2. Patterns of Giving
One would think that most people would make generosity a part of their lives. But, of course, this is not always so. Many people – even those who may enjoy great material prosperity – never learn the principle of giving or apply it in their lives. Some may not give out of fear of the uncertainties of life, and some feel that they first need to achieve substantial financial independence before they can give.
Sadly, these people usually do not find the feeling of certainty they crave, even if they are able to gain considerable financial stability or personal wealth. As the book of Proverbs tells us: "One person gives freely, yet gains even more; another withholds unduly, but comes to poverty" (Proverbs 11:24). Like the rich young ruler who spoke with Christ, these people may want to do what is right, but not at the expense of their physical possessions (Matthew 19:16–30 and parallel accounts). While many rich people give generously to help others, at least in the United States and other developed countries, it is often those who are not rich yet not particularly poor who give the most to charities. The statistics behind that truth are interesting. While we may think of philanthropy as something mainly done by companies, corporations, and foundations, that is not really the case. In recent years, of the hundreds of billions of dollars given annually to U.S. charities, foundations and large corporations gave some 21 percent, but by far the largest source of charitable giving came from individuals, at almost 80 percent of the total amount given.
Typically, just over half of American households (55 percent) donate to charity in a given year, with a predominance of offerings coming from individuals with moderate incomes – the average household giving being between two and three thousand dollars annually. Of course, this is an overall average with differences existing between geographic areas as well as across income, generational, gender, religion, and other divides.
What do all these statistics mean for our understanding of giving? Primarily, they show us that most giving – and the most good – is done not by corporations and other large entities, but by individuals who give when asked or because they choose to give. Second, the available statistics show us that not everyone gives, and it is actually a narrow segment of the population that does most of the giving. Many of the gifts given by these people may be relatively small, yet they add up to a huge amount of good being accomplished.
The Old Testament description of the collection received by Moses from the Israelites in order to construct the tabernacle is a good example of this. The tabernacle, of course, was a tent dedicated for the presence of God – a kind of portable temple – and while we do not tend to think of a tent as a permanent structure, the tabernacle was of lasting importance and served as the focal point for the Israelites' worship for almost five hundred years.
The offerings the Israelites gave to make the tabernacle are discussed in Exodus 35:4–36:7, and the detailed account makes several important points. Both men and women gave (Exodus 35:22), but the giving was not mandatory. Instead of taking up a collection from the assembled Israelites (as many modern churches might do with pledges and gifts given under the pressure of the moment), Moses simply told the people of Israel about the opportunity – then dismissed the congregation!
Exodus tells us that everyone whose heart was willing (Exodus 35:5, 21, 24, 29) returned after pondering the matter to bring a gift as they felt was appropriate. So, note that it was not the whole congregation of Israel, but only those individuals who were moved to give who made the building of the Old Testament tabernacle possible. Exodus also shows that those who gave contributed greatly – to the point that Moses finally told the contributing Israelites to stop giving (Exodus 36:2–7) – they had given more than enough to complete the job!
The Gospel of Giving In the New Testament the importance of committed individual giving is seen repeatedly and especially in the Gospel of Luke. Luke's account might even be called the "Gospel of Giving" because it frequently comments on giving and shows men and women from different economic backgrounds – and at all stages of faith – who came to live outgoing and generous lives and whose giving made a difference. Luke tells us, for example, about the women who helped to support Jesus' ministry out of their own means (Luke 8:1–3).
Luke also provides a detailed example of personal giving in the story of the repentant tax collector Zacchaeus who had evidently grown quite rich – not always ethically – through his profession, but who demonstrated his changed life by not only paying back anyone he had cheated, but also by giving half of all his possessions to the poor (Luke 19:1–10).
Luke's accounts of giving are particularly interesting, as he often arranges his material to contrast stories of giving with others exhibiting the lack of it. In this way he contrasts the story of Zacchaeus, the tax collector who gave, with that of the rich young ruler who would not give (Luke 18:18–27), just as he pairs the stories of the poor widow who gave to the temple treasury (Luke 21:1–4) with that of Judas taking money from the temple treasury (Luke 22:1–6).
As we progress through this book, we will see many other biblical accounts of giving and what we can learn from them, but the overall lesson regarding the importance of individual giving is clear in every story – and it is something we can all take to heart. Many people may think that the amount they can give to help others is so small that it is insignificant, but – just like a single vote in an election – while a single small gift may not seem of great importance, the combination of many such gifts accomplishes much. And sometimes, as we will see in the next chapter, even those who have little to give can make a great difference.