There are quite a few interesting debates going on in Christianity these days. There are disagreements on eschatology, the role of women in the church, politics, etc. I have some firm beliefs on each of these subjects, even most of the etcetera!
However, one debate that has caught my attention recently is the practice of tithing. Based on what I’ve observed, there are three positions taken by followers of Christ: 1) Indifference (usually based on lack of knowledge on the subject). 2) Tithing is Old Covenant and therefore not necessary for believers in the New Covenant. 3) Tithing is a Kingdom principle established before the law was given to Moses.
Before I go any further in addressing these, let me tell you why this particular subject caught my attention. It was this question: As a Christian, am I required to tithe? On the surface it would seem to be a legitimate question, although maybe not on the same footing as a question such as, “As a Christian, am I requires to love my enemies?” We can point to the words of Jesus Himself in the gospels (Matt. 5:44; Luke 6:27) for the obvious answer. But what about tithing? Jesus never gave a direct command to tithe. The only time He mentions it is in Matthew 23:23 when He is rebuking the scribes and Pharisees for being hypocrites:
“Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you pay tithe of mint and anise and cumin, and have neglected the weightier matters of the law: justice and mercy and faith. These you ought to have done, without leaving the others undone.”
Jesus always seemed to get to the heart of the matter, didn’t He?
Instead of looking for legalistic answers to our questions, maybe we should examine why the question is asked in the first place. Oftentimes our heart is revealed by the questions we ask.
I think a more legitimate question would be, “How much of the kingdom do I want to see and experience?”
Recently, I was reading the story of Zacchaeus from The Message in Luke 19:1-9 – Then Jesus entered and walked through Jericho. There was a man there, his name Zacchaeus, the head tax man and quite rich. He wanted desperately to see Jesus, but the crowd was in his way – he was a short man and couldn’t see over the crowd. So he ran ahead and climbed up in a sycamore tree so he could see Jesus when he came by.
When Jesus got to the tree, he looked up and said, “Zacchaeus, hurry down. Today is my day to be a guest in your home.” Zacchaeus scrambled out of the tree, hardly believing his good luck, delighted to take Jesus home with him. Everyone who saw the incident was indignant and grumped, “What business does he have getting cozy with this crook?”
Zacchaeus just stood there, a little stunned. He stammered apologetically, “Master, I give away half my income to the poor – and if I’m caught cheating, I pay four times the damages.”
Jesus said, “Today is salvation day in his home! Here he is: Zacchaeus, son of Abraham! For the Son of man came to find and restore the lost.”
I’ve always loved this story because of the obvious change in Zacchaeus’ heart and his immediate response in giving away half of his income to the poor and to make restitution four-fold to anyone he had cheated. How strange that so many who have experienced salvation would even balk at the idea of a tithe (one-tenth) of their income!
But this time I noticed something I had never paid much attention to before. Jesus calls Zacchaeus a son of Abraham. Previously, he may have been a physical descendant of Abraham, but now he is a spiritual son. I think it’s also very important that he mentions Abraham here. Abraham was the first person to tithe. You can read the story yourself in Gen. 14:18-20 and Heb. 7:1-22. Abraham paid a tithe to Melchizedek, who was a type of Christ’s eternal priesthood.
I find it fascinating when Christians want to call tithing a part of the Law when It was first established several hundred years before Moses was born.
Though we’re talking about tithing here, this is really not a money issue. It’s a heart issue. When Jesus came on the scene and began his earthly ministry, he had a lot to say about the heart. I don’t have space in this article to refer to every time Jesus spoke about the heart. Jesus said, “where you treasure is, there your heart will be also.” (Matt. 6:21)
Whether we like to acknowledge it or not, our hearts are tied to our billfolds. We need look no further than the early church in the book of Acts to see what the heart – treasure connection looks like: Now all who believed were together, and had all things in common, and sold their possessions and goods, and divided them among all, as anyone had need. (Acts 2:44-45)
Now the multitude of those who believed were of one heart and one soul; neither did anyone say that any of the things he possessed was his own, but they had all things in common. And with great power the apostles gave witness to the resurrection of the Lord Jesus. And great grace was upon them all. Nor was there anyone among them who lacked; for all who were possessors of houses or lands sold them and brought the proceeds of the things that were sold, and laid them at the apostles’ feet; and they distributed to each as anyone had need. (Acts 4:32-35)
What it all boils down to is this – Jesus isn’t asking for your tithe. He’s asking for everything. When you approach Him with a heart that says, “It all belongs to you,” then you’ll never have to ask the question, “Am I required to tithe?”
It’s all His,
Kevin.