By: Rev. Dr. Delores Carpenter
Senior Pastor, Michigan Park Christian Church, Decatur, GA
Adapted for web by Theresia Whitfield

“From everyone to whom much has been given, much will be required; and from the one to whom much has been entrusted, even more will be demanded.” (Luke 12:48b, NRSV)

This text, drawn from the parable that teaches us to be ever vigilant and ready for the Lord’s coming, also establishes the principles of accountability and responsibility. Blessings are not to be treated as pearls and placed before swine — unappreciated, mismanaged, mistreated, trampled upon, and abused. We are not to do with our blessings whatever we please — as if they are ours. Blessings are given to us to manage, for the Bible teaches that God, the giver of every good and perfect gift, holds us accountable for the way we treat the blessings that heaven’s grace bestows upon our lives. However we’re blessed — whether with riches, education, a good job, a good companion, children, the exuberance of youth, long life, friends or people who love us, health, a creative mind, a particular talent or spirituality — we must manage our blessings wisely and handle them well. For one day we shall give an account for the way we have treated or mistreated our blessings.

Our text not only reminds us of the burden for accountability and responsibility of our blessings, I believe it also teaches us about God’s expectations of our giving. God is extremely fair: God expects us to give only what we have. If we have much, God expects much. And if we have little, God expects a fair measure of devotion from our little. God doesn’t expect a person who doesn’t have a job or who’s on public assistance to give the same amount as the person whose income is in the six-figure bracket. God does not expect a child on an allowance to give the same amount as his or her working parent. But God does expect that child to be taught to give something from what he or she has.

God is unlike anyone else to whom we will ever give. When we run up our light bill, we pay what the utility company demands. The utility company does not look at how much we have or say to us, “Give as you’ve been blessed. If you have much, then pay much, or if you have little, then donate little.” The utility company says, “This is what you owe; pay for what you used. Pay it or out go your lights.” The same principle applies to the grocery store. You pay for what you get. Whether it is by cash or check or food stamps, you pay for what you get. Both the wealthy and those on welfare who shop in the same store will pay the same price.

However, God requires only that we be fair and give as we have been blessed. Most of us understand and accept this principle. Yet as fair as it is, it rises or falls on our understanding of the word “much.” Most of us will gladly testify that God is good — all the time — and that we have been blessed, until it comes to our giving. At this point, we stop talking about how much we’ve been blessed and start crying about how much we owe on our bills. We say, “True, I’ve been blessed — but I’ve got a mortgage,” or “my rent keeps going up;” “but my child is in college;” “but I’m supporting several of my family members.”

One of the things we forget about is that term “much” is relative. What is little to us looks like much to a lot of other people. If you don’t believe me, ask the victims of any hurricane, fire, and flood who have lost everything. Ask people in Russia who must stand in unbelievably long lines to buy the necessities of life. While we complain about prices at the grocery store, the people of Somalia would be thrilled just to stand in our grocery line. Ask the people of Liberia and Haiti what they think about our little. Many of our parents and grandparents would have thought that heaven had come to earth if they had some of our little.

Luke 18:18-20, along with other Synoptic Gospels such as Matthew and Mark, tell the story of a rich young ruler who came to Jesus asking, “What must I do to inherit eternal life?” We have all criticized this young man for letting his riches block his way into the Kingdom. And some of us have self-righteously declared that if we had had his riches our response would have been different. Well, I don’t know how rich he was, but I do know this: he never rode in a car, turned on a light, heard a piano or pipe organ, watched a television, heard a radio, rode in an airplane or train, saw a typewritten letter or a calculator or computer. He never checked a book out at the library or improved his vision with eyeglasses or LASIK surgery. He never saw water running out of a faucet or used a washing machine or dryer or garbage disposal or even a commode. And if he was rich, what are we? Hear the Word of the Lord: “From everyone to whom much has been given, much will be required; and from the one to whom much has been entrusted, even more will be demanded.”

A small boy asked his father for money for the church offering. The father said he only had a penny in change. (That’s our first mistake, parents. We give our children dollars for movies and dollars for pizzas but only change for church offerings and Sunday school.) But the boy replied, “I can’t put just a penny in the collection.” The father asked, “Why not?” The boy said, “You don’t want me to look cheap to the Lord do you?”

When we look at how we’ve been blessed — food that goes bad in the refrigerator, clothes that hang in our closets that we don’t wear, can’t wear and won’t give away — how does what we put in the church offering look to the Lord? When we look at the money we smoke up, drink up and use to make ourselves look better and smell better; when we look at the money we invest in the lottery, in the numbers, at the racetrack, in one-armed bandits, and in little things we just enjoy doing and having — in spite of our other bills — how does what we put in the offering plate compare to the money we spend on such incidentals?

Giving is also a matter of service. Mark 1:30-31 tells the story of Jesus’ healing of Peter’s mother-in-law. When the fever left her, she began to serve them. She not only shouted; she served. She not only testified; she served. She not only said thank you; she served. If God has done something special for you, if God has healed, delivered, made a way out of no way, worked a miracle, answered a heartfelt prayer, brought the wandering feet of a loved one back home, helped you get over a headache, given you strength to pick up the broken pieces of your heart and love anew — then you ought not be stingy with your service. We ought to be willing to serve however we can — with a glad mind and a willing spirit. Nobody out to have to beg us to serve; we ought to step forward and volunteer, for the sole reason that God is good — all the time. If we are never recognized or our names are never called, that’s alright. We’re not serving for recognition or even for future rewards; we’re serving because God has been good and is still good — all the time. And if others want to talk about us and falsely accuse us we’re not going to allow idle talk from idle minds with empty hearts and busy-body spirits stop us from serving a God who is good — all the time. That’s why we’re singing in the choir, ushering at the door, cooking in the kitchen, volunteering in the office, taking time with the young, caring for the sick, strengthening the faith of the discouraged — because God has been good to us, and God’s word tells us, “From everyone to whom much has been given, much will be required.”

As a minimum standard of our giving in return for what God has done for us, the Bible talks about a tithe, a consecrated ten percent, as a starting point of our thanksgiving. This means ten percent of our time, talent and treasure. In terms of time, that’s only six minutes out of every hour, two hours and twenty-four minutes of every day, almost 17 hours every week. Ten percent ought to be our starting point. In terms of talent, that’s ten percent of our cooking, cleaning, singing, talking, typing, writing, teaching, decorating, counseling, transacting, and painting that ought to be our starting point of service to God: God’s church and God’s people. In terms of our money, ten percent of our income — salary or whatever income we have — off the top, ought to be our minimum gift to God. And if we say, “That’s a lot.” Remember God has blessed us a lot, answered prayers a lot, forgiven a lot, protected a lot.

Isn’t it strange how a $20 bill seems like such a large amount when you donate it to the church but such a small amount when you go shopping? Isn’t it strange how 2 hours seems so long when you’re at church, and how short they seem when you’re watching a good movie? Isn’t it strange that you can’t find a word to say when you’re praying, but you have no trouble talking to a friend? Isn’t it strange how difficult and boring it is to read one chapter of the Bible, but how easy it is to read 100 pages of a popular novel? Isn’t it strange how everyone wants front-row tickets to concerts or games but they do whatever is possible to sit in the back at church? Isn’t it strange how we believe everything that magazines and newspapers say, but we question the words of the Bible?

In Leviticus, the tithe was instituted in the wilderness under the commandments and statutes of God given through Moses. The original tithe was given to the priest and his family, the Levites, since they could not own land. This also allowed them to care for their worship responsibilities without worrying about how their families would be sustained. (Now there’s something to ponder in light of the fact that most pastors are underpaid and the ministry has fewer younger recruits because of this reality.) Later, the prophet Malachi asked if any human being could rob God. He answered by saying yes.  We rob God when we fail to pay our tithes and offerings. Ten percent is only the beginning. In our church, we give the tithe, building fund pledges that are substantial and the First Fruits Offering that in 2006 is the equivalent of two week’s income. Then there are numerous other offerings that help others and build up the house of the Lord. And when we die, we are admonished to leave ten percent of our estate to the church for posterity. In fact, the more one gets in the habit of giving to the causes of the Lord, the greater the sense of obedience and fulfillment. Remember that Jesus is considered the perfect tithe because he gave His all. The New Testament asked the disciples to give more than ten percent. Giving is an important part of discipleship. Jesus said that where our treasure is, there is our heart also. How can we espouse such great commitment to the Kingdom of God and yet not reflect the same loyalty in our giving?

The tithe does not belong to us. It belongs to God who is the owner of all that we have. We are merely managers and stewards of the resources that are at our disposal. We frequently sing, “You can’t beat God giving. The more you give, the more He gives to you.” God is a great rewarder of those who have the faith to invest their money into the Kingdom. In fact, the tithe is the primary way that God finances His kingdom. It is not the large gifts from the wealthy that have built the church, even though we pray that such good fortune would be placed at the disposal of our ministries. Rather, it is the regular tithing of ordinary, working and fixed-income individuals for whom the church is central that sustains the gospel of Jesus Christ. And when we give ten percent, it protects the remaining ninety percent. And it does something that is even more important for us. It leaves a legacy for our children who learn from us how to value the spiritual life. When the Son of Man comes, will he find faithful on earth? Only if our children become philanthropists through our example.

When Rev. Darlene Bishop decided to give her luxury car to someone who needed a car, she was amazed at how soon God blessed her in an extraordinary way. So she thanked God for sending this great blessing into her life. But God responded by saying, “I have not blessed you because you gave your car away. I blessed you because when you got your first job as a teenager making fifteen dollars a week, you went to church and you asked me, ’God which do you want? The ten dollar bill or the five.’” Some of us still give only a couple of dollars or a twenty. But there are those who give twenty-thousand to the church in any given year. Let us pray that God will give us all a spirit of liberality that extends beyond the tithe.