Some of the things that Jesus said we’re not completely sure what he meant. 

These tend to create interesting Bible study discussions, inspire authors to write thought-provoking books, and academics to launch into debates. 

One of these is a short statement that Jesus seems to throw in at the end of the Parable of the Talents, also known as the Parable of the Bags of Gold.  The line is found in Matthew 25:29 and it goes like this:

“For whoever has will be given more, and they will have an abundance. Whoever does not have, even what they have will be taken from them.”

At first glance, this sounds kind of mean.  It sounds like kicking people when their down.  It also, interestingly, sounds like the exact opposite of a favorite saying of Karl Marx, “From each according to his ability, to each according to his needs.”

So what does this mean?  I’m not 100% sure, but I like sociologists Robert Merton and Harriet Zuckerman’s take on it.  The way they see it, Jesus isn’t making a PRESCRIPTIVE statement about how the world should be but a DESCRIPTIVE statement about how the world, how reality, actually works – they call it the Matthew Principal or the Matthew Effect.

To summarize, it means that those who move up a hierarchy based on competence, connections, wealth and/or reputation, are more likely to continue winning.  They are more likely to accomplish things, be recognized for their work and accomplishments and also more likely to get credit for other people’s accomplishments. 

This last part sounds wrong, but it isn’t necessarily.  One way to think of this mis-attributed credit is in the area of authorship.  If a writer makes it big, like Stephen King, other writers, further down the hierarchy may be thrilled at the chance to ghost write a book for him.  He’ll get the credit, but his reputation as an author will sell the book, and the more novice author will get more money and guaranteed money for their work than they likely would have if they attempted to get the book published under their own name.  A similar thing happens in academics all the time between professors that have established a reputation and graduate students who do most of the work for a particular paper.

If Merton and Zuckerman are right about what Jesus meant, then Jesus’ statement on how the world works is incredibly far ahead of its time – not surprising. 

So why am I writing about this and what difference could the Matthew Principal make in your life?  A big difference. 

For anyone who is in the business of developing themselves, developing their children, or helping develop others, this is huge.  It means that success isn’t found necessarily in picking the right thing, but picking a thing and learning to be great at it, learning to move up the competence, connections, and reputation hierarchy as high as you can.  In doing so, you’ll learn the skills and develop the disciplines that it takes to move up.  Then, if you decide you want to do something else with your life or an additional thing with your life, you’ll take those skills, disciplines, connections, and reputation with you to the new domain.  You might start in this new arena at the bottom but you’ll likely rocket out of there.  When you do, you’ll have developed your competence, connections, and reputation even further and the Matthew Principal will apply even more strongly to your life.

Let me give you some tangible examples from the ministry I am in.

A young lady who hasn’t held a steady job in her life starts going to church for the first time where she is exposed to a broader set of people then she is used to associating with (connections).  She makes friends with the people there and shares with them about her situation.  One person encourages her to do whatever it takes to keep her current job for at least one full year – show up on time, meet expectations, and work on getting along with others.  It’s not easy, her job is a real soul-sucker, but she does it.  In doing so, she develops competence, character, connections, and reputation she never had before.  She starts applying for better jobs and because she is a different person, a more valuable, further up the hierarchy person than she was a year before, she lands a much better job that will also put her in a leadership role where she can develop her competence, character, connections, and reputation even further.  The Matthew Principal is working in her life. 

A man I used to know started a successful real estate company.   He climbed a hierarchy of competence, connections, and reputation to accomplish what he did.  Then one day he decided he didn’t want to do that anymore.  He wanted to start a non-profit organization to help those in need.  He had no experience in this industry, but he used all that he had gained from ascending the real estate industry hierarchy, and before too long he was leading a non-profit organization that anyone would be proud of.  This was the Matthew Principal working in his life.

Let Jesus’ words be a blessing in your life and in the lives of those around you.

“For whoever has will be given more, and they will have an abundance. Whoever does not have, even what they have will be taken from them.”