Does Jesus support tithing?
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| John Calvin (Photo credit: Wikipedia) |
Matthew 23:23–24 warns us that it is possible to become focused on one set of God’s demands at the expense of another. The scribes and Pharisees tried to obey God’s law scrupulously; they tithed their herbs even though the Torah did not specifically require the giving of such (Deut. 14:22–23). However, their obedience did not include the weightier, and more difficult, matters of the Law. It is easy to count out a tenth of one’s cumin seeds, but it is much harder to help needy people in a substantial way. Sacrifice of time and leisure might be required to show mercy to the one who is downtrodden. Faithfulness may mean the loss of one’s job or reputation as the result of
bearing witness to Christ.
The scribes and Pharisees were not wrong to tithe their smallest things; in
fact, they rightly gave God a portion of all they had (Matt. 23:23–24). They
erred in following the Law superficially, concerned with its letter, not its
spirit, and mistakenly focused on minutiae at the expense of the duties to
which tithing, and every other commandment, pointed: “He has told you, O man, what is good; and what does the LORD require of you but to do justice, and to love kindness, and to walk humbly with your God?” (Micah 6:8). Bishop Hilary of Poitiers, a fourth-century defender of Trinitarian orthodoxy, warns us:
“God laughs at the superficial diligence of those who measure cucumbers” (On
Matthew 24.7).
John Calvin writes, “The Law is kept only when men are just, and kind, and
true, towards each other; for thus they testify that they love and fear God,
and give proper and sufficient evidence of sincere piety.” Commitment to
justice, mercy, and faithfulness demonstrates commitment to Christ (James
2:14–26). Thus, our care for the poor and oppressed must be as evident as our concern for doctrine.
