Marketplace Ponderings – 5

Speaking of Christ, Isaiah writes, “He will reign on David’s throne and over his kingdom, establishing and upholding it with justice and righteousness from that time on and forever.” (Isaiah 9:7). The rule of Christ is rooted in righteousness and justice.

“By justice a king gives a country stability, but one who is greedy for bribes tears it down.” (Proverbs 29:4). When those in authority exercise justice and equity, those from whom they are responsible experience stability.

Christians are called to participate in the reign of Christ. Since His reign is one of justice and equity, we are called to extend justice and equity to others. This means that we apply standards uniformly. It means that everyone gets a fair shot at a job, a promotion, or a contract. It means that if we are going to be flexible on an issue, that we are flexible with everyone. It means that if we are going to show mercy that it is without regard to our personal likes and dislikes. When we are agents of equity we are agents of Christ. When we violate the principle of equity we violate the reign of Christ.

A friend assumed oversight of the payroll operations of her firm. She discovered that a number of employees were eligible to receive compensation for unused sick days they had taken over the past few years. The previous payroll supervisor had no intention of paying the employees because they were unaware of their eligibility to receive payment. The eligibility was going to expire at year-end. What was the equitable thing to do?

Tom and Frank have been with the company for the same length of time. They do the same job and their levels of performance are similar. Tom has been aggressive in salary negotiation over the years, Frank has not. There is now a wide gap between their salaries that can only be attributed to the fact that Tom is a better negotiator than Frank. Is that an equitable situation?

The person who exerts the most pressure is often the one who receives preferential treatment. We may use a number of rationales to justify our making exceptions to the rule, but the fact remains that when we apply different standards to people that we act in a way contrary to the reign of Christ. This is not to say that we should not show mercy, those in positions of authority are in those positions to (hopefully) show mercy as well as ensure accountability and to exercise their authority with wisdom and humility.

When those in authority manage and lead with justice and equity they promote stability within their organization. People know what to expect and they develop a sense of trust in the firm. As Christians in the marketplace we are stewards of God’s justice and equity. Even if our life of equity is an island in a sea of corporate capriciousness, we are called to be faithful to the character and rule of Jesus Christ. Such a life is worth more than giving out a thousand religious tracts to our coworkers, such a life provides credibility to our words of witness – we are agents of Christ in the marketplace.