The Spirituality of the Referral 

Let me state at the outset that the idea for this short essay originated out of a need for your help. I’m seeking to hire my first full time Director of Marketing. It’s a great opportunity for a marketing leader with a proven track record — including those who have previously honed their skills in a secular context and now wish to employ those skills in a cause that may feel even more integrated with their faith. The person in this role will work closely with me at a pivotal moment in the history of Good Faith. 

Here’s the job description – take a look if you might be interested… or you know someone that might be.

That last need for help is what got me thinking. I’m aware that asking busy people to flip mentally through their contacts for a potential match is a big ask. I often quickly forget such a request shortly after receiving it. But now that I need this kind of help, I have been contemplating this thing we call a “referral.” Is this act just a mundane aspect of ordinary work life  – or have I missed something more spiritually weighty about the referral?

The first referral recorded in Scripture is made on behalf of Joseph in Genesis 40. This specific event participates in a larger theological dynamic: how our work in the world  — what in modern terms might be labeled our  “careers” — intersects with God’s larger purposes. Therefore, drawing on Joseph to explore the spirituality of the referral requires first understanding Joseph’s career arc.

Joseph plays a critical role in God’s redemptive plan, so much so that his story occupies by far the most space in the book of Genesis. Running thirteen entire chapters (37-50), the narrative of his rise to leadership in the world is impressive. Even though Joseph is sold into slavery by his brothers, he ascends to a key management role within the Biblical equivalent of a prominent “secular” entity: the Egyptian household of the captain of Pharoah’s royal guard. The recipe for his success certainly includes his natural attributes like his physical appearance (39:6) and his integrity (39:8). But the far more important ingredient is God: “The Lord was with Joseph, and he became a successful man” (39:2).

His career then suffers a major setback when he is unjustly thrown into prison again by the false accusation of the captain’s wife. But he again demonstrates his talents such that “the keeper of the jail put Joseph in charge of all the prisoners who were in the prison” (39:22). And once again, we see his talents intersect with God’s power: “Because the Lord was with him and whatever he did, the Lord made it prosper” (39:23). 

This pattern repeats itself again when two figures— the Pharoah’s cup bearer and the baker —  join Joseph in the royal prison because of their own disastrous career setbacks. Joseph’s management of both earns their trust, as evidenced by their willingness to share with him the confusing contents of their respective dreams. Joseph is up to the task because he knows how “all interpretations belong to God” (40:8). God supernaturally provides the correct interpretations, and Joseph must supply his own courage and integrity. As we have all experienced in our professional lives, it is easy to share good news, but much harder to share bad news. Joseph likely had a much harder time telling the baker he would soon be executed, than telling the cup bearer he would be restored to his previous role.

At this moment, the job hunter side of the referral request shows up. Joseph asks the cup bearer: “Remember me when it is well with you; please do me the kindness to make mention of me to Pharaoh, and so get me out of this place” (40:14). The cupbearer no doubt assured Joseph he would help. But, as is so easily the case with us all, he is quickly distracted by his own job responsibilities: “Yet the chief cupbearer did not remember Joseph, but forgot him” (40:23). 

Two years pass by. The hiring side of the referral request then appears. The Pharaoh has a pressing need: he too has had a disturbing dream, and is in desperate need of an interpreter. This finally jolts the cup bearer to admit “I remember my faults today” (41:9). He makes the referral. The rest is history, or more specifically, God’s salvation history. Joseph rises to the second in command position under Pharaoh. This career advancement enables him to save his family and the eventual tribes of Israel from starvation by bringing them into Egypt. This in turn sets up the prototypical act of God’s salvation plan: the Exodus. Interestingly, scholars have noted how this chain of events is recapitulated in Jesus, as his father (also bearing the name of “Joseph”) receives a dream that takes the family into Egypt.

The Joseph story points to a broader, wonderful truth: all of our careers ultimately find their place in God’s larger purposes. To teach this truth, Paul used terms drawn from his own vocation as a tent maker when he assured us that “we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them” (Eph. 2:10). 

A special part of that “walk” is when we get to play the role of a Joseph, when we are in a part of our vocational journey where we sense we are an agent of God’s “good works.” However, the parts of our career where that sense is dimmer still matter greatly. The cup bearer is an extreme example of this state, for he almost certainly was not aware of the Lord. Yet, God’s salvation plan nevertheless runs through his actions, especially through his referral. 

The referral is an act of remembrance. Yes, on the surface, we are mentally connecting a specific job seeker with the needs of a hirer. But there are far more important truths being recalled. In this act, we remind ourselves that God has crafted our careers to intersect with many others. At certain moments, our role may involve serving as the joint that connects two parts. Serving as that connective piece may end up far more consequential in God’s economy than we can know. Whether we realize it or not, our career paths are indeed the product of God’s “workmanship.” This is how God works. This is Somebody truly worth remembering.