Ministry Dollars: Part 2
Well... it's 5:30 in the morning and my mind is reeling with heartache that I can neither squelch nor express on here. But I still feel the need to blog. To rant. So I figure I should probably write the post that I've been intending ever since my post on April 18, 2006. Again, a disclaimer is appropriate:If this does not apply directly to you, don't take it personally; take it rather as an encouragement for a job well done. If this does apply to you, don't be offended; use it. Grow.
I remember a class in English Composition and Analysis where Mark 12:41-44 was expounded: the story of the widow who gave her last two mites. Mr. Kipp Wilson told the story, first of all, from the point of view of the common TV evangelist who lives by simple greed. Mr. Wilson exclaimed in a sarcastic monologue, "just reach in t'your moneybags and write me a cheque... Give all you own, and watch God's blessings come down on you today..."
It's interesting, because that's how I'd always interpreted that story. Jesus is praising the widow, of course! She is so generous that she has given every penny she owns to pay the temple tax... and Jesus is recognizing that generosity.
True enough. But that's far from the main focus of the story.
Context, context. Mr. Wilson expounded these four verses to span instead Mark 12:38-13:2 (click to read). He asked the class, "What did the Old Testament law have to say about widows and taxes?" Wow. I'd never considered that before.
"You shall not afflict any widow or fatherless child."
~ Ex. 22:22
"He [God] administers justice for the fatherless and the widow, and loves the stranger, giving him food and clothing."
~ Deut. 10:18
"And the Levite, because he has no portion nor inheritance with you, and the stranger and the fatherless and the widow who are within your gates, may come and eat [of the food tithes] and be satisfied..."
~ Deut. 14:29
"You shall not pervert justice due the stranger or the fatherless, nor take a widow's garment as a pledge. But you shall remember that you were a slave in Egypt, and the LORD your God redeemed you from there; therefore I command you to do this thing.
"When you reap your harvest in your field, and forget a sheaf in the field, you shall not go back to get it; it shall be for the stranger, the fatherless, and the widow, that the LORD your God may bless you in all the work of your hands. When you beat your olive trees, you shall not go over the boughs again; it shall be for the stranger, the fatherless, and the widow. When you gather the grapes of your vineyard, you shall not glean it afterward; it shall be for the stranger, the fatherless, and the widow."
~ Deut. 24:17-21
"When you have finished laying aside all the tithe of your increase in the third year—the year of tithing—and have given it to the Levite, the stranger, the fatherless, and the widow, so that they may eat within your gates and be filled, then you shall say before the LORD your God: 'I have removed the holy tithe from my house, and also have given them to the Levite, the stranger, the fatherless, and the widow, according to all Your commandments which You have commanded me; I have not transgressed Your commandments, nor have I forgotten them."
~ Deut. 26:12-13
"And the Levites shall speak with a loud voice and say to all the men of Israel: ...'Cursed is the one who perverts the justice due the stranger, the fatherless, and widow.' And all the people shall say, 'Amen!'"
~ Deut. 27:14, 19
Now insert some of that theology into the Mark 12 story.
"Then He said to them in His teaching, 'Beware of the scribes, who desire to go around in long robes, love greetings in the marketplaces, the best seats in the synagogues, and the best places at feasts, who devour widows' houses, and for a pretense make long prayers. These will receive greater condemnation.'" ...And next, the widow pays the temple tax...and gives her whole livelihood. For shame! Finally, Jesus prophesies the impending doom of the temple.
So I ask again: Who supports the those in Christian Camping?
What level income in today's North America would God consider "wealthy"? Would He pronounce you wealthy?
Many Christian camps suffer financially, especially - as I pointed out in this post's prequel - when it comes to bursaries for staff. What do you think? Do you know staff who have worked hard, saved up, and are still struggling financially? Do you know of staff who are giving to the Lord "out of their whole livelihood," as Jesus put it? If God would pronounce you wealthy, are you supporting them? Don't be like the scribes in this story.
Once again, the disclaimer:
If this does not apply directly to you, don't take it personally; take it rather as an encouragement for a job well done. If this does apply to you, don't be offended; use it. Grow.
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