Ignacio Silva is a Business Teacher at Lancaster (Pennsylvania) Mennonite High School. 

My mission as a business teacher at Lancaster Mennonite High School is to provide students with financial tools and knowledge so that they will be able to support themselves and support others – a family – and give back to the greater good. That, after all, is what Jesus did.

I encourage students to be wealthy—yes, to make a lot of money—and still be Christ-centered. Without donations from the financial profits from individuals and businesses, there would be no nonprofit institutions, such as Lancaster Mennonite High School, and all the other sister schools and places of learning in the Mennonite Education system. And here’s the catch: In so doing, students will still be following Jesus.

Yes, it’s OK to make money. The future of our Mennonite educational system depends on it.

A little background: Jesus was relatively wealthy. Really. During his first 30 years he made enough money to support himself, support others, and to give back. And did he ever give back!

Now, you might be thinking, how can a business teacher come up with a claim that Jesus was wealthy? Well, let’s connect the dots with some facts: Jesus had a house in Galilee; his mother had a house in Galilee; he financed the apostles and their three-year expedition. Who do you think paid for the food, wine and the upper room of the Last Supper?

When going back to Greek, the language in which the gospels were written, we find that perhaps Jesus wasn’t just a carpenter. The Greek word used to describe Jesus’ profession was tekton. The word tekton designates carpentry, stonemason, cartwright, and joiner all rolled into one. Jesus was a complete artisan: highly skilled, highly paid, and highly in-demand.

Five miles away from Nazareth, which was a backwater town, by the way, there was the rich Jewish city of Sepphoris. We can safely hypothesize that Jesus was trained by Joseph, his earthly father, to become an artisan and to contract work with the wealthy people of Sepphoris. It would have been very hard to make a living only in Nazareth. Sepphoris was also a trading crossroads for Roman caravans from the west and other caravans from the east. That means that materials and ideas for making practical and artistic things from wood and stone were part of the trade. Makes sense, yes?

We can safely surmise that Jesus saved his money instead of spending it partying in Sepphoris, and it was this money that he then used to finance his three-year ministry. See? He became wealthy, and gave it back, as was his heavenly Father’s will.

Some of Jesus’ most significant parables include wealth. Think of the return of the Prodigal Son: an inheritance squandered and a wealthy father throwing a lavish feast for his returning son with joy and forgiveness.

How about the Good Samaritan? Was he not wealthy also? I mean, he had a beast, a donkey, a sign of wealth; and he pulled out oils, ointments, and dressings to tend to the victim. Those things cost money. He dropped the victim off at an inn and paid in advance, promising the innkeeper that he would return and that he would then pay more if more was owed. What a magnificent business deal of mutual trust that was. That’s the essence of business: exchanges anchored in trust.

Then there’s the parable of the talents, where the servant that failed to invest his master’s money was chastised. Yes, Jesus treats wealth in a very favorable light as long as it is used according to his Father’s will.

My message to students, then, is that it’s good to become wealthy, take care of themselves, take care of their loved ones, and give back to the greater good, including all of God’s creation. And to do so according to God’s Will.

This “Opinions” section of our website provides a forum for the voices within Mennonite Church USA and related Anabaptist-Mennonite voices. The views expressed do not necessarily represent the official positions of The Mennonite, the board for The Mennonite, Inc., or Mennonite Church USA.