What does the Bible say about salesmanship?

Christ corrects the merchants and moneychangers’ greedy and dishonest behaviors, as He deals with the salesmen/businessmen of His day. The Scriptures say:

"When it was almost time for the Jewish Passover, Jesus went up to Jerusalem. In the temple courts he found men selling cattle, sheep and doves, and others sitting at tables exchanging money. So he made a whip out of cords, and drove all from the temple area, both sheep and cattle; he scattered the coins of the money changers and overturned their tables. To those who sold doves he said, 'Get these out of here! How dare you turn my Father's house into a market!" John 2:13-16

"Jesus entered the temple area and drove out all who were buying and selling there. He overturned the tables of the money changers and the benches of those selling doves. 'It is written,' he said to them, 'My house will be called a house of prayer, but you are making it a den of robbers." Matthew 21:12

Sooo Nadine are you saying ALL salesman and businessmen are greedy? Or just the ones Christ corrected?

Mike, I personally wasn't giving my opinions, observations, or commentary. I just quoted 2 Scriptures that dealt with salesmanship, and stated a fact about why Christ said and did what He said and did to those salesmen/businessmen.

But since you asked, no, I do not believe that ALL of the world's salesmen and businessmen are greedy, or dishonest. It just so happens that the Temple moneychangers and merchants in Christ's day were. That's why I believe that Christ REALLY is saying that their kind of salesmanship went well beyond the art of selling! Their kind of salesmanship had turned into a self-interest: I can put more money in my pocket if I fleece the flock kind of "art." This kind of salesmanship apparently is what contaminated God's House of Prayer!

Gotchtya! And I agree.

Unfortunately, this kind of salesmanship is taught more and more. That's why we need to "redeems the times as it were" and show people what is true and what is not:)

Mike, you are absolutely correct. We MUST redeem the time, for the Bible tells us to: “See then that ye walk circumspectly, not as fools, but as wise, Redeeming the time, because the days are evil (Ephesians 5:15-16, KJV).

Back in the day when I was an undergraduate, my majors were English, Journalism and Communications, and my electives were business classes! Even then, it was obvious that salesmanship had become unethical and dishonest in nature, and was getting worse by the minute! This downward spiral from not really bad to worse is exactly what Christ makes note of in the Scriptures I quoted.

Notice if you will that in the John 2:16 verse, which Jesus speaks at the beginning of His 3½ years of ministry, that the moneychangers and merchants only had turned the Lord’s House of Prayer into a “marketplace,” but by the end of Jesus’ ministry, as seen in Matthew 21:12, the moneychangers and merchants had turned the Lord’s House of prayer into a “den of thieves.” Ouch…harsh words from our Savior!

Therefore, since we certainly are living in an Age in which the days are evil, we certainly must be about “redeeming the time” (making the most of EVERY opportunity) God gives us to edify and encourage one another to “…be careful how [we] live. Don’t live like fools, but like those who are wise” (Ephesians 5:15, NLT).

PEACE....

oooh...your preaching now! Go 'head!:)