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.

Back to Reality

During China's Boxer Rebellion of 1900, insurgents captured a mission station, blocked all the gates but one, and in front of that one gate placed a cross flat on the ground. Then the word was passed to those inside that any who trampled the cross underfoot would be permitted their freedom and life, but that any refusing would be shot. Terribly frightened, the first seven students trampled the cross under their feet and were allowed to go free. But the eighth student, a young girl, refused to commit the sacrilegious act. Kneeling beside the cross in prayer for strength, she arose and moved carefully around the cross, and went out to face the firing squad. Strengthened by her example, every one of the remaining ninety-two students followed her to the firing
squad.
History is filled with such stories—of faithfulness unto death. It’s almost impossible to make contact with such a story without asking, “What would I have done? What would I do?” It also begs the question, “Why? Why would a Chinese Christian—or any Christian—choose certain death rather than show disrespect to their Lord Jesus? The answer to that question lies at the heart of our seven-week celebration that began last Sunday. The answer is that Jesus has rendered death powerless. The answer is that no matter what, Jesus wins, and He shares His victory with those who believe in Him. To say it differently: Why risk anything or even everything for the cause of Christ? The answer: ‘Because He lives.” Because He lives, I live now, and will live forever.
Our readings for this Sunday morning would seem to offer us a resurrection reality check. It is almost as if they say, “All right, everyone was singing and happy and triumphant last weekend, but now it’s back to the real world.” Acts 5 shows the apostles paying the price for their public profession of faith in Jesus. They are threatened with death and whipped in the same cruel manner as Jesus had been. In the gospel lesson, we learn that immediately following Jesus’ resurrection, one of Jesus’ closest followers took the skeptical approach and said, “I’ll believe it when I see it.” It’s like, “Easter was majestic; Easter was uplifting; Easter was pure and powerful, but that was then. Look at what you’re up against now.” The temptation for the people involved in each of these Biblical stories was that they would give in to that very line of thinking—that their troubles would loom so large in their vision that they would lose sight of their risen Lord Jesus. They would doubt that it could make any difference. They would doubt that it happened at all.

 I think it is safe to say that we are tempted in precisely these same ways. When we’re not being fed doubts about a resurrected Christ, we nurse doubts about a God who would allow bad things to happen to us, and soon we’re living far removed from a 33-year-old Jewish man getting up out of his grave. I just don’t feel a connection between me and that event, and so hope drains out of my life. We are tempted to live as if the resurrection of Jesus—if it happened at all—doesn’t matter.
And what a heartless temptation that is. What a cruel trap that the devil has set. Because the resurrection doesn’t just matter. It is everything! To paraphrase St. Paul: If the resurrection of Jesus did not really happen, then this thing we call Christianity is an awful waste of our time. If Jesus did not really come back to life, we are nothing more than a group of pious fools following empty rituals. But…the proclamation of the Holy Christian Church, based on eyewitness accounts, has always been and always will be that Jesus Christ came out of his grave alive--three days after being crucified. It is true, and it changes everything.
Because Jesus lives, death is not the end. A Christian man and his wife lost their young son in a tragic accident on Good Friday in 1996. The boy’s funeral was on Easter Sunday. During the memorial service the father got up and shared with his family and friends that Easter had taken on a new importance. "Until you stare death eye-to-eye," he began sobbing, "Easter is just a word. It’s a nice day with bunny rabbits and eggs . . . .but when someone so precious to you dies, Easter becomes everything . . . an anchor in a fierce storm . . . a rock on which to stand . . . a hope that raises you above despair and keeps you going." Those whom God has adopted and gifted with faith also have the promise that they live in Jesus— they live forever in Jesus—and the separation that death causes now is temporary, not final.
Because Jesus lives, we can serve Him with confidence. The apostles of Acts 5 endured the punishment they received for preaching about Jesus—and more than that—they were full of joy because they were given the honor of suffering disgrace for Jesus. They defied the order to stop talking about Jesus because they couldn’t help themselves! How could they? Jesus had come back to life! Some council had told them to knock it off—so what? We serve Christ, who defeated death! That was the mindset of the apostles. Is that your mindset? Is that our church’s mindset? It can be, because we serve the same living Lord the apostles did. Christian author, pastor and radio preacher Dr. Warren Wiersbe once said, "[The resurrection of Jesus] is the Truth that turns a church from a museum into a ministry." Jesus is alive and wants to be active in us!

And, because Jesus lives, he can come to us. He comes to us here, in spoken and sung words; in words that raise believers to new life; He comes to us here in the washing of baptismal water; He comes to us here, hidden in bread and wine. He comes to you to say, “Put your finger here and look at my hands. Take and eat, my body broken for you. Put your hand here in my side. Take and drink, my blood shed for you for the forgiveness of your sins. Peace be with you. Believe in Me.” Jesus lives in his Church to feed and nurture us! We connect with a living God here! He comes right down to our level to forgive and strengthen and teach us, and in return we praise Him, we pray to Him, we give back to Him, we serve Him. This activity only makes sense if Jesus is alive! Again and again he enters the locked doors of our hearts to give us the gift of His peace.