There are any number of ways to take the life savings and/or
money for daily living from the old, the gullible, or those who
are zealous without knowledge. Con artists, crooks, shysters,
sharpies, cheats, etc. make their living by fleecing people. The
tactics they use are illegal.
However, there are others who have discovered a legal way to take
money from the unsuspecting. They do it under the guise of Christianity.
Following are two examples:
A daily paper recently revealed that a well-known TV evangelist
wrote a letter to a widow in a nursing home asking for $200. His
appeal was that if she did not have the money, she should borrow
it and then send it to him. The letter was called to the attention
of a reporter who published it in the newspaper. The evangelist
defended his action by claiming that God had instructed him to
send this letter to the widow. Unfortunately, the lady had been
dead for three months.
Some years ago, an incident of solicitation by intimidation, which
was reported to the police in Canada, was exposed in Christianity
Today. The Executive Director of the New Brunswick Senior Citizens
Federation charged that a popular evangelist in the United States
took financial advantage of the sensitivity of seniors and preyed
on them at a time in their lives when they are most susceptible.
In his solicitation letter the evangelist warned the senior citizens
that if they neglected to pay attention to what He (God) was saying
, then Satan would take advantage and hit them with "bad
things" and they would "wish they had never been born."
On the other hand, the evangelist stated, through the gift of
prophecy he had been told that recipients could expect creative
miracles: things seemingly dead in their body, their spirit, their
mind, and their finances would come alive again. These tactics
may be legal but they are far from Christian.
Some pastors, and even church or mission boards, are also guilty
of intimidating their congregations. Knowingly or unknowingly,
they too use the Word of God deceitfully. By misinterpreting the
Scriptures, they urge their people to do something contrary to
sound doctrine. A perfect example is the manner in which the Biblical
account of the "widow's mite" has long been applied.
Misinterpretations of Mark 12:41-44 and Luke 20:45-47 and 21:1-4
create guilt and persuade individuals and entire congregations
to give beyond their means. This approach, giving motivated by
guilt and fear, is a direct contradiction to Paul's doctrine of
giving for the Church Age in II Corinthians 8:5-15.
Using the Mark and Luke passages of the widow and her gift as
illustration, some preach, "You have not given anything until
you give sacrificially." Others state, "Give till it
hurts"--suggesting that God is not pleased with believers
unless they are suffering. What a misrepresentation of the grace
of God! Because of these and similar tactics the church of Jesus
Christ has become known as money grubbing. And unbelievers have
found another excuse to ignore God: "All they want is my
money." Sadly, all too often their complaint is accurate.
The context of the Biblical account of the widow who gave her
last two mites is not meant to teach sacrificial giving. In fact,
the Lord's real point is virtually the antithesis of how the passage
is usually treated. The Lord here teaches the crime--one of which
any false religious system is guilty--of having no particular
interest in the welfare of the individual, but a great deal of
interest in exploiting the giver for the system's own gain. A
brief exposition of Mark 12:38-44; 13:1-2 will demonstrate the
point.
The context is critical to a correct interpretation of this
passage. Jesus was in the Temple teaching. He had been discussing
the character and the conduct of the scribes. The scribes mentioned
in the gospels were the professional scholars of their day in
the interpretation of the Old Testament. (It is well to note that
they had no role during Old Testament times having come into being
during and after the Babylonian captivity.) They were usurpers
who took upon themselves the responsibility of interpreting the
Old Testament for the people. Since the priests from the tribe
of Levi were God's ordained teachers of Israel (Deuteronomy 24:8;
33:10), the scribes of Jesus' day were self-appointed leaders
of a superficial and apostate religion: superficial in that it
emphasized only the external show of religion and apostate because
it had long since left the true purposes of the Word of God.
Jesus' opinion of the scribes can be seen in His own discourse
concerning them:
Mark 12:38-40, "And He said unto them in his doctrine, Beware of the scribes, which love to go in long clothing, and love salutations in the market place, and the chief seats in the synagogues, and the uppermost rooms at feasts: Which devour widows' houses, and for a pretense make long prayers: these shall receive greater condemnation"
Two important points need to be made from the above text. The
Greek words blepete apo ton grammateon are literally translated
"you see from the scribes," interpreted: "you see
with understanding by the way they dress, want to be noticed,
how self-centered, and self-important the scribes are." The
Greek word apo from which the word "from" is translated
means "away from," "turn your backs on them."
This is the alternative to practicing their religion. Our Lord
was teaching that God's people should not follow the way of the
scribes and their teachings. The authority of the scribes should
be rejected. In addition, they were guilty of shameful conduct:
"They devour widow's houses."
The Illustration
Jesus continued His condemnation of the scribes by the graphic
illustration which follows in verses 41-44. Jesus was sitting
opposite the trumpet-shaped chests into which the people threw
their Temple offerings. He observed how the people cast money
into the treasury, and the "rich cast in much." Then
Jesus continues, "And there came a certain poor widow, and
she threw in two mites, which make a farthing" (v. 42). The
text continues to detail the financial condition of the widow
and to show the difference between the offering of the rich and
her offering.
Mark 12:43b-44b, "Verily I say unto you, that this poor widow hath cast more in than all they which have cast into the treasury...all her living".
The rich would not miss what they gave, but the poor widow
had given away all her living. She had given all she had to the
apostate Temple worship of the Jews, while the promised Redeemer
sat but a step away.
There is an unfortunate chapter break at this point in the narrative,
which interrupts the thought both here and in Luke's gospel. (Chapter
breaks are not in the original text but placed by the translators.)
The context continues in Mark 13:1-2 as one of the disciples,
obviously not understanding Christ's lesson, urged the Lord to
observe the impressive outward appearance of the Temple buildings
surrounding them. And at that point, Jesus prophesied the destruction
of the false religious system to which the poor widow had given
her all.
Mark 13:2b, Jesus said: Seest thou these great buildings? There shall not be left one stone upon another that shall not be thrown down.
The buildings of the Temple area with all their splendor, along
with the corrupt religious system which centered in them, would
be destroyed, and those who had rejected their Messiah in favor
of the false religious system would perish with it. Jesus' prophecy
came to pass in 70 A.D. when the armies of Rome under Titus leveled
Jerusalem and the Temple area, thus destroying the arena for the
Jews' false religious practices.
The most pathetic part of this account is that the misguided widow
could have had eternal life had she turned from the false, put
her money in her pocket, and embraced the Savior who was sitting
nearby observing.
Matthew 23:37-38, "O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, thou that killest the prophets, and stonest them which are sent unto thee, how often would I have gathered thy children together, even as a hen gathereth her chickens under her wings, and ye would not! Behold, your house is left unto you desolate."
The tragedy of life is always that Jesus is so near with the
gift of life, but people seek either to buy or to work their way
into heaven.
The widow gave all she had under the misguided impression that
she was serving God. This is why the Lord said (v. 40) that the
scribes were guilty of devouring widows' houses. The scribes,
with no apparent pangs of conscience, actively promoted the kind
of extreme sacrifice exhibited by this poor widow. And Jesus clearly
is teaching that the coercions and intimidations practiced by
the scribes were evil. A further irony--the most tragic of all--is
that the scribes of Jesus' day promoted such a heretical doctrine
while this unfortunate person, as well as the rest of the nation
of Israel, headed for destruction.
Observations
Jesus was teaching his disciples. (Luke 20:45).
The context is a discussion of the superficiality and malpractice of the scribes.
The account of the widow's mite was an observable demonstration of one method whereby the scribes devoured widow's houses.
The religion which she supported was replaced by the gospel of grace. The Temple and system to which she gave was destroyed in 70 A.D. and was replaced by the Church of Jesus Christ.
All her sacrifice was for nothing.
The widow could have received eternal life freely had she turned to Jesus.
Preachers who would follow the example of the scribes are not true to the Word of God.
Only a false, uncaring religious system would ask members who could not afford it to donate to their cause.
The widow's mite does not teach giving: A better application would be, "Look out for the scribes and Pharisees in our own time."
If the work is of God, God will supply: if it is not God's work, let it die.
Do not give if it hurts; God does not want--or need--that kind of giving.
Principles of Giving
Some years ago I was much impressed with the manner in which the
offering was taken at Grace Bible Church in Dallas. Dr. Dwight
Pentecost, the pastor at that time, reminded the people that it
was a privilege to give. He explained to the congregation that
giving to God was reserved for believers and asked the unsaved
not to give. He then went on to explain the gift of salvation
and extended an invitation to the unsaved to accept the free gift
of salvation provided by God. There was no pressure exerted toward
believers to give. They were simply asked to give as God had prospered
them. They were not asked to tithe nor to give till it hurts.
They were not intimidated nor made to feel guilty for not giving.
That church employed the New Testament method of giving.
We are concerned that Christianity has lost sight of God's purposes
for giving. Surely God is not so destitute that His work depends
on us. He could supply in an infinite number of ways were that
the only consideration. He has chosen personal giving. Why?
The Apostle Paul teaches New Testament giving in II Corinthians
8 and 9. In these chapters he sets forth the purposes for which
believers should give, the method of determining how much one
should give, and the blessings received by proper giving.
The occasion for writing II Corinthians 8 and 9 was the taking
of a collection for the poverty-stricken saints in Jerusalem.
From its very earliest days the church at Jerusalem had been confronted
with the problem of poverty coupled with persecution. During the
Jerusalem Council of Acts 15:22, Paul says that James, Cephas
(Peter) and John reminded them that we should remember the poor
(Galatians 2:10). Yet another reference to the collection for
the relief of Christians at Jerusalem is in I Corinthians 16:1ff.
The Macedonian churches had responded with great generosity when
Paul appealed to them on behalf of the Judean Christians. Although
confident of the response by the Corinthian believers, Paul encouraged
them to give by noting the example set by the churches in Macedonia.
That example consisted of three parts.
Grace
The whole activity of their giving is characterized by the repeated
use of the word grace. It appears seven times in II Corinthians
8. The grace given to the churches of Macedonia was apparent because
of the circumstances under which they contributed. Being poor,
they nevertheless gave with joy and abundance. There was a two-fold
grace granted to the Macedonians: joy and generosity. Their liberality
on behalf of their fellow Christians at Jerusalem was a manifestation
of the joy the grace of God was producing in their own lives.
Paul points out to the Corinthian church that the Macedonian Christians
"first gave of their own selves to the Lord" (II Corinthians
8:5). It was then that they gave "unto us by the will of
God" (II Corinthians 8:5b). Paul then admonished Titus, his
messenger to the Corinthians, that "he would finish in you
the same grace also" (vs. 6). Believers in this age of grace
can have the same joy by exercising their generosity, but they
should do so without pressure from greedy leaders.
Jesus was Paul's example of giving. "For ye know the grace
of our Lord Jesus Christ, that, though he was rich, yet for your
sakes he became poor, that ye through his poverty might be rich"
(II Corinthians 8:9). Paul is not pointing the Corinthians to
Christ's example to ask them to give to the point of becoming
poverty-stricken. He is merely saying that the offering of Christ
for the sins of the world was a work of grace motivated by love
and that the giving of the Corinthians to the believers in Jerusalem
was to be a similar work of loving grace in their thinking and
attitude.
Commenting on this subject Hughes writes: "There is, however,
no harsh note: he affectionately addresses them as his brethren,
and he speaks not of something which the Macedonians have achieved,
as though by some superior quality of character, but of the grace
of God which was given and which, rather than any personal quality,
was the mainspring of their generosity. There is no question of
human resources, but only divine grace; and that same grace was
equally available to the Christians in Corinth." (Commentary
on II Corinthians by Philip E. Hughes, Wm B. Eerdmans Pub. Co.,
Grand Rapids, page 287)
While the purpose of the Macedonian and Corinthian giving was
to relieve the poverty of the saints in Jerusalem, and Paul used
the occasion to teach the early Church how God employs His grace
in this area, the practice of grace giving has other spiritual
reasons for our involvement. If properly practiced there is blessing
both for the giver and the receiver.
Fellowship
Fellowship means sharing, being a partaker with. This is the same
word that is used in Acts 4:32 where it is said that the early
church had all things "in common." In Paul's first letter
to the Corinthians the Church was likened to a body, and he states:
"Whether one member suffereth, all the members suffer with
it; or one member is honored all the members rejoice with it"
(I Corinthians 12:26). There is to be a sharing within the body
of Christ which draws the body together into a cohesive unit,
with one purpose, one accord, and blessing for all concerned.
Fellowship and communion are both translated from the same Greek
word, koinonia. Just as the taking of the elements of the bread
and wine, which symbolize the body and blood of Christ, is real
communion of the worshippers one with another and with Christ,
even so is the taking of the offering. It is a communion or fellowship
of believers one with another and with Christ in giving toward
a common purpose, in order to accomplish shared goals. Thus, giving
done apart from its true meaning of fellowship and sharing loses
its purpose and results in the loss of spiritual benefit and blessing.
This fellowship in giving finds its source in the spiritual condition
of the believer and can never be coerced. It begins in the mind
and is carried out through an act of the will. Paul says: "For
if there be first a willing mind . . ." (II Corinthians 8:12a).
A believer in fellowship with God will have a mind willing to
give, whether or not he holds much in his hand to offer. This
is what God desires.
II Corinthians 9:7, "Every man according as he purposeth
in his heart, so let him give; not grudgingly, or of necessity:
for God loveth a cheerful giver".
There must be real freedom in Christian giving or the mind and
will react negatively. Each individual must make a personal decision
as to how much to give. To give to Christ and then to grieve over
or begrudge the loss robs one of the blessing of fellowship derived
from giving. Grudge giving is outlined in the story of Ananias
and Sapphira in Acts 5:1-9. Genuine, free, and cheerful giving
is the only offering God really accepts and blesses, no matter
the amount.
Equality
Paul also teaches equality in giving. The Apostle is careful to
explain to the Corinthians that it is not God's intention to relieve
the Jerusalem believers by making it hard on those of Macedonia
and Corinth. This time the Corinthians were to give because they
had an abundance. Later the Corinthians may be short and other
Christians will come to their relief. And so, by this spirit of
reciprocity, a principle of equality should operate in the universal
body of Christ.
II Corinthians 8:13,14, "For I mean not that other men be eased, and ye burdened. But by an equality, that now at this time your abundance may be a supply for their want, that their abundance also may be a supply for your want: that there may be equality."
According to Lenski:
"It is not at all a matter of giving as much as possible
to others even to the point of impoverishing ourselves - as though
the virtue of giving lay in that. But this is entirely a matter
of equality or equalization. In Christian giving the matter of
the giver and those to whom he gives is always made even, we may
say, is balanced." (The Interpretation of I & II Corinthians,
R.C.H. Linski, Augsburg Publishing House, Minneapolis, 1963, page
1144).
The combination of freedom and equality in turn strengthens the
fellowship and "a three-fold cord is not quickly broken"
(Ecclesiastes 4:12). All are a result of observing God's method
of operation for the Church Age: grace. We operate on faith that
grace will work because God's Word directs it.
Method of Giving
Paul instructed the Galatians, too, in the proper method for Church
Age giving:
I Corinthians 16:2, "Upon the first day of the week let every one of you lay by him in store, as God hath prospered him, that there be no gatherings when I come."
The Old Testament tithe or tax is not for believers in the
age of grace. The tithe was regulated because they were under
Law. (They did have free-will offerings however.) There are times
when a person's entire income is needed to meet personal expenses.
School supplies for the children, medicine for a sick widow, food
on the table, emergencies of all kinds sometimes limit a person's
giving. Granted, to hide behind one's expenses to avoid giving
is a way of lying to God, but to make a show of prosperity in
times of want is equally false. The tithe, practiced as it is
today, is an ungracious way of putting God's people in a strait-jacket,
a form of legalism that destroys the individual's freedom before
God and causes division in the body of Christ. (In some churches
tithers are promoted as the elite of the congregation.) Grace
giving should be voluntary, given on a weekly basis as God prospers
and not subject to man's approval or disapproval.
Conclusion
Because New Testament giving is not practiced in many churches,
the blessings of grace, fellowship, and equality are sadly lacking.
The church has projected a reputation of they just want my money.
True Christianity gives, but it gives from the principle of grace--lovingly,
not legally; freely, not through coercion; not to gain favor but
to impart it, having received bountifully from the Lord. "God
so loved the world He gave..."(John 3:16a). Jesus gave willingly,
lovingly, and generously. Let us give first of ourselves: (like
Jesus) freely, graciously, bountifully, and there will be equality
in the body of Christ. Before the Lord, dare we do less?
James & Marjorie Matheny
P.O. Box 2222
Brevard, NC 28712
(704) 885-2062
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