Now so it was [that] after three days they found Him in the temple, sitting in the midst of the teachers, both listening to them and asking them questions. And all who heard Him were astonished at His understanding and answers. (Luke 2:46-47 NKJV)

We know little about Jesus’ childhood and therefore little about how he prepared for success in life. Luke 2:40–52, however, records one story of Jesus at age twelve that provides clues about how he prepared for a successful life, biblically defined.

Jesus dialogued with theologians who expressed amazement at his theological deftness. How did Jesus, in his humanity, acquire this understanding? Luke 2:40 states that Jesus grew in the same way as other human beings seeking to master specific fields of knowledge. Jesus must have applied himself to the study of Scripture from a young age.

But surely Jesus knew his future was to be a carpenter; he undoubtedly was aware that he would soon begin his apprenticeship under his father. How did theology help Jesus prepare for his career as a carpenter?  

The pedestrian view of theology is that it is not practical, which implies that theological training does not improve workplace performance. Spiritual reality is assumed to have little to do with the workplace because spiritual reality is concerned with things outside the physical world. Therefore theological training is not viewed as relevant for training in business, engineering, law, accounting, finance, and so forth.

It seems clear that Jesus would not have agreed with the current pedestrian view of the relationship between work and theology. By his actions, he seemed to view sound theological training as preparation for success in life, including his eighteen-year career as a carpenter. In fact, Jesus would ultimately be known as “the carpenter” (Mark 6:3), which intimates that he became an outstanding carpenter.

Therefore, based on Jesus’ model, theological training is the foundation for true success in life, including work, because work is about discerning and aligning with the will and ways of God (James 4:13–17). Furthermore, since the will and ways of God are most cogently revealed in Scripture, only through sound biblical training will people and organizations be able to most completely discern the will and ways of God.

Here is your business tip. To build anything that is enduringly excellent and successful, one must build according to the will and ways of God. One of the keys to accomplish this is to be trained in Scripture, which is the most clear and complete revelation about the will and ways of God. Therefore wise management will seek to develop a learning organization that will ground every stakeholder in Scripture. Regardless of the work assignment, each person in the organization needs a biblical worldview to guide and direct his or her thoughts and actions, which enables the workers and the organization to deliver great value. Therefore one of the keys to preparing for success, individually and organizationally, is mastery of Scripture after the pattern provided by Jesus.