"FOLLOW ME pt.4: Offering - Tax or Thanks?"
Mk.2:13-17 Feb.23/03
RRSPs, RRIFs, RESPs - Resisting Remunerating the Regime
You could guess it's nearly the end of February: T4s are being passed out to employees so they can fill out their income tax returns; electronic tax kits have arrived in the mail; some folks are rushing to their financial institution to get contributions into their RRSPs before the cutoff date. Most of us would have to admit we hate paying one penny more to the government than we absolutely have to. Registered plans allow us to save for retirement or our children's education without having to pay tax on the interest; we like that feature. Paying taxes is just part of living, so we're used to finding all the avenues we can to minimize the amount we have to fork over. Buying at the store we pay PST & GST; property taxes go to municipal and school expenses; and once a year there's the income tax, 16% or more. Taxes are just part of living in community, we know there are costs to support these organizations. So when we come to church, there's the temptation to view the offering as just another "tax", an assessment to support yet another earthly institution. Usually though for the offering we figure we can get off the hook with 10% or less rather than 7+8% or 16% or higher.
But the Bible teaches us that the offering is different, it's not just another "tax" to be resisted or look for loopholes so we can avoid it. Offering is the second O in our acronym "follow", Jesus means it to be a vital and joyful component of being His disciple. The story of the call and response of one tax collector named Matthew illustrates that our offering can be a joyful expression of thanks instead of a tedious tax.
Giving Up a Plum Enterprise
What would you do if you'd spent your life getting nicely situated, you'd managed and jockeyed your business into an ideal market niche and were strategically positioned with great potential, and the Lord came along and asked you to give it all up? How do you walk away from a gold mine? Certainly it would leave onlookers shaking their heads. Yet that's just the situation we find Matthew (also called Levi) in in Mark 2. V.14 notes he was "sitting at the tax collector's booth". This is in the vicinity of Capernaum, where a major international highway cut through passing from Egypt in the south up to Mesopotamia in the north; Damascus, capital of Syria, is just up the road. For Matthew, collecting taxes and duties for the hated conquering foreign government Rome from both local citizens and merchants passing through, it was an ideal place to be. Like having a sought-after fast food outlet with a monopoly right by a busy section of the 401. Financially, Matthew had it made! He was "set for life". But along came Jesus, who told him, "Follow me." We're not told how much Matthew had heard about Christ before this, just that he "got up and followed Him". A while ago we saw Jesus' call to the fishermen, Simon & Andrew, James & John, and how they had faith and obedience, dropping their nets to follow Him. This goes beyond the cost of discipleship for the fishermen: they could always go back to fishing, but for Matthew, once he broke his contract with the Romans, he was done for, professionally speaking. Yet he decided to give up this plum of an enterprise.
The Grace of Jesus' Call
Then again, maybe Jesus was giving up something by calling him, too. You see, tax collectors were viewed as the scum of the earth in respectable Jewish people's eyes. Verses 15&16 refer to "tax collectors and sinners" as a group. Tax collectors or "publicans" were despised for several reasons: they associated with Gentiles; they worked on the Sabbath; they were an agent for a despised foreign power; they were notorious for overcharging and pocketing the difference, skimming off the top; and Jews would hate to think the some of the money collected went to support pagan religions and temples (kind of like Christians objecting to a portion of tax money being used to pay for abortions). Tax collectors were definitely the bottom of the heap in public opinion. They couldn't serve as witnesses or judges, and were expelled from the synagogue.
Now, stop a moment and think about it. You're an up-and-coming miracle-working religious leader founding a new movement; people are raving about your fame from east to west. You want to gather together a close team who will further the work long after you're gone. You happen to be walking by a despised, looked-down-upon, spat-upon tax collector. Is this the kind of candidate you would choose to be an apostle, one of the few very key positions? I can see your campaign manager giving this a definite thumbs-down -- not politically astute!
But if Baden-Powell could say, "If it's not fun, it's not Scouting," we might say, "if there's no grace, it's not Christianity." Grace - God's undeserved kindness toward us - means that Jesus specializes in choosing the rejects and outcasts. David McKenna comments: "Why would Jesus call Levi to be a disciple? The truth is that Jesus specializes in rejects. Whether in Levi, or Peter, or Mary Magdalene, or John Mark, He sees the potential for spiritual growth and greatness. To see Michelangelo's Pieta - the sculpture depicting Mary holding her son, Jesus, after he was taken down from the cross - is an overwhelming experience. Yet, the legend behind the stone is an inspiration in itself. Early in his career, Michelangelo was too poor to buy the marble for his sculpting. He had to pick his way through the rejected or ruined stones of other sculptors. As he eyed the marble, he said that he could see the figure inside waiting to be released by his chisel. Dragging it home, he freed the figures of Mary and Jesus that he envisioned and thus produced one of the miracles of artistic creation -- from a reject."
Yes, Matthew gave up a plum enterprise to follow Jesus. But the Saviour gave up so much more for Matthew - and other "scum" like me and you. This despised, rejected tax collector heard in Jesus' call incredible grace, amazing love, unheard-of mercy reaching out to include him in eternal purpose and acceptance. Sheer grace was about to remould a discarded social misfit into a vital agent in God's plan of redemption.
The Gratitude of Matthew's Response
4 "Rs" characterize Matthew's grateful response: Reception, Richness, Relationships, and Record-keeping.
a. Reception
First, he Received Jesus as Lord and Saviour into his life, his home, his personal world. He invited Him in, totally. V.15 notes right away that Jesus "was having dinner at Levi's house". Matthew arranged a public reception for Jesus to go along with his personal private receiving of Him in his soul, a bold new change of ultimate allegiance. So for us, in receiving Christ, we offer Him our whole selves. In 2Cor.8(2,5) Paul explains how the Macedonians managed to show "rich generosity" despite "extreme poverty", and the "most severe trial": they overcame these, he says, because "they gave themselves first to the Lord and then to us in keeping with God's will." When we believe, we give ourselves first to the Lord, lock stock & barrel. Thus Paul notes the Macedonians had "overflowing joy" which "welled up in rich generosity".
In Romans 6(13), Paul urges us to "offer yourselves to God, as those who have been brought from death to life..." Eternally speaking, we were toast, destined for the never-ending incinerator, but God saved us through Christ's work at the cross: so we owe everything to Him. In Eph.5(2) we're told, "Live a life of love, just as Christ loved us and gave himself up for us as a fragrant offering and sacrifice to God." Love results in offering: receiving Christ, we turn the steering wheel of our life over to Him.
♢ Richness
Next note the Richness of Matthew's response. Mark notes, "While Jesus was having dinner at Levi’s house, many tax collectors and 'sinners' were eating with him and his disciples, for there were many who followed him." This was no hasty snack but a lavish banquet; Matthew pulled out all the stops in his joy over becoming a follower of Jesus. The party lit up the neighbourhood, to the point of drawing the attention of some sniping Pharisees. Matthew wasn't standing there at the door deciding who to let in; he was thrilled to share his new Acquaintance with all his belittled buddies who would come. His response shows a richness, a lavishness, borne out of gratitude for the Master's grace in choosing him.
How does the concept of tithing relate to the richness of our offering? In Old Testament thought, the tithe was well established as a starting point for giving: Lev.27(30) says that a tithe (or tenth) of everything from the land, and from the herd, belongs to the Lord and is holy to the Lord. But the Jews were expected to make many other offerings besides the tithe. Emphasis is laid on the "first fruits", as in Prov.3(9,10): "Honor the LORD with your wealth, with the firstfruits of all your crops; then your barns will be filled to overflowing, and your vats will brim over with new wine." In addition, there were sin offerings, trespass offerings, peace - meal - drink - and wave offerings. Obviously more than a tenth was involved. Overall the idea is a proportionate response to God's blessing, as Deut.16(17) says, "Each of you must bring a gift in proportion to the way the LORD your God has blessed you."
What guidance for giving do we find in the New Testament? Jesus does not say the religious people of His day were wrong to tithe; read carefully and you'll find He says they shouldn't neglect to give a tenth (Mt.23:23). But it's far from being like a tax: the attitude Jesus recommends doesn't ask "how little can I get away with?" He commands in Luke 6, "Give, and it will be given to you.A good measure, pressed down, shaken together and running over, will be poured into your lap.For with the measure you use, it will be measured to you." (Lk.6:38) In other words, if you want to be stingy with God and others, that's how He'll deal with you; give lavishly if you want God to really bless you. Do you want only a tithe of God's blessing?
The "proportionate" concept is stretched by examination of motives and willingness in the rest of the New Testament. In Acts 11(29) the disciples give "each according to his ability". Paul directs the Christians at Corinth, "On the first day of every week, each one of you should set aside a sum of money in keeping with his income...Each man should give what he has decided in his heart to give, not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver." Their gifts are to be "generous", not "grudgingly given". Ah - that's how Matthew responded, cheerfully not grudgingly, as a grateful response to the Lord's wonderful grace. He showed willingness. Paul adds, "For if the willingness is there, the gift is acceptable according to what one has, not according to what he does not have." (1Cor.16:2; 2Cor.9:7,5; 8:12)
When it comes to guidelines for the richness of our financial giving, CS Lewis concluded, "Charity...is an essential part of Christian morality...I do not believe one can settle how much we ought to give. I am afraid the only safe rule is to give more than we can spare...If our charities do not at all pinch or hamper us, I should say they are too small. There ought to be things we should like to do and cannot do because our charitable expenditure excludes them." Peter says we're a "holy priesthood, offering spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ." (1Pet.2:5) If there's no sacrifice involved in our giving, no richness or cheerful extravagance, is it really an offering...or more like a tip, a left-over?
♢ Relationships
Let's get beyond the financial now. Matthew also offered his Relationships. Those celebrating at the dinner are described as "many tax collectors and sinners". This was Matthew's somewhat small but valued (to him) circle of associates. Matthew was doing "friendship evangelism" without even knowing it: he just naturally wanted to invite his chums to meet this incredible Teacher who made such a difference in his life.
There are many schemes for church growth out on the market today. Things from advertising campaigns, to door-to-door programs, to mass high-priced outreach events; but the most successful method in the long run - the thing that will help LWCF to truly be "growth-geared" - is still simply bring-a-friend. Cross the bridges of the relationships you already have - at home, at work, in the community, the people with whom God's put you in touch to be Christ's ambassador. Pray about it; He'll show you who to speak to, who to invite along. Dare to offer God your Relationships.
♢ Record-keeping
Wait - Matthew didn't leave quite everything at the tax booth that day. He brought along his pen. This was back in the days before computers and Palm Pilots, when people still wrote things down on paper - especially tax collectors. All along, even before the call, God had been training Matthew for Kingdom work. Today in our Bibles we have a lasting legacy handed down by one converted tax collector: it's called the Gospel according to Matthew, about 12% of the New Testament. You see, Matthew was the kind of guy who when he heard something good, he just had to jot it down on a scrap of paper. Over the years the scraps accumulated, because Jesus had a lot of good things to say. Then after the resurrection, Matthew sorted through his file cabinet and sat down to write it out from start to finish - with a lot of valuable Old Testament quotations thrown in to show how it all happened to fulfill God's Word. The accountant wrote an account, but now not for Rome, but the Reign of Christ.
We too can offer God our natural abilities as well as the spiritual gifts His Spirit cultivates in us. Albert Schweitzer became a doctor to serve Africans deep in the jungle. Mother Teresa was a small, determined woman who offered simple mercies to the sick and dying in Calcutta. George Barna is an American pollster who gives time and resources to strengthen the modern church. Paul Henderson starts out from his experience as a hockey player to preach the gospel to Canadians. Whatever you bring to the altar, your natural abilities, God can use. Paul says, "offer the parts of your body to him as instruments of righteousness." (Rom.6:13) Tools for truth instead of tax-collecting, or something equally tacky.
Creativity in Charitableness
Jesus went way out on a limb in inviting Matthew to be a key player. In planning our giving, we too can show real creativity in sharing God's money with those who need it. We can go beyond just local church expenses. Globally, there are many kinds of missions and missionaries to support. Emily for example has made those who got her emails feel more personally involved in global missions; we were aware of the challenges a missionary faces in Lebanon and Jordan. Now that her term is ending, who else will we take on to support? Then there are magnificent charitable organizations such as Samaritan's Purse, Canadian Foodgrains Bank, World Vision, Compassion, and other accountable agencies. Nationally there's Evangelical Fellowship of Canada fighting for Christian truth in the courts, Campus Crusade for Christ, Prison Fellowship, and Focus on the Family. Locally there are Crisis Pregnancy Centres, Youth For Christ, midweek children's programs and Vacation Bible School - the list goes on. Lots to choose from! Don't spread yourself too thin - adopt a few agencies you can support significantly, keep in touch with, and pray for.
This is the time of year when we get envious of people (such as a neighbouring pastor!) who go on holidays to Florida or other exotic climes. Well, our offering makes it possible to do better than that. Texas preacher WA Criswell tells of a man who was asked, "What did you do yesterday?" He replied, "Yesterday I taught a class in the Criswell College. On Tuesday I sas down in the Rio Grande Valley working in a Vacation Bible School. On Wednesday I was operating in our Baptist hospital in Nigeria. On Thursday I was teaching the Word of God in the Amazon jungle. On Friday I was building a church house in the Philippines. On Saturday I was preaching on the streets in the Japanese capital of Tokyo." The friend exclaimed, "Man, even in the jet age you can't do that!" The fellow said, "But I do it every day. I dedicate to the Lord a gift in the First Baptist Church of Dallas, and it goes all over the earth doing good for Jesus!"
We can also be creative in the various vehicles we make use of to give. In our wills, it's important to remember the church and other charities in making bequests; that way we can practice stewardship of our accumulated resources. Some people use annuities or trusts. Sometimes people give by means of a gift of life insurance: I saw an example recently where an individual would pay $50 a month premium and at their death the designated charity would receive around $35,000. That's a generous gift! For example, could be the foundation for an annual scholarship for needy students at a Bible college.
Offering our whole lives spills over into how we invest our money - oops, correction, God's money ("all that we have is Thine alone", as the hymn puts it). As Christians, our conscience would protest against entering into partnership with, say, drug dealers or an adults-only video store. Yet when people start buying stocks or mutual funds, they may not be aware that a certain fund is weighted heavily in the tobacco industry or publishing companies that profit from pornography. (Just this week, I was alarmed to discover that in my bank's Canadian Equity Fund, #9 company in the "Top Ten Holdings" was Molson's Inc.! I'm going to have to make some changes!) Some Mennonite agencies own Meritas Financial Inc.which offers "SRI" funds (standing for Socially Responsible Investing, sometimes called ethical investing). These funds are screened, for instance, negatively to exclude companies involved in alcohol, tobacco, or military production; and screened positively to seek out companies that have good environmental records, or support small entrepreneurs in developing countries.
Besides financially, we can be creative in offering our time. Matthew volunteered his record-keeping ability. Church midweek programs, palliative care, foster parenting, community youth work - there are many ways to give your time in a way that furthers Jesus' Kingdom. Just pray about it and find an area that energizes you because of the way God has gifted and geared you. One woman in our congregation has recently returned with a team from Wingham which was putting a second floor on a school down in the Dominican Republic. My brother is a cash crop farmer near Staffa; on March 3 he and his family and about a dozen other people from the Stratford area are heading to the Dominican for two weeks -- not for beaches or a cruise but to build a 3-classroom school. This will help out the poor citizens who live there, many from Haiti, and who survive most often by employment as sugar cane cutters, unable to afford public education. Here's a creative way to get some warmth in mid-winter yet help the needy at the same time!
Good Advice
I'd like to wrap up today with a true story about some good advice that was offered to a young lad nearly 200 years ago. William left home at age 16 to seek his fortune, and everything he owned was tied in a bundle that he carried in his hand. As he walked along on his way to the city, he met an old neighbour, the captain of a canal boat, and what the old man said to him that day stayed with him his entire life. The canal-boat captain asked, "Well, William, where are you going?" The lad replied, "I don't know. Father is too poor to keep me at home any longer, and says I must make a living for myself now." William went on to say that he had no skills, that he didn't know how to do anything except make soap and candles. "Well," said the old man, "let me pray with you and give you a little advice." There in the pathway, the teenager and the old man knelt down and the man prayed earnestly for William. Then, rising up, the boat captain said this: "Someone will soon be the leading soapmaker in New York. It can be you as well as anyone. I hope it may. Be a good man; give your heart to Christ; give the Lord all that belongs to Him of every dollar you earn; make an honest soap; give a full pound; and I am certain you will yet be a prosperous and rich man."
When William arrived in New York, he had trouble finding a job, but he followed the old man's advice. He dedicated himself to Christ, joined a church, and began worshiping there. The first thing he did with the first dollar he earned was to give 10% of it to the Lord's work. From that point on, he considered ten cents of every dollar as sacred to the Lord. In fact, he soon began giving 20% of his income to the Lord, then he raised it to 30%, then to 40%, then to 50%. And late in his life, he had become so successful that he devoted the whole of his yearly income - 100% of it - to the Lord. His company is now one of the oldest in America, and this morning some of us brushed our teeth or washed our faces with products from that young man's factory. His name was William Colgate; he started the Colgate-Palmolive Company. Proved to be good advice, didn't it? "Be a good man; give your heart to Christ; give the Lord all that belongs to Him of every dollar you earn; make an honest soap; give a full pound..." As the tax collector's new boss said, "For with the measure you use, it will be measured to you." Let's pray.