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November 11, 2007

Sacrificial Giving

Sermon: Sacrificial Giving
Matthew 10:16-20, 26-31
Mark 10:17-27

People sought Jesus out; they came to him, for many different reasons—

Probably the reason we are most familiar with, the reason mentioned more often than any other in the Biblical account is for healing—lepers, blind, hemorrhaging woman, demon-possessed, and more.

There were others reasons people sought Jesus out:

To get information—John the Baptist sent his men to Jesus to find out if he was the messiah, the one they had been waiting for. Jesus invited them to “Come and see, follow me.”

To catch him doing something wrong—the Pharisees came to Jesus with questions trying to entrap him, “Teacher, is it lawful to pay taxes to the emperor or not?” Jesus, holding up a coin, asked whose face was on the coin. Give to the Caesar the things that are Caesars and give to God the things that are God’s.”

To discover for themselves who this man was—undoubtedly there were many unnamed people who did this, because the crowds who followed Jesus grew and grew. Here’s one specific example. When Jesus entered the city of Jericho, Zacchaeus, the chief tax collector, climbed a sycamore tree to see Jesus. Jesus called him down from the tree and invited himself to Zacchaeus’ house, Zacchaeus announced he would give half of his possessions to the poor; and if he defrauded anyone, he would pay them back four times as much.

For validation. The rich man runs up to Jesus, in front of the crowd and kneels down before him in a show of submission, and he flatters Jesus. Good teacher… Jesus does not take the flattery, but reminds the man who is ultimately good,--God alone. Then he lists some of the commandments. The man, eager to show his worthiness, responds, “I have kept all these since my youth.” Pretty impressive! We don’t sense remorse, humility, or hesitation in this man at all. He has done all these things and now he is ready to attain an even greater achievement—eternal life. How does one go about getting it?

Can you see the mindset of the rich man? He has followed all the rules and this next phase is his to attain, he just needs to be told what to do. And Jesus shocks him, saddens him by telling him to sell all his possessions, give them to the poor and then come and follow him. Scriptures tell us the man struggled with the selling of all he had because, “He had many possessions.”

Wait a minute??? Jesus is asking him to sell all his possessions…what happened to giving a tithe, the church practice of giving 10%? The practice of tithe is linked to the events of Genesis 14:17-21. Abraham gave a tenth of his spoils of war to Melchizedek the prince of Salem and high priest of God. Some scholars link the 10% gift back to Abraham Babylonian background. This event, Abraham giving 10% to the priest of God, is seen as a precursor to the tithing that would be required under the Law given to Moses. We see other references about giving a tithe throughout the Old Testament.

Biblical teachings appear to indicate that although tithing was practiced extensively in the Old Testament it was never practiced nor taught within the first-century Church. Instead the New Testament scriptures seem to teach the concept of "freewill offerings" as a means of supporting the church. In Acts 4:32 we read; “Now the whole group of those who believed (in Jesus) were of one heart and soul, and no one claimed private ownership of any possession, but everything they owned was held in common. With great power the apostles gave their testimony to the resurrection of the Lord Jesus, and great grace was upon them all.” And in II Corinthians 9:7-8, “Each of you must live as you have made up your mind, not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver.”

What we see is that the earliest groups sold everything they had and held it in common to be used for the furtherance of the Gospel, such as in the Acts of the Apostles and our sister Lydia in Philippi. Given other writings by Paul, it appears as if the first-century Church did not establish nor insist on a 10% (or tithe) rule but instead emphasized freewill giving. The early Church believed in making offerings of money or goods to God dependent upon the conscience and heart of its members. And it worked.

As the church became more established, they reinstituted the tithe. In the Middle Ages, farmers had to offer a tenth of their harvest, while craftsmen had to offer a tenth of their production. In Europe, special barns were built in villages to store the tithe. Called Tithe Barns, these were often the largest building in the village after the church.

Our own denomination has spoken a word about tithing. As a nation, United Methodists are giving less than 2% back to God through our churches. We have forgotten that giving is a vital part of Christian discipleship and a strong indication of our commitment to God. Programs are being cut or have not even begun because of a lack of funds. So the UMC has asked annual conferences and local congregations to teach and preach about the spiritual discipline of giving. They have asked us to make tithing, or giving 10% of our material possessions, as one of our goals. And so we will.

As human beings we like to put a number on things—to have concrete goals to strive for. Just like the Rich Man who came to Jesus, we want to know just how much we have to give to get eternal life. We want to know what we have to do to be assured that we will get into heaven…

But our linear thinking is not God’s way. Jesus doesn’t give us a set of rules like the 10 commandments. He says, “God is Love.” “Believe in me.” “Love one another.” “Share my story.” Jesus is the master of paradox. He speaks in parables which are still being discussed today. He challenges us to let go of those things that have sustained us in the past and put our entire trust in HIM. And he demonstrated what he meant. His last act was the most courageous act of all. Jesus went to his death not a sacrificial lamb that meekly went where it is led. He made a choice so that through him, God could act in such a way that the world would be changed. If Jesus was not publically crucified as he was, what impact would his resurrection have made? His willingness to make the ultimate sacrifice was what made it possible for God to work through him.

Will that same way of living work for us? Is it possible that when we are willing to make a sacrifice for the good of others God will work through us? Are we willing to take up the ethical challenge of Jesus’ words, “Follow me”, not just the warm sentiment. Are we willing to make peace, care about justice, speak forthrightly and truthfully, value life highly, heal racial tension, and put eternal values ahead of temporal and material things?

“Being led by Jesus Christ in a radical, courageous way is an individual journey, done in the midst of community. There is a strong temptation to think, ‘I took this courageous step,’ and then demand that everyone else make the same choice. But more often than not, Christ’s call for us to take up our cross is based on individual circumstances and giftedness. We are better off to become diligent about our own courageousness than debating the courageousness of others. Then we are free to celebrate Christ-led courage wherever and however it is lived.”(1)

Jesus wants all of us, not just 10%. The 10% is what we’ve set up as what we can give. Jesus challenges us not to stop at human boundaries but to give all of ourselves to him. Earlier I said that the rich man went to Jesus seeking validation. But was it validation of what he had done on the outside or who he was on the inside? Did the man sense something was lacking in his life and thus he came to Jesus for clarity? Jesus told him what to do, but the man was not ready to take that leap of faith. So he walked away, sadly…

This particular parable is told also in Luke and Matthew but neither writer uses the phrase that Mark uses in verse 21—when the man replied to Jesus that he had kept all the commandments since his youth, “Jesus, looking at him, loved him and said, “You lack one thing…”

When we are willing to stand face to face before Jesus, he’ll give us the direction we need. It’s a matter of whether or not we are willing to do what he asks. It’s not that he will not love us if we don’t make the sacrifice. In fact, he loves us all the more when we cannot. This is verified in the fact that this man is the only person in the Gospel of Mark that Jesus is said to love. But we must trust that the sacrifice we are asked to give is for our own good and for the good of the Kingdom of Heaven.

If we want God to use us as he used Jesus, the disciples, the faithful witnesses over the centuries, then we need to ask God to strengthen our relationship with this radical, inclusive Jesus. We need to ask God, just as Jesus asked God, for the strength to follow where Jesus wants to take us.

If we are going to be followers of this radical inclusive Jesus, it’s going to be scary, unsettling, unconventional, and sometimes (to use the word of Adam Hamilton) nauseous. Jesus asks us to give more than we are able and willing to give under our own power. And he knows us well enough to know where we need to be stretched.

Close your eyes. You have heard that Jesus is down by the lake front, healing the sick and walking among the homeless on lower Wacker Drive. You see a crowd and know it’s him. You have the opportunity to go down and talk to him. You run to him and kneel before him. Ask him, “What must I let go of to follow you more completely?” What is his answer? If it causes you to make a sacrifice, that’s his answer.

Two weeks later, you hear that he was beaten to death by some skinheads for helping people who should be “helping themselves.” They say, that his last words were, “Father, forgive them for they know not what they do.” It’s not too late. It’s never too late to follow Jesus…To allow yourself to be vulnerable with the one who loves you more than life itself. Remember that he loves you, no matter what you choose to do. How will you respond this time?

(1.Bulletin insert for week three of “I Have Called You Friends” campaign from Giving Magazine 2007.)

Posted by vickie at 10:00 AM