Matthew 6:1- 4 “Take care not to do your good deeds publicly or before men, in order to be seen by them; otherwise, you will have no reward with and from your Father Who is in heaven. Thus, whenever you give to the poor, do not blow a trumpet before you, as the hypocrites in the synagogues and in the streets like to do, that they may be recognized and honored and praised by men. Truly I tell you, they have their reward in full already. But when you give to charity, do not let your left hand know what your right hand is doing, so that your deeds of charity may be in secret; and your Father Who sees in secret will reward you openly.”
It was our first Sunday at Wesley Methodist Cathedral in Kumasi in 1988, and we were really impressed! Not only did they have a main sermon, but they also had a “mini – sermon” before the main one. How spiritual! And then we learned enough Twi to realize that the “mini – sermon” consisted of “Owura Yeboah ama cedi mpem mienu. Owura Manu ama cedi mpem miensa.” (Mr. Yeboah has given two thousand cedis. Mr. Manu has given three thousand cedis.) This wasn’t a sermon; this was the announcement of the amounts people had donated to the church! Then we attended a number of traditional funerals, only to hear the same kinds of announcements! Somehow, in the clash of traditional Christianity and the local culture, Jesus’ injunctions had gotten lost in the shuffle. Even today, donations at public events are still announced with great fanfare. Were there to be no such announcements, those attending would feel that the organizers were ungrateful. Our answer to this problem has been to either make the donation anonymously or to donate before or after the event, so that we avoid becoming part of the announcements.
Let’s look at Jesus’ teaching. Evidently, the very rich who wished to make gifts to the synagogue had no problems advertising their charity; in fact, they actually had trumpeters leading the way through the streets and right into the synagogues to make sure that EVERYBODY knew just how warm – hearted and generous they were! Of course, these were also the same people who were refusing to support their aged parents (Mark 7:11) and who were even tithing their spices – the first actual bean counters! No wonder that Jesus commended a poor widow who crept into the temple un – noticed to put in two of the smallest coins possible. Jesus pointed out that this lady was giving everything she had to God, literally while the rich were giving out of abundance, leaving plenty for themselves.
“But,” you argue, “what about reporting charitable giving to the IRS?” There is nothing wrong with reporting charitable giving to the IRS. The IRS is not going to pat you on the back, nor is the IRS going to announce your name publicly as a big donor. As missionaries we must account for the monies entrusted to us, including our donations; however, these reports are filed quietly. But there are also little things – school fees for pastors’ children, money for medicines and feeding for hospital patients. Small amounts can make a big difference when one is very poor.
God keeps His books, and His accounting is perfect. Jesus taught that even if someone gave a cup of cold water to someone because that person was a disciple of Jesus, that there would be a reward. (Matthew 10:42) But the law of the Kingdom of God is to give freely and quietly, never worrying about how much public acclaim you will get in the process.
Jesus taught that we couldn’t have it both ways; either we would get our appreciation from men here on earth, or we would wait until heaven for God to recognize us. In Matthew 25: 31 – 40, Jesus describes the scene at the end of the world when He will come in glory and will reward those who helped the hungry, the thirsty, strangers, the sick, prisoners, and those needing clothing. “And the King will reply to them, Truly I tell you, in so far as you did it for one of the least of these My brethren, you did it for Me.” We do not earn our way into heaven by our charitable donations. We give out of gratitude and compassion because God has already given His Son Jesus to die for our sins and to give us eternal life.
PRAYER: Father God, please help us to give freely as you do, for you send sunshine and rain on the just and on the unjust. Please let our hearts break with the things that break Your heart! And please, Father, help us to give with Heaven on our minds and gratitude in our hearts for your great gift of salvation. In Jesus’ Name. Amen.
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