Matthew's account of Jesus' Sermon on the Mount contains some of Jesus' most challenging teaching. In the first part of chapter six, he focuses on integrity: how it's not what we look like on the outside that counts, but what's in our heart. And in the first four verses he talks about money. He says, "Be careful not to do your 'acts of righteousness' – almsgiving – before men... When you give to the needy, do let your left hand know what your right hand is doing."
In the background was a common practice at the time. For Jews then, and now, almsgiving was part of religious devotion. But rich people would make a parade of their righteousness. They might have a trumpeter calling attention to them as they poured a shower of gold pieces into the Temple coffers, or paid for a water-seller to distribute water free to the poor.
But Jesus says giving should be for God's sake. It has nothing to do with the giver. If we give to make people think well of us, we aren't giving for the right reasons. Our gift might be costly, but in spiritual terms it is not a sacrifice.
If we give so that people will think how great we are, it's not a gift. We're being paid – in admiration, in praise, or best of all, in jealousy. If you're paid, it's not a gift, it's a sale.
So Jesus says, don't sell your service. Watch your motives and keep your heart pure, as far as you can. If you give in secret, he says, "your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you" (verse 4).
We're always encouraged, and rightly, to be generous in giving. But this story reminds us that there are spiritual risks involved. One of them, Jesus reminds us, is that we give for the wrong reasons. Here are three others.
1. Giving creates an obligation
It sets up a particular relationship between giver and receiver, even if we don't intend it to. That can be very unhealthy. In churches it can mean big donors having undue influence over church policy, even if they don't deliberately intervene.
And just on a personal level, it's hard to be always receiving. Jesus said it is "more blessed to give than to receive"; and receiving can be hard, because it hurts people's pride. Sensitive giving gives people choices. It doesn't seem like giving at all. There was even a Jewish rabbi who would give alms to poor people by dropping money behind him as if by accident, so he wouldn't see who picked it up.
When we give, there's a great responsibility on us to make it easy for people we give to. Jesus says that the best kind of giving is when nobody even knows we've done it.
2. Giving feeds our self-esteem
We've all known people who need to be needed. Some people volunteer for everything because it feeds a need they have to be wanted. Some people can be bolstered by the approval of others in an unhealthy way. They're giving, but they're taking as well. So in a church context, ministry stops being about God and becomes about them.
When Jesus said, "Don't let your left hand know what your right hand is doing," he meant, "As far as you can, take yourself, your needs and your desires out of the picture. It's not about you, it's about the gift you are giving. And if it makes you feel good, just be careful that doesn't become your motive for giving, or your motive for serving or preaching."
3. Giving makes it harder to receive
If we've been used to being in control, knowing what to do and having money and resources to give, it's hard to accept when that changes. Perhaps we get older or suffer illness, or perhaps our financial circumstances change, and we need to rely on other people.
And the risk of always giving is that it immunises us against experiencing grace. Because grace is what is given to us; it's what we don't deserve and can't repay. The wonderful thing about being part of a church family is that we see grace in action, both in giving and in receiving. Part of our discipleship is learning to allow other people the opportunity to give to us. It stops us being proud, and it reminds us that in God's eyes we are all needy.
Follow Mark Woods on Twitter: @RevMarkWoods
