Christians differ in their interpretation of Scripture on the economic concept of utility maximization, a concept related to the topic of this chapter. Jonathan Leightner argues that economic utility maximization is completely contrary to the scriptural principle of self-sacrificing love. He says, If the maximizing of utility is my primary goal, then I will not love as Christ loved.45 The two great commands say nothing about maximizing utility: love God, love others. Jesus commands us to feed the hungry, give water to the thirsty and shelter the stranger. All these acts reduce the amount of income and time we have to spend on ourselves and, consequentially, reduce our utility in the Neoclassical sense.46 In contrast, John Rose argues that utility maximization is not moral philosophy.It is simply a descriptive concept, and in no way is it intended to condone or encourage self-centeredness in personal behavior.47 Economics does not say whether utility maximization is good or bad. Instead, it assumes that people tend to act in ways that maximize their utility. Jesus recognized utility maximization as normal, instinctive human behavior and used the concept as a backdrop to emphasize how God intended for believers to behave toward others.48 We should love others as we love our self. If love of self is the standard for loving others, Jesus must implicitly accept the idea that each person should seek his or her self-interest. Furthermore, he did not tell us to not be self-interested. Which of these points of view do you take? What is your rationale?