Dear subscriber,
Can you guess the book?
First clue: This book is over 600,000 words long.
Second clue: It was written in three languages across three continents.
Huh? You think it’s Madeleine de Scudéry’s Artamène ou le Grand Cyrus?
BZZZT! Wrong answer.
Third clue: It’s the most stolen book.
Fourth clue: Hunter S Thompson read it for writing inspiration.
Did you say The Great Gatsby?
Hah, hahaha. You’re more off-target than a Shaq free throw!
No, silly, it’s the Bible!
Ya, know, Donald Trump’s favorite book. I heard he only reads a pocket-sized Bible because it makes his hands appear larger.
Well anyway, I thought today I would share a story from the Good Book that reveals a powerful business principle.
It’s a virtuous business principle that many business owners either overlook or neglect altogether.
Hopefully, you ain’t one of them!
Now, before I jump into story mode, I need to premise this story with a few Biblical definitions, okay?
First definition: Sabbath
You’re familiar with the Sabbath, aren’t you?
Ah, who am I kidding? I forget sometimes who I’m speaking to. Let me explain it in a way my readers will understand and relate to. Well, you know when you cancel all your normal daily activities because you have a parole hearing to attend? Well, the Sabbath is much like that.
See how I look out for you guys?
Now, if you really wanna get technical, hear this:
The Sabbath (or Shabbat) is part of the Mosaic Law. Basically, it’s one of the 10 commandments (it’s the 4th one) that states: Remember the Sabbath and keep it holy. All work was prohibited during Sabbath, even minor tasks, such as gathering wood.
Trifle with that law back in Jesus’ day, and you could find yourself in a spot of bother.
By “spot of bother”, I mean you could end up dying from one of the following four things:
(1) Stoning (2) burning by ingesting molten copper (yikes!) (3) strangling, and (4) beheading.
If you, dear subscriber, had to choose one of those options, which would you pick?
I would opt for method #4. Providing my executioner kept his ax sharp and had a good swing on ‘im.
But I digress.
Next definition.
Pharisees
The Pharisees, whose hypocrisy and self-righteousness are legendary, were a strict Jewish social movement and were the most influential of the religious sects of Jesus’ day. They stood for the rigid observance of the letter and forms of the Law. Now, if there was one thing that really chapped Jesus’ righteous arse, it was this bunch.
Verily, Jesus hated these guys like John McEnroe hated umpires.
The Pharisees were kinda like a medieval version of today’s social justice warriors. They would purposely go out of their way to find someone to throw stones at (literally) instead of just minding their own business.
A case in point:
One fine day, Jesus and his cronies are walking through the grainfields. They had been walking all day and were hungry as a hostage. So, some of them start picking the heads of grain.
Well, the tut-tutting Pharisees walk by and see some of Jesus’ boys stuffing their cakeholes with grain. This, of course, outraged the Pharisees who considered that to be “harvesting”.
So, the grand poobah of the Pharisees marches up to Jesus and says, “Look at your disciples! Why are they doing what is unlawful on the Sabbath!?”
“Hmm, looks like they’re hungry”, replies Jesus.
“But they are breaking the law!!?” yelps the Pharisees in unison.
Jesus, now getting a little antsy, replies:
“Have you pompous blowhards read what David did when he and his companions were hungry and in need? He entered the house of God and ate the consecrated bread, which is lawful only for priests to eat. And he also gave some to his companions!”
Then Jesus finished his little rebuke with this zinger:
“Listen here, you slimy, lowlife weasels, the Sabbath was made for man, not man for the Sabbath.”
The business lesson here?
This:
Many business owners today are like those Pharisees. They get so caught up in the details and inner workings of their business that they start acting like customers exist only to support their business.
It’s nonsense.
To paraphrase Jesus:
Your business was made for man,
not man for your business!
Amen.
Your friend,
Kelvin
Email Marketing Maverick
P.S. I rarely ever highlight this fact, but some of my best writing tips and secrets are in my Email Playbook. Yes, it’s mainly email copywriting-focused, but there are plenty of dang good writing tips, too.
Whatever.
