What Jesus Said About Giving

A woman named Sadie Sieker served for many years as a house-parent for missionaries' children in the Philippines. Sadie loved books. Though she gladly loaned out some, others she treasured in a footlocker under her bed. Those never circulated. One night, when everything was quiet, Sadie heard a faint gnawing sound. After searching all around her room, she discovered that the noise was coming from her footlocker. When she opened it, she found nothing but an enormous pile of dust. All the books she had kept to herself had been lost to termites. What we give away, we keep. What we hoard, we lose. Or as Jesus put it, “It is more blessed to give than to receive.”

You’ve heard that before, right? But do you believe it? More importantly, do you live by it? “It is more blessed to give than to receive.”

These words of Jesus are tucked into the very end of an address that Saint Paul gave to a group of Christians that he thought he would never see again. These are what he thought would be his last words to them, so it was an emotional, poignant moment. In this address Paul hits a number of major points for them to remember: he reminds them that the gospel is for Jews and Greeks alike; he reminds them that “repentance towards God” and “faith in [the] Lord Jesus” is central; and he reminds them that they are responsible for defending God’s people from false teachers. And then he says, “…we must help the weak and remember the words of the Lord Jesus, how he himself said, “It is more blessed to give than to receive.” And after a prayerful, tearful farewell, it was time for Paul to go. You can be sure that the Ephesian Christians held onto these famous last words of Paul and put them into practice in their ministry.

Now, on one hand, it should be obvious that generous giving is a defining characteristic of Christians and the churches they attend. But on the other hand, human nature declares that Jesus got it wrong. Human nature declares, “It is more blessed to receive than to give.” Human nature declares that Sadie Sieker was doing the right thing when she kept those books under her bed. Human nature declares that your personal happiness depends on receiving; that it’s not a good Christmas unless you receive the ultimate present; that it’s not a great birthday unless you receive the perfect gift; that it’s not a meaningful Mother’s or Father’s Day or anniversary if I don’t receive the attention or appreciation that’s coming to me. Furthermore, human nature says, If you do give, which doesn’t sound like a very smart idea, but if you do give, you’d better see some return on your investment; you’d better be thanked profusely; you’d better get something out this giving, or why would you ever do it again?

As you can see, human nature and Jesus are in conflict. Self-centeredness and Jesus are in conflict. Something has got to give. Someone does. It’s Jesus.

When Jesus says, “It is more blessed to give than to receive,” understand this: He’s talking about himself first. Someone once said that God will not judge you by what you give, but by what you keep. Interesting thought. In the case of Jesus, the Bible tells us that He did not consider his status as God something to keep! He didn’t play it safe. He didn’t say, “Oh, I like it here in heaven where its comfortable and secure, I think I’ll just stay.” No! He gave himself. He entered a world made ugly by human hate, violence, and bloodshed, a world spiraling out of control. He came right down into it to save us from self-destruction. On the cross of Calvary He offered His life as a ransom for yours. An unstoppable love moved him off of the throne of heaven where His praises were being sung to a wooden cross where people mocked him in spit in his face. He made himself a sacrifice for sin and guilt; He gave himself. Why? One reason. To get you.

That’s not the end of the story, though. He rose again and is alive today. He continues to give of himself. That’s what we’re doing here today. He’s giving you this truth. He’s giving you his sacramental body and blood for the forgiveness of your sins. He’s giving you spiritual gifts to use for the good of others. He’s given you family and friends, healing, peace in the middle of life’s storms. Giving is not just what Jesus does, it’s who He is.

We need Jesus to give to us. We need to receive his gifts. We need to understand: we have no standing before God unless Jesus gives it to us. But here’s the deal: the more we receive from Jesus, the more we can give like Jesus. The more we truly see what he risked, the more we’ll risk for him.

In the latter part of the 17th century, German preacher August H. Francke founded an orphanage to care for homeless children. One day when Francke desperately needed funds to carry on his work, a destitute Christian widow came to his door begging for one gold coin. Because of his financial situation, he politely but regretfully told her he couldn't help her. Disheartened, the woman began to weep. Moved by her tears, Francke asked her to wait while he went to his room to pray. After seeking God's guidance, he felt that the Holy Spirit wanted him to change his mind. So, trusting the Lord to meet his own needs, he gave her the money. Two mornings later, he received a letter of thanks from the widow. She explained that because of his generosity she had asked the Lord to shower the orphanage with gifts. That same day Francke received 12 gold coins from a wealthy lady and 2 more from a friend in Sweden. He thought he had been amply rewarded for helping the widow, but he was soon informed that the orphanage was to receive 500 gold pieces from the estate of Prince Van Wurtenburg. When he heard this, it was Francke’s turn to cry. In sacrificially providing for that needy widow, he had been enriched, not impoverished.

Take this to heart. It is more blessed to give than to receive. Giving enriches us. There is no threat of being impoverished when we give and love in Jesus’ name. It’s like a panel from a Family Circus cartoon. Billy asks his mom, “Mom, do you ever worry about running out of love?” The mother responds, “No, Billy, it seems the more I love, the more love I have to love with.” The more I love, the more love I have to love with. You have nothing to lose by living this way.