The term “essential workers” has gotten a lot of play the last few months. It’s not new. In many kinds of crises, “non-essentials” are evacuated or told to shelter in place – while the “essentials” generally have their workload ramped up enormously. 

I suppose it might hurt a little to be thought of as non-essential. But the label doesn’t mean the same thing as non-valued!  Just ask anybody how much they value their barber or stylist, after two or three months!  Not essential, perhaps, but highly valued!  In fact every job is valued. That’s why the job exists: someone is willing to pay to get the job done.

So I got to thinking about the jobs we have as children of God, followers of Jesus, brothers and sisters in Christ. I’m quite certain the work we do in these “jobs” is valued very highly. But is there such a thing as non-essential work, from the Lord’s point of view?

The first example I thought of was Mary of Bethany, in Luke 10:38-42. You know the story. Martha was getting anxious over the serving and wanted help. Jesus replied to her, “Martha, you are anxious and troubled about many things, but one thing is necessary. Mary has chosen the good portion, which will not be taken away from her.”  Isn’t Jesus saying, “Mary’s job is essential. Martha, at this moment your job is non-essential.”  Which is not to say that serving isn’t valued by Jesus! In John 12:2 he is happy to have Martha’s service, and in washing the disciples’ feet he commands that we serve one another. But back in Luke 10, isn’t it sort of strange that the essential work was sitting and listening?  At that moment, that’s what was necessary.  Do we ever stop to think that essential work for the Lord includes sitting still and learning from him?

Then I thought about something Jesus emphasized at least a couple of times. One time is in Matthew 9:37-38: “Then he said to his disciples, ‘The harvest is plentiful, but the laborers are few; therefore pray earnestly to the Lord of the harvest to send out laborers into his harvest.’ ”  Essential work wasn’t getting done!  There was a critical labor shortage in an essential industry—harvesting, bringing in the people out there who are ready to be taught. According to Jesus, there are a lot of them!

And Jesus quoted the command from the Law, “Love your neighbor as yourself.”  The second most important commandment ever given, he said. He then proceeded to illustrate who our neighbor is. Turns out it’s anybody who needs us. And Jesus commanded, “Go and do likewise.”  That definitely sounds like essential work. And make no mistake—it’s work!  The Samaritan spent time, effort and money.  Go and do likewise.

There are dozens of things that Jesus commanded, and those built on dozens (hundreds?) of earlier commands from God’s prophets. I’m not even talking about the Law. Don’t you see some “essential work” in this:  “What does the Lord require of you but to do justice, and to love kindness, and to walk humbly with your God?”  (Micah 6:8)  When the psalmist says, “Praise the Lord!”, he isn’t presenting an option. He is pointing out essential work.

There is no shortage of material to ponder regarding essential, required work. Preaching and teaching. Spending time, effort and money to help people who need it. Praising. Sitting and listening. Humbly walking with God. There’s so much essential work, we need to be praying for more help. Jesus said so.

The vineyard owner in Jesus’s parable asks those he finds at the end of the day, “Why do you stand here idle all day?”  Where were those guys earlier in the day, anyway?  Well, I might be one of those guys. There is so much essential work to do. (Including, by the way, the Martha-like literal serving—the problem wasn’t the work, it was getting anxious about it.)  But with all that essential work available, I’m afraid I’m occupied with distinctly non-essential stuff too much. I think all the work in the vineyard qualifies as essential. But, well, standing around is easier…

So I’m going to try, every time I hear about essential workers or non-essential workers, to think about whether I’ve been getting out there in the vineyard or if I’ve instead been standing around.

Love, essentially yours, Paul

If you have any feedback, please contact me at: paul.zilmer@gmail.com