Remember, last week’s take away: Jesus-Followers Practice Righteousness. Jesus goes straight to the jugular. When it comes to training for righteousness, he heads immediately to our checkbooks and Bank Cards. If there’s one thing that’s entirely personal to individuals, it’s money. The overall opinion of most Christians towards those who teach TRUTH is that you are great-at-it as long as you don’t try to tell us/me how to spend OUR/MY well-earned pay. Right off, I’m learning that following Jesus is going to be a bit uncomfortable. It’s going to challenge all of us right where it hurts the most. I wonder how Matthew felt about that, considering most of his well-earned-fortune came from corruptible means? I’m figuring he + Jesus worked it out. How could you have Jesus in your home, look around at your good fortune, and not want to make things right? Zaccheus couldn’t; and, he was in the same position as Matthew. Zaccheus, the wee-little-man-tax-collector-just-like-Matthew, came down from his tree and Jesus took him straight to his house, too. Zaccheus was pleased-as-punch Jesus wanted to go to his house; BUT, when Zaccheus looked around, he didn’t like what he saw. As he looked at his gain through his new Jesus-eyes, he knew he had to make corrections. His words to Jesus were (paraphrased), “Since I have stolen, I will give back four times what I took.” Good for him! That was what the moral Jewish-law instructed for restitution (but that had to be difficult, since it probably left him bankrupt!). I have to wonder if Matthew didn’t respond in much the same way. Whatever he did to make things right, Matthew was being taught and reproved. He had begun making corrections, and was now in the process of training for righteousness… What happened next is between him and his Savior; we’ll never know.
All Scripture is inspired by God (I love the translation, “God-breathed”) and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, for training in righteousness; that the man of God may be adequate, and equipped for every good work (2 Timothy 3:16-17, emphasis mine)
What happens next in our teaching, reproof, correcting, and training is between us and Jesus; and Jesus starts with our money. Really? Why would you go there, Jesus? Maybe because our money has the potential to master us unlike anything else; and, he makes it clear, “No one can serve two masters; for either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will hold to one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and riches (6:24).” Oh! Sigh. If, I want to be a Jesus-follower, any other thing that gets in my way of staying on track must be let go. Money – love of money – is a total distraction (1 Tim 6:10). This teaching of Jesus’ regarding money isn’t really about having money, it’s about the power it has to keep us from allowing Jesus his rightful place as our only LORD. It’s why the rich-young-ruler had such a hard time being a follower. He couldn’t bring himself to part with his riches…at that moment, when Jesus asked him to go and sell all he had in order to follow. Giving away our money is the first test in being a follower…it shows what’s really in our hearts.
OK. So, I need to practice sacrificial giving as a true follower. “Then watch me give, Jesus! I’ll be a generous giver!” Second problem great givers will have to wrestle with: the motivation for giving. Do we give and tell? Give and show? Sacrificial giving is not a show and tell project. Jesus words: “Don’t give before men to be noticed. There’s no reward in that. In fact, give from your heart in such a way that your left hand doesn’t even know what your right had is doing…” Anonymous giving is our second test in being a follower…it, too, shows what’s really in our hearts.
Then how much do I have to give? Notice, Jesus never says. The 10% figure we’ve been given comes from the Old Testament; I think it’s meant as a guide, a place to start. Jesus-followers are instructed with the widows-mite-principle. Remember her? She gave her last few cents in true faith and worship (her story is found in Mark 12:41-44). The lesson Jesus teaches us? Never give just out of your wealth; your giving must reveal a heart of trust to the one you have grown to love/worship. Remember King David’s words, they are a great principle in giving, as well, “I will not give to the Lord that which costs me nothing (1 Chron. 21:24)!” Giving out of a full-of-faith-and-trust-Want-To is the third test in being a follower…it reveals what’s really in our hearts.
So far, this is convicting. How do I respond to this personally? We’ve always been tithers…that’s not so much the issue. I don’t mean to mention it in pride; because what is convicting to me is the need to re-assess. It’s the issue of the third test. Do we, as a couple, just give out of what we have, or do we give out of hearts of trust…are we GENEROUS?!? Do we give out of our wealth or our faith? As I write this, I know Bay and I are going to have an evaluation conversation. It’s not about what, or why, or a question of do we; but it will be about how much? With a decline in our salary, we have talked about the need to possibly re-adjust our giving. But I wonder how these teachings of Jesus should affect our current practicing for righteousness? …and that will be between us and our Savior. Smile.
PS. I’m not fully sure we’re finished with this teaching, either…stay tuned.