Aramaic Word Study – Do Business – Tagar –  תַּגּר   Taw Gimmel Resh 

Luke 19:13: “And he called his ten servants, and delivered them ten pounds, and said unto them, Occupy till I come.”

Lately, I have been hearing certain Evangelical preachers really start hitting us hard on our need to get involved in politics. In fact, there is much passion going around among Christians today to become politically active. Emotions are running pretty high since the pandemic when the government mandated that churches were to be closed and many Christians took this as a direct attack against our religious freedom and that this was just a dry run, a rehearsal for the government’s plan to strip us of our religious freedom. It has shaken so many pastors and religious people up so much that there is a cry of emergency to “take back our country.” This past week I heard one well known preacher on the internet actually use Luke 19:13 and say that occupation in the Greek really meant that we should be politically active. 

Now I am not saying nay or yay about the call to political action. I personally believe a Christian’s involvement in politics is between them and God. Far be it that I should condemn an Amish brother for not getting involved in politics. Nor would I discourage a Christians who feels passionate about his political beliefs to restrain from any political activity.  I mean Jesus had disciples who were entrepreneurs (fisherman), government agents (tax collectors), noblemen (Bartholomew, son of King of Geshur) and political activist Simon the Zealot.  Zealots were very much concerned with overthrowing the Roman government. Some were even considered terrorists and assassins. There were four levels of zealotry among the first century Jews. We have no idea what level Simon was at but all levels were politically active.  So, it seems Jesus had no problems with one’s vocation whether it was political or secular. 

However, to consider Luke 19:13 as a call to political action seems to be taking this “occupy” business a little too far. In the Greek the word occupy is pragmateusas from the root word pragma which is where we get our English word pragmatic which is dealing with things that are sensible and realistic. The backdrop to this verse is a parable about a rich nobleman who left a sum of money to his servants to invest while he went on a business trip and instructed them to “occupy until he returned.” Most of our modern translations do not use the English word occupy but say something to the effect of carrying out business transactions. In other words, carry on business as usual.  The idea is that the boss will return at any time so just keep going about his business. That is to say that Jesus could return at any time but we need to stay busy while we await his return and be about our Father’s business. 

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I recall as a child there was a general feeling among the people in my church community that Jesus would return most definitely before 1980.  Some felt there was no need to go to college or to plan a career as Jesus would definitely return before they had the chance to build a career. Well, 1980 has come and gone forty three years ago and I am sure glad I did not take the advice of some of these evangelicals, but did plan my future as if I would live to be seventy two (which I have now accomplished).  

Is this all Jesus was trying to say in this parable? He was near Jerusalem where many felt that the kingdom of God would come in their lifetime and He was just advising them to keep plugging along, fight the good fight, keep the faith, follow the same old same old, business as usual, bless be the tie that binds and all that other good stuff.  Don’t put your life on hold thinking the rapture will occur before you know it.  Did He really need to tell a parable for that? Well, maybe, that is an important piece of advice. Just keep active in the work God has called you to, don’t let the thought of the rapture hold you back, work as if tomorrow, next week, next year will actually come. 

Most translations tend to focus on the idea of business and/or commerce as this particular activity is what Jesus is referencing, but the context clearly speaks of whatever work one is called to.  Many are called to be politicians and a politician is the ultimate political activist.  So maybe the preacher did not have to stretch the word pragmateusas – occupy to get to political action after all.  Jesus was just saying to be pragmatic. Go about any business that is sensible and realistic.  Getting involved in politics is realistic and sensible. 

Jesus spoke this parable in Aramaic and the Aramaic word is tagar which is also a word for carrying on commerce and business.  But there is a secondary meaning.  I wonder, if Jesus told this study and added the word tagar – occupy with Divine Intention to deliver a deeper meaning? You see, the secondary meaning of tagar is to call out injustice, unrighteousness.  This was really the role of the prophet.  There are many prophets today which are prophesying all sorts of good stuff.  Oh, there will be great revival, prosperity, the bad people will get defeated, us good people will prevail, yea, this nation will be restored to the old time religion.  All the things that we want to hear to scratch our itchy ears. Yet, the true Biblical prophets called out injustice, unrighteousness, sin and cried for repentance. That message was not always directed toward the pagan nations.  Most of the time it was directed toward the believers, the followers of God. 

We should not only cry out against the injustice and unrighteousness that we see in the body of Christ, but also around us. One way we take a stand against the evils of this world is through politics. Maybe the old preacher was not too far off the reservation after all.  Granted, carrying a picket sign in a crowd is not my dream date, but if I felt passionate about something political, well who knows?

 

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