Giving and Receiving

An important component of mature discipleship is generosity. Unfortunately, we tend to talk about the virtue of generosity only in the fall, during stewardship season. In an attempt, then, to integrate discussion of our giving throughout the year, I’d like to offer a reflection on a passage from Luke 11:42: “Woe to you Pharisees! For you tithe mint and rue and herbs of all kinds, and neglect justice and the love of God; it is these you ought to have practiced, without neglecting the others.”

The Pharisees, of course, were people who loved the Old Testament Law, and, even more, loved the traditions that had developed around what exactly was required to keep the Law. Tithing was – and is – a significant part of the Old Testament Law. In Genesis 14, Abraham, who was called Abram at the time, offers a tithe to the mysterious Melchizedek, the King of Salem (probably short for Jerusalem) and priest of “God Most High.” In Genesis 28, after seeing God in a vision, Jacob commits to offer God a tithe as God led and guided him back to his homeland.

The tithe became a formal practice in ancient Israel after the Exodus, and the regulations were laid out in Leviticus 27, Numbers 18, and Deuteronomy 12, 14, and 26. The first tenth of crops and livestock were given to the Lord for the purpose of maintaining the sanctuary, providing for the Levites (the only tribe without land), and for the relief of the poor, the immigrant, the orphan, and the widow.

We also read about the tithe in two of the Old Testament prophets. In Malachi 3, God communicates to his people that in withholding their tithes, they are actually robbing God, and thus God is withholding his blessing from the people. However, in Amos 4, the prophet seems to speak against the people for bringing their tithes and offerings while neglecting, and even persecuting, the poor. Amos, like Micah and Isaiah, strongly critiques the religious practices of Israel, including tithing, because it is so easy to perform religious acts – worship, prayer, fasting, and giving – without connecting to God’s heart for the most vulnerable.

It is this instinct that Jesus is critiquing in the Pharisees. They were scrupulous in their tithing, but they were missing the “big picture” of God’s heart for justice and God’s love. Jesus doesn’t criticize tithing per se, but he does, like Amos, make the point that any religious practice, including tithing, can give a false assurance of our “righteousness,” completely disconnected from God’s heart.

As we pray about how we are led to give of our own resources, especially to support the mission of our congregation, please keep this in mind. We are called to give, and to give generously. However, this calling is inseparable from the larger story of God loving, redeeming, and re-creating his good yet mortally wounded world through the cross and resurrection. On the cross the justice and love of God come together, and in the resurrection the way to eternal life is opened to us.

As we open ourselves to experiencing God’s love, and grasp his purpose for us and for all of creation, how can we help but responding in boundless generosity?

Peace,

Chris