– Mark 12: 41-44

The tithing texts – Matt 23:23/Luke 11:42, Luke 18:12, Hebrews 7:1-10

These are the only four passages which mention tithing in the NT and not one of them is related to Christians. Jesus condemns the legalism of the Pharisees (Matt & Luke) while the Hebrew ref. Is part of the argument that the old covenant has been left behind, now we are not under law, but bound by the new covenant. The only other veiled ref is Matt 21:21 “Give to Caesar …to God”.

Did Jesus tithe? He and his disciples probably did – it was widely accepted as part of their traditional synagogue worship – and Jesus did that as a good Jew.

Now – this incident in the Temple – the widow’s gift – small but huge!

1.. She gave far more than the tithe – Jesus is interested not on what is given, but what is retained. She is commended. 2.. He is interested more on possessions than income (Rich young ruler/Zac)

3.. Implied is his criticism of a system that would demand such giving 4.. Poor widows should not become penniless thru donating all their money under such a system, any more than poor X’ns today should be induced into tithing within a system that does not address issues of injustice or offer good news to the poor. Scholars agree regarding Jesus and giving – “Everything that Christ has to say about possessing and giving is based on the presuppositions which make it completely impossible for him to adopt the OT commandment of the tithe” (P57)

NT church and giving

Take the Joseph (Barnabas) Acts 4:32-37 – Tithing is not cited, generosity is!

Acts 11:27-30 – The church is being generous, helping those who are poor.

What about Paul and tithing? If Jesus and his disciples tithed it is unthinkable that Paul the Pharisee would not have tithed. Yet he does not mention it, or teach it, even though there were gentile converts who would be unfamiliar with the Jewish law and accepted tradition of tithing.

However Paul writes a great deal about issues of finance. Here are some examples: 1. The right of those who serve the church to be properly supported (1 Cor 9:3-10)

2.. Responsibility of Christians to set aside their gifts regularly and to give in proportion to their income (1 Cor 16:2)

3.. The importance of financial sharing and equality of resources between local churches (2 Cor 8:1-15)

4.. The proper administration of finances (2 Cor 8:16-24)

5.. The attitudes that characterise true Christian giving – eagerness, generosity, enthusiasm, freedom, cheerfulness and concern for the poor (2 Cor 9:1-15). In summary – in the NT the emphasis was on voluntary and generous giving according to ability. God’s people, both personally, and as a community of people, are called be generous in their giving, and not legalistic. The tithe – 1/10 is not good news for the poor, but it is to the rich. Our giving is not like the GST – pay it, whether you think it is just or not. The 1/10 is too much for the poor, and it leaves the rich feeling self-satisfied while neglecting the most important issues of the gospel. Those people are the Pharisees of today, and there are some in our churches. I have met them!

Alternatives to tithing

How then are we to give? And what are we to give? The Church does have to pay its way – so regular giving by God’s people is vital. This message is only for the committed followers of Jesus. The offering is an important part of our worship – perhaps the Anglican custom of the offering at the end of service says something about its importance. It is the dedication of our lives to God (as well as our dollars).

Old Testament – Jubilee – Leviticus 25: 10 – 41

Once every 50 years the trumpets sounded throughout the land on the Day of Atonement and liberty, or release, was to be proclaimed. It was a year when radical action was to be taken, a year of winners and losers, a year of costly and revolutionary behaviour. All debts were to be cancelled, all slaves to be released, capital wealth to be redistributed by land being restored to its original family ownership. It was to remind the Israelites that they owned nothing .it was a flattening of the pyramids.a profound and spiritual event, gracious, redemptive and creative. Certainly good news for the poor!

It was unique to Israel. The tithe was concerned with income, Jubilee dealt with capital. Jubilee legislation was not implemented, nor has it appealed to the advocates of tithing, but it was Jesus who took hold of the spirit of Jubilee in his teaching on giving and his language (Luke 4: 18-21 .release to the captives)

Jesus proclaimed a more profound Jubilee, one in which all sins (i.e debts) could be cancelled, all bondages (psych. & spiritual) broken, and all captives go free.

This is what is captured by the Jerusalem church in Acts 2, by Barnabas in Acts 4 and by the those churches planted and taught by Paul

New Testament

“Koinonia” Usually translated as “fellowship” – but this is too narrow.

It is the depth of personal relating within a community that is regarded as highly desirable. But it is also an economic term which refers to business partnerships in the Roman world. In the early churches – the “koinonia” was the common fund out of which the deacons administered care for the poor, or the box into which gifts were placed as people arrived at the meetings.

Here are the principles we can discover as to how the early church shared their resources:

1.. There is an emphasis on voluntarism rather than compulsion. Paul expects them to be motivated by thanksgiving rather than duty. 2.. Paul testifies to an enthusiasm in sharing – the givers had an overflowing joy and were eager to help others – & God loves a cheerful giver 3.. The giving described is wholehearted, generous and even sacrificial – “they gave beyond their ability”. 4.. Paul does not refer to the OT passages associated with Jubilee, but he does advocate the principle of “equality” – BUV – “fair share”. 5.. The sharing of resources between churches as well as within the community of faith. Koinonia, like Jubilee, is not a soft option for those reluctant to tithe, but a more demanding approach to financial discipleship. Rather than being restricted by the fixed percentage as a maximum, those motivated by the privilege of koinonia are encouraged to regard neither a tenth of their income, nor even their ability to give as caps on their generosity.

What if … what if we to practice “koinonia” in a world of gross inequality?

Such actions within Christian communities could be provocative and attractive, a sign that the coming Kingdom will be a kingdom of compassion, justice and equality.

Certainly then it would be said that the Gospel is good news to the poor.

Barrie Sutton (who attributes some of these ideas to the book

Beyond Tithing

by Stuart Murray

Paternoster Press, 2000