Greed And The Ideal Society

Giving and the Needy in Luke and Acts

A. John’s Teaching of Repentance
So John began saying to the crowds who were going out to be baptized by him, "You brood of vipers, who warned you to flee from the wrath to come? Therefore bear fruits in keeping with repentance, and do not begin to say to yourselves, 'We have Abraham for our father,' for I say to you that from these stones God is able to raise up children to Abraham. Indeed the axe is already laid at the root of the trees; so every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire." And the crowds were questioning him, saying, "Then what shall we do?" And he would answer and say to them, "The man who has two tunics is to share with him who has none; and he who has food is to do likewise." And some tax collectors also came to be baptized, and they said to him, "Teacher, what shall we do?" And he said to them, "Collect no more than what you have been ordered to." Luke 3:7-13

John the Baptist preached repentance in a similar way that Jesus did (e.g. Luke 13:1-5). Both John and Jesus—especially in Luke—had an ethical message tied with one’s dependence on God. And they both had an ethical message concerning wealth, which Luke highlights. John’s message on repentance is related to God’s coming new rule—that everyone needed to prepare themselves for God’s coming, and those who are ethically unprepared will be punished. The punishment John speaks of is no longer being considered a child of Abraham—or of receiving Abraham’s blessing.

When dealing with specific ethical issues, John was direct. If you have two of something and someone has need, give your extra to them. John emphasizes the willingness, rather than a socialized government, because repentance is an individual decision to follow God rather than the way one used to live. For those who are tax collectors, John commands them to not cheat, but to just accept the wages they are offered—he gives a similar command to soldiers (the local police). It must be noted, here, that compassion and integrity in the use of one’s wealth and resources are a minimum standard for those who wish to enter God’s kingdom.

B. The Sermon on the Plain
If you love those who love you, what credit is that to you? For even sinners love those who love them. If you do good to those who do good to you, what credit is that to you? For even sinners do the same. If you lend to those from whom you expect to receive, what credit is that to you? Even sinners lend to sinners in order to receive back the same amount. But love your enemies, and do good, and lend, expecting nothing in return; and your reward will be great, and you will be sons of the Most High; for He Himself is kind to ungrateful and evil men. Be merciful, just as your Father is merciful. Do not judge, and you will not be judged; and do not condemn, and you will not be condemned; pardon, and you will be pardoned. Give, and it will be given to you. They will pour into your lap a good measure-- pressed down, shaken together, and running over. For by your standard of measure it will be measured to you in return. Luke 6:32-38

The Sermon on the Plain is the foundational teaching of Jesus in the book of Luke. In the center of it, associated with his teaching on loving one’s enemies, Jesus speaks about giving. Jesus’ teaching on loving one’s enemies is not just about those who do things hateful toward one, but about treating everyone with equal love, even as God treats everyone with equal love in giving and providing needs. Jesus did not say that one needed to like everyone equally, but to provide for their needs equally—no matter what they have done to you. And if one would treat an enemy this way, then certainly one would treat a stranger who has done one no harm the same way.

Jesus specifically speaks about lending to people. This could be lending money or other resources. Deuteronomy 15 also speaks of lending, commanding the Israelites to lend to those in need, even if it looks as if you might not receive it back (Deut. 15:7-10). Jesus is affirming this, and broadening it to those who might be disobedient to God as well. Then Jesus mentions that those who give in this way—without exclusion, to meet needs, even if the debt is unreturned—would be rewarded by God even more than one gave.

C. Jesus’ Simple Command
Sell your possessions and give to the needy. Fill your wallet with benefits that will never run out. You will have an account in heaven that will provide all you need, where no one can steal it and nothing can destroy it. For where your resources are, there your heart will be also. (Luke 12:33-34)

Jesus makes it clear—we are to give our resources to the needy. This is a command to all the disciples, not just a few (Luke 12:22). He made this statement after a long speech about the danger of accumulating wealth and the need to trust in God for one’s needs (Luke 12:13-31). Just after this statement, Jesus speaks about the coming kingdom which will overtake the earth, where the “master” will destroy the “slave” who does not take his master’s possessions and provide for other servants from it (Luke 12:35-48).

In this passage, Jesus is giving a command. It is not just a “good idea,” as if Jesus’ ethical commands are something that a good Christian can just ignore or accept, depending on how they feel that day. Obeying Jesus’ commands are a requirement for entering the kingdom of God (Luke 6:46-49). Nor is this statement an opportunity for rewards. The statement “having treasure in heaven” is used to speak about gaining the kingdom of God at all (Matthew 6:19-21;Mark 10:21; Luke 18:22—in the last two, “treasure in heaven” is used to parallel “salvation” and “entering the kingdom.”).

D. The Surrendering King
Or what king, when he sets out to meet another king in battle, will not first sit down and consider whether he is strong enough with ten thousand men to encounter the one coming against him with twenty thousand? Or else, while the other is still far away, he sends a delegation and asks for terms of peace. So then, none of you can be my disciples who does not renounce all of his possessions. Luke 14:31-33

Jesus tells a parable here about a king who is going into battle against another king. Our unfortunate king, however, has far less soldiers in his army than his opponent and will surely be destroyed on the field of battle. Thus, he must make preparations for surrender. In the ancient way of warfare, this means two things: first of all, he must agree to submit to the victorious king and become his slave, under his orders. Secondly, he must give up all of what he has in his treasury—any silver, gold or other precious items he has in savings. In this way, he is humbled, but he retains his reign and people. (I Kings 14:25-26; 15:17-19; II Kings 12:17-18; II Kings 14:13-14; II Kings 16:8-9; II Kings 18:14-15; II Kings 24:12-14).

Jesus is telling this parable in order to make a point about our relationship to God. God is the victorious king, who is coming with a great army and will defeat us, unless we repent and submit to Jesus as our Lord and King. But God demands more than our submission, Jesus says. He is also demanding all of our possessions. We need to make all of our possessions available to God, for his service.

E. The Sneaky Steward
Now He was also saying to the disciples, "There was a rich man who had a manager, and this manager was reported to him as squandering his possessions. And he called him and said to him, 'What is this I hear about you? Give an accounting of your management, for you can no longer be manager.' The manager said to himself, 'What shall I do, since my master is taking the management away from me? I am not strong enough to dig; I am ashamed to beg. I know what I shall do, so that when I am removed from the management people will welcome me into their homes.' And he summoned each one of his master's debtors, and he began saying to the first, 'How much do you owe my master?' And he said, 'A hundred measures of oil.' And he said to him, 'Take your bill, and sit down quickly and write fifty.' Then he said to another, 'And how much do you owe?' And he said, 'A hundred measures of wheat.' He said to him, 'Take your bill, and write eighty.' And his master praised the unrighteous manager because he had acted shrewdly; for the sons of this age are more shrewd in relation to their own kind than the sons of light. And I say to you, make friends for yourselves by means of the wealth of unrighteousness, so that when it fails, they will receive you into the eternal dwellings. He who is faithful in a very little thing is faithful also in much; and he who is unrighteous in a very little thing is unrighteous also in much. Therefore if you have not been faithful in the use of unrighteous wealth, who will entrust the true riches to you? And if you have not been faithful in the use of that which is another's, who will give you that which is your own? No servant can serve two masters; for either he will hate the one and love the other, or else he will be devoted to one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and wealth." Luke 16:1-13

The parable of the steward is problematic for many because of the unethical practice of the steward. However, Jesus is not advocating a lack of integrity. Rather, he is emphasizing the “shrewdness” of the steward—the fact that he is facing a difficulty, and he is willing to sacrifice his wealth to secure his future. Even so, Jesus is recommending to the “sons of light” that they sacrifice their wealth for the sake of the coming age—the kingdom of God. Jesus’ recommendation is to give wealth to the needy who will be entering God’s kingdom. In that way, he says, they will secure you a place in the kingdom. Jesus subtlely shifts the focus of leadership in God’s kingdom from the wealthy to the poor—as he does often in the gospels (e.g. Luke 6:20-26). Thus, the “faithful” use of “unrighteous” wealth is to give it to the needy who are honoring God with their lives. And, in fact, Jesus reminds us, our wealth does not belong to us at all, but God—we are but stewards. Thus, we need to ask, not “what are wise investments” but “what are God’s investments?” Jesus answers this question by saying that the investments God wants us to participate in is giving to his people who are needy. Then the two masters saying is given—and in this context it is implying, “For what use will you use your money? For the sake of creating more money and wealth—thus serving the wealth itself? Or will you use it for God and give it away to those who are in need?”

F. The Rich Man and Lazarus
Now there was a rich man, and he habitually dressed in purple and fine linen, joyously living in splendor every day. And a poor man named Lazarus was laid at his gate, covered with sores, and longing to be fed with the crumbs which were falling from the rich man's table; besides, even the dogs were coming and licking his sores. Now the poor man died and was carried away by the angels to Abraham's bosom; and the rich man also died and was buried. In Hades he lifted up his eyes, being in torment, and saw Abraham far away and Lazarus in his bosom. And he cried out and said, 'Father Abraham, have mercy on me, and send Lazarus so that he may dip the tip of his finger in water and cool off my tongue, for I am in agony in this flame.' But Abraham said, 'Child, remember that during your life you received your good things, and likewise Lazarus bad things; but now he is being comforted here, and you are in agony. And besides all this, between us and you there is a great chasm fixed, so that those who wish to come over from here to you will not be able, and that none may cross over from there to us.' And he said, 'Then I beg you, father, that you send him to my father's house-- for I have five brothers-- in order that he may warn them, so that they will not also come to this place of torment.' But Abraham said, 'They have Moses and the Prophets; let them hear them.' But he said, 'No, father Abraham, but if someone goes to them from the dead, they will repent!' But he said to him, 'If they do not listen to Moses and the Prophets, they will not be persuaded even if someone rises from the dead.'" Luke 16:19-31

There are many issues in this parable, and many questions to be answered. But the main ethical issue is easily discovered: The rich man was tortured after death because he lived in wealth, but refused to give to the needy man right at his gate. The message of Moses and the Prophets is to give to the needy (Deuteronomy 15:4-11; Isaiah 3:14-15; Isaiah 58:5-10; Jeremiah 5:26-29; Ezekiel 16:49; Ezekiel 18:10-13; Amos 5:12-15). If wealthy men do not listen to this message, they will be judged by God.

G. Zaccheus, the Righteous Wealthy
He entered Jericho and was passing through. And there was a man called by the name of Zaccheus; he was a chief tax collector and he was rich. Zaccheus was trying to see who Jesus was, and was unable because of the crowd, for he was small in stature. So he ran on ahead and climbed up into a sycamore tree in order to see Him, for He was about to pass through that way. When Jesus came to the place, He looked up and said to him, "Zaccheus, hurry and come down, for today I must stay at your house." And he hurried and came down and received Him gladly. When they saw it, they all began to grumble, saying, "He has gone to be the guest of a man who is a sinner." Zaccheus stopped and said to the Lord, "Behold, Lord, half of my possessions I will give to the poor, and if I have defrauded anyone of anything, I will give back four times as much." And Jesus said to him, "Today salvation has come to this house, because he, too, is a son of Abraham. For the Son of Man has come to seek and to save that which was lost." Luke 19:1-10

Zaccheus is the converse of much which is taught in the gospels and James—a wealthy man who is a true son of Abraham. How is this? Because he was surrendering half of his possessions to the poor and is following John the Baptist’s (and Moses’) instructions on not cheating others (Luke 3:12-13; Exodus 22:1). The only two differences are his obedience to Jesus and his pronouncement of giving to the poor. This confirms what Jesus teaches in other places: the rich man is saved by giving to the poor.

H. The Devourers and the Sacrificers
Beware of the scribes, who like to walk around in long robes, and love respectful greetings in the market places, and chief seats in the synagogues and places of honor at banquets, who devour widows' houses, and for appearance's sake offer long prayers. These will receive greater condemnation." And He looked up and saw the rich putting their gifts into the treasury. And He saw a poor widow putting in two small copper coins. And He said, "Truly I say to you, this poor widow put in more than all of them; for they all out of their surplus put into the offering; but she out of her poverty put in all that she had to live on." Luke 20:46-21:4

The gospel writers (Mark 12:38-44 and Luke) place together two items about widows. In the first, Jesus describes scribes—the educated theologians of his day—as devouring widow’s houses. In the next, they give an illustration of a widow who was losing her last means of support. She was taught that she should give her last penny to the “building project” of the temple, and so she followed suit, for she felt that she needed to give such wealth in order to be obedient to God (as the scribes taught).

Jesus, on the one hand, is praising the widow for her complete sacrifice to God, even to the detriment of herself. Such complete surrender displays the faith in God that Jesus spoke about.

On the other hand, Jesus (and the gospel writers) was criticizing the scribes for demanding that a widow give her last cent to a building, while she herself has nothing to live on. Such a teaching, Jesus implies, is opposed to God’s requirement of mercy to the needy.

I. The Example of the Early Church
And all those who had believed were together and had all things in common; and they began selling their property and possessions and were sharing them with all, as anyone might have need. Day by day continuing with one mind in the temple, and breaking bread from house to house, they were taking their meals together with gladness and sincerity of heart, praising God and having favor with all the people. And the Lord was adding to their number day by day those who were being saved. Acts 2:44-47

And with great power the apostles were giving testimony to the resurrection of the Lord Jesus, and abundant grace was upon them all. For there was not a needy person among them, for all who were owners of land or houses would sell them and bring the proceeds of the sales and lay them at the apostles' feet, and they would be distributed to each as any had need. Now Joseph, a Levite of Cyprian birth, who was also called Barnabas by the apostles (which translated means Son of Encouragement), and who owned a tract of land, sold it and brought the money and laid it at the apostles' feet. Acts 4:33-37

The early Christian community took seriously what Jesus taught about giving. In following Jesus’ command, they took the following actions:

a. They made all of their resources available.
If there was a need, they gave up all that they had for that need. They didn’t keep for themselves property that could have been better used for the poor. They opened their homes to the needy and they provided food for those who were hungry.

b. They sold items so the money could be used.
They voluntarily gave up what they had, sometimes sacrificially, in order to provide for the needy. This didn’t mean that they got rid of everything they had—many still kept lands and homes they needed—but they sold all they could and all that God was leading them to.

c. They gave to the church, knowing that the church would give the money to the needy.
They didn’t give to the temple, where they met. Nor did they pay unnecessary religious taxes. But, instead, they gave to those whom Jesus told them to give—those in need.

In this way it could be said, “There were no needy among them.” Even so, it could be with us if we followed Jesus’ principles of giving.

Even so, when we give to God, we do not just find the nearest church and give it to them. Rather, we give to the needy. It is the needy who are especially protected by God, and it says again and again in God’s word that those who give to the needy are actually giving to God. In fact, Jesus critiqued the Jewish religious leaders who told people to give to the temple to the detriment of giving to the needy in their community . Giving to the church is good, but only if they give to the needy.