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The Tithe, The Poor and Our Worship

One of our college students asked a very good question last week. The question was this: Is giving to the poor the same as tithing? That is, if your tithe for the week is ten dollars and you have given five dollars to the poor, do you give the other five to the church? Or, if ten percent of your income is a hundred dollars, is it the same to give it to a local or national charity as it is to give it to the church? These are good questions and questions that deserve a solid answer from the Bible.

From the very beginning the tithe has been an expression of worship. The tithe belongs to the Lord (Leviticus 27:30, 32) and was used to provide for the priests in the temple. But even the priests in the temple were not exempt from tithing, for of all people they were expected to give as a part of their worship (Numbers 18:26).

But isn’t all of life to be worship? In one sense the answer to that question is yes; all of life should be worship. So, is it acceptable to worship God by giving your tithe or a portion of it to the poor? Two passages will help us answer this question.

The first passage to consider is that of the widow’s offering in Mark 12:41–44. There, Jesus observes a poor widow giving all of her money —two small copper coins—to the temple treasury. Jesus watches her, praises her, but never stops her. Why? Because worship is more important than anything money can buy, including the food we need to live on.

Jesus teaches this same lesson to Judas. When Mary opens a jar of expensive perfume to pour out on Jesus in an act of worship, Judas complains that the money has been wasted and that it should have been used to help the poor. But Jesus says “Leave her alone…For the poor you always have with you, but you do not always have me.” (Luke 12:7–8). The worship of Jesus takes priority over all things, even over other good things.

Should we give to the poor? Absolutely! But not at the expense or as a substitute for our worship.

Love in Christ, Pastor Mitch

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