My views on giving have shifted wildly over the last 45 years. As a young Christian, I was heavily influenced by Tony Campolo and Mother Teresa’s emphasis on small acts of kindness. Mother Teresa picked terminally ill people up off the streets of Calcutta to give them some comfort days or hours before their death. “Not all of us can do great things. But we can do small things with great love.” Tony’s story of the three Haitian child prostitutes continually echoed through my giving process decades after I heard it. https://regansravings.blogspot.com/2013/01/tony-campolo-disney-and-three-child.html “For one night, for one night, you gave them back their childhood.”
This view developed and blossomed in my early years of mission work.
One theory of giving is that you do not give money to beggars on the street because it enables them, makes them dependent on handouts, and does no long-term good. They are likely going to spend it on drinking or drugs. In this case, giving does more harm than good. My response was well formulated: “I am not the judge of people in need. I don’t know their situation and how they got into it. I do know that, but for the grace of God, there go I.” My go-to verse was, “But when you give to the needy, do not let your left hand know what your right hand is doing” (Matt 6:3). I interpreted it to say: “don’t think logically about giving but do it passionately and recklessly” I felt like I had the secure backing of scripture on my side. Jesus mentions several examples of reckless giving and self-sacrifice. Rich, young ruler, the widow’s mite, the reckless love of the prodigal son’s father, turning the other cheek, etc. On the ground in foreign countries, our translators often said, “These people are taking advantage of you.” Our response was, “That’s what we’re here for.” We were following a consistent scriptural theme: “The last shall be first” (Matt. 20:16), “when I am weak, I am strong” (2 Corthians12:11). “Blessed are you when people insult you, persecute you and falsely say all kinds of evil against you because of me” (Matt 5:10). We were being financially abused and felt good about it because we allowed it in God’s name.
One important caveat: Our experience was a contemporary American interpretation of these verses. We were not selling all our possessions or giving away our last two bucks. We were giving out of abundance. When we ran out of money, we hopped on a plane back to the US and resumed our upper-middle-class lifestyle until the next time. This routine developed an undeniable awkwardness. What seemingly random sovereign choice makes us the givers rather than those in need? Despite the tension, the practice continued for some time.
Several years later, I took my church’s Community Fund Coordinator job. After a few months, I questioned the pastor’s decision to give repeatedly to the same person. Some locals have a scheme. They request help from several different local churches on a rotating basis and come back to our church every 30 days. “Outrageous,” I said. “With the effort they put into begging, they could easily get a job. Worse, they are taking away from people who did need help by depleting all the funds. It’s wrong!!!” I immediately thought, “Wait, just a second, you were okay with it when you haphazardly gave out money in foreign countries. What happened to reckless giving?” Dramatic pause. “Sounds a little hypocritical,” my old self said to my new self. Long silence from my new self.
I struggled to create a consistent biblical formula between the two giving theories, but found no way out. Paul says, “anyone unwilling to work should not eat.” (2 Thessalonians 3:10). Jesus says to “sell all your possessions and give your money away.” On the other hand, when Zacchaeus commits to giving away half his possessions, Jesus says salvation has come to his house (Luke 19:1-10). Apparently, in this case, half is enough. These conflicting verses have led to the theory that Jesus asked different things from different people. But this interpretation seems to offer a convenient cop-out. Let’s assume Jesus spoke only to the rich young ruler when he said to give away all his possessions. It’s not meant for everyone. Is it the same for the widow who gave away everything she had or the father who forgave his reckless son without accounting for his actions? To argue the command is usually for someone else is an easy way to dodge your responsibilities. But what’s the solution? If you gave everything away, you could not help others. Paul advises Timothy to “tell the rich people to do good, be rich in doing good deeds, be generous and ready to share” (1 Timothy 6:18). Jesus says, “But woe unto you that are rich! for ye have received your consolation.” (Luke 9:24) No matter what interpretation you give one verse, there is always another waiting in the wings to contradict you.
I have no definitive conclusion. The answer fluctuates with time and circumstance. In each situation, I must choose to be reckless or conservative. Even after the decision is made, questions linger. Is that person freezing on the street because I refused to pay for his hotel room for the 15th time? Should I have given that money to someone who needed it more? Ultimately, feel better about myself when I act recklessly. I err on the side of compassion to gain God’s favor: “Do not forget to show hospitality to strangers, for by so doing, some people have shown hospitality to angels without knowing it” (Hebrews 13:1). As my giving grows, inner satisfaction grows and gives me peace of mind. I even detect a sense of righteousness that I attempt to suppress. I heard that Mother Teresa once said that she is the greediest person alive because she helps others for the feeling of kindness it gives her. I don’t doubt it.
Rescue those who are being taken away to death; hold back those stumbling to the slaughter. If you say, “Behold, we did not know this,” does not he who weighs the heart perceive it? Does not he who keeps watch over your soul know it, and will he not repay man according to his work? (Proverbs 24:11-12)