Laying it down

Here's some food for thought. Whether or not you agree with the points presented, consider the importance of tithing in your spiritual transformation into the image of Jesus.

(The following is an excerpt from the May/June RELEVANT magazine cover story)

There’s no escaping the consumer culture we live in. So how can we cultivate a passion for giving, justice and faith? The experts point to the words of Jesus.

Like many of Jesus’ teachings, the story of the Rich Young Ruler is represented more than once (from different perspectives) in the Gospels, but both accounts are very similar. A few logical deductions can be made from the introduction to the story: The Bible (in Mark 10) says that a man runs to Jesus and falls on his knees when he reaches Christ, begging Him for the secret to eternal life, so obviously, he is seeking Jesus. In Luke’s version of the story, we find out early on that this man is very wealthy. Christ tells the rich, eager listener that no one is good and reminds him of all of the commands of God (don’t murder, steal, commit adultery, etc.). You can imagine his excitement when he tells Jesus that he has followed these rules since he was a boy.

Then Jesus drops the bomb: “You still lack one thing. Sell everything you have and give it to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven. Then come, follow me” (Luke 18:25, TNIV). The Bible says that the man becomes very sorrowful. Afterward, Jesus continues: “It is easier for the camel to go through the eye of a needle than for the rich to enter the kingdom of God” (Luke 18:25).

Based on this story, does Christ really want us to sell everything and give it to the poor, or was He speaking in metaphor about personal sacrifice? How does Jesus want us to live?

Don Miller explains: “This guy had said, ‘I do everything right,’ and Jesus said, ‘Well, do this.’ And he couldn’t do it. Jesus was trying to say, ‘See, you’re not OK; you’re sick just like everybody else is sick.’ Then He says, ‘I’ll heal you.’ And the guy says, ‘No, I want to stay sick.’”

The sickness, Miller says, really has more to do with where one’s heart is and, like the rich ruler, how much control money has in an individual’s life. “The real issue is about addiction,” Miller says. “And it’s about addiction to money. We live in a culture that’s addicted to money, and we’re addicted to what money can buy us. And we’re fooled into thinking that, ‘I can buy this product, and this product will make me happy.’ And we’re fooled because the average American sees 3,000 commercial images a day. It’s like somebody constantly asking you if you want crack—3,000 times a day. And you only take it once a day ... that’s not good.”

Tony Campolo believes the story of the rich young ruler should be literally interpreted. “There is first of all, no question that it’s about money,” he says. “He goes on in the rest of the chapter when the apostles are asking Him to explain the meaning of what He has just done. He says specifically about riches: ‘It’s harder for a rich man to enter the kingdom of heaven than a camel to pass through the eye of a needle.’ Now, there is no way to avoid the monetary nature of what is being dealt with here. It’s money; it’s material things. And Jesus is saying that you’ve got a choice to make. Are you going to live for the material aspects of this life, or are you going to live for spiritual gratifications? And are you going to be My disciple?”

Shane Claiborne adds a wrinkle—the story of the rich young ruler illustrates how we, as followers of Christ, must always be reminded of our role to help the poor. “He says, ‘Sell everything and give it to the poor.’ He doesn’t just say, ‘Sell everything’; He says, ‘Give it to the poor.’ I believe that—from over and over in Jesus’ teaching—Jesus is showing that our faith has to be connected to the poor.”

Claiborne says a certain posture is needed to make the connection. “I think it’s so important to not get stuck in, ‘Oh, I’ve got to give up everything out of duty.’ Just as the Scriptures say sell everything you have and give it to the poor, they also say we can sell everything we have and give it to the poor, but if we don’t have love, it’s meaningless.”

Miller says a good place to start is through the biblical principle of tithing. Laid out by God to the Israelites in the Old Testament, God required His people to give back 10 percent of their increase—the best crops and livestock. It’s a principle that many Christians follow today. Again, he relates America’s addiction to consumerism to a drug addict, now going through withdrawal. “For a follower of Christ, in our culture, the best way for me to understand it, in my own heart, is [to say], ‘If I’m not in withdrawal pretty often, then there is something wrong.’ And so how do I go through withdrawal concerning material issues? Being able to tithe is the way I enter into withdrawal."

Jesse Carey

Relevant Magazine