health of the sheep much more seriously than if I am simply an employee of the family.

The two main categories of life into which believers fall are that of being members of the family of the King and of being citizens of His Kingdom. The family members are citizens, but citizens are not necessarily royal. We are both. Our family relationship is our membership in His ekklesia – parts of His body. Our citizenship is related to submission to His authority in our lives: obedience to His desires of us; being in His Kingdom.

When Jesus was teaching Peter the difference, He used the issue of taxation. When the two drachma tax, which was also called the temple tax or the redemption tax, was due of every Israeli male by command of Yahweh (Exodus 30:11-16), Jesus asked Peter: who paid taxes – subjects, or family members? Peter answered that the family members were exempt. Jesus agreed (Matthew 17:24-27) and sent Peter to pay the tax with a fish’s money instead of his own.

So, I am deducing a few things:

1. working for money is not evil
2. being paid to do work that requires my Spiritual gift is not evil
3. doing some work other than my Kingdom, Spiritual gift-empowered work is not wrong if it is not a distraction or conflict
4. getting my calling, or destiny, or Kingdom related work right might cost my life as payment, and that’s ok