Just today I spent almost an hour on the phone with the sales manager of a car dealership from whom I am buying a car. Yesterday he had promised me a $500 bonus refund because my daughter was in college, but, today he had to withdraw it because she was not going to be on the title. Now mind you he never said yesterday that she had to be on the title to get the bonus so when I was told the bonus money was just being removed I stood my ground and said “If that’s the case, let’s just cancel the deal and I’ll do my business elsewhere.” I will openly and publicly admit I should have used better words but my attitude was not bad and there was no anger, just firmness. But was I wrong in doing this in the first place?
Anytime you go into the world’s business community and say anything about being a Christian, or even “worse” - a pastor, there is always going to be a certain level of expectation. In this case the sales manager claims to be a Christian as well and we even spoke of Christian things when we weren’t talking cars. Yet today, I was reminded on the phone that “as a Christian you really should…” and that is where it becomes hard to determine what to do next. Should I stand my ground and expect them to stand behind their commitment or just let it go and pay the extra $500 because of my Christian testimony or just walk away from the transaction? Should I let the world use my Christianity against me and just give in every time or should I expect them to give me what I believe I deserve and let them think what they want about my “Christianity?”
First, money is one of the most controversial topics Christians can ever discuss. It is even more difficult for a pastor to preach about as some people will automatically assume money is a subject “off limits” when it comes to preaching. Yet Jesus taught a great deal about money. According to Howard Dayton in Leadership Volume 2 “Jesus talked much about money. Sixteen of the thirty-eight parables were concerned with how to handle money and possessions. In the Gospels, an amazing one out of ten verses (288 in all) deal directly with the subject of money. The Bible offers 500 verses on prayer, less than 500 verses on faith, but more than 2,000 verses on money and possessions.” So clearly money is an important topic to discuss and understand. In the context of the original question about “haggling” it could be perceived in some minds that I am “greedy of filthy lucre” because I am not giving in to their demands. Thus the concern for biblical direction.
In my opinion, the greatest two lessons about money, and how we should deal with the world in financial issues, such as car salesmen, are first that we are stewards of God’s resources even in our own money (1 Corinthians 4:2) and second that we are to be like Christ and “render unto Caesar that which is Caesar’s” (Mark 12:17). Money should be nothing more than a tool for believers, but, to the world it almost is their god and there in lies the conflict. Unfortunately there are many Christians who do not view money correctly either and that puts undue pressure on their interaction with the world regarding money as well.
Second, our reactions to anything should be based upon the old axiom “what would Jesus do?” I know that could be interpreted many ways, but when you actually go to Scripture the “what WOULD Jesus do” easily becomes “what DID Jesus do?” Jesus paid His bills, including tribute, without haggling (Matthew 17:24-27), although I wish I could get money from fishing, but He is God and I am not. But Jesus also did not allow the improper usage of money to go unchecked as He warned His disciples to not have two masters (Matthew 6:24) and He made sure that money making was not what His house was about either (Matthew 21:13). All that being said, Jesus never got angry over money being used properly, just when it was used to profane the House of God. If we ever get angry just about amount of money then we are not “doing what Jesus would do.” Simply put we must commit our hearts to do what is right no matter what it costs us! If doing right means going back to the store that didn’t charge you enough then so be it! If doing right is paying more than you thought because the item was on the wrong shelf, then so be it! If you have to pay extra because the person misspoke, then so be it! Do right as Jesus DID! You want people to forgive your “misspeaks” so why shouldn't we be prepared to do the same in return?
Last, asking people to honor their commitments is also biblical as long as you keep it in balance. Solomon said in Ecclesiastes 5:5 “Better is it that thou shouldest not vow, than that thou shouldest vow and not pay.” If someone makes a clear intentional agreement then it should be honored, but even then, not to the loss of our testimony by holding them to it especially if they are another Christian. Paul said in 1 Corinthians 6:7 “Now therefore there is utterly a fault among you, because ye go to law one with another. Why do ye not rather take wrong? Why do ye not rather suffer yourselves to be defrauded?” In other words, Paul was saying in context of the "haggling" question, your testimony and standing before God is worth more than any amount of money, don’t sell it!
In my case this morning, the sales manager admitted he made a mistake and apologized and asked for forgiveness, which I immediately gave. The minute he admitted his personal mistake I committed in my heart to pay the $500 extra even though he had made the verbal commitment because this was clearly a human error not an intentional deception on his part. It was not his policy to withhold the money, but he had just failed to explain the details to me. So I committed in my heart to do what was right. By God’s grace as we talked further, he graciously said he would find a way to make the $500 up to me anyway even though I was going to pay it. We parted “friends” and the name of Christ was not marred.
Christian, how often do we treat people badly because of money? How often do we bark un-lovingly at a cashier because she gave us wrong change or charged more then they should have? How often do we expect the store to honor a price that we know is not right because we are “cheap skates?” How often do we ask for discounts just because we are a church or a Christian servant? Do we begrudge a doctor or mechanic when they charge what we think is an outrageous amount of money, yet we expect them to give us pristine service still? And on it goes. Let’s keep money is perspective.
Let’s serve people and use money, not use people and serve money.
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