Jesus is merciful

A couple of weeks ago we talked in our life group about poor people tithing.   I asked them what they would do if we had a lady in the church getting 160 dollars a week benefit and she was playing 130 dollars a week rent and finding it hard to tithe and live off the rest. The next day I asked the Lord to help me in how I should think. As I got still before Him suddenly I saw a picture of me walking behind Jesus in the grain fields.  It was a bright sunny day, the corn was a golden and dry dust was floating around in the suns of sun.  Jesus is treading through the golden fields with all the disciples. I thought what has this got to do with tithing?  Soon I began to read the scriptures and miraculously the Bible was opened at the exact story where Jesus was walking through the Grainfields.  The disciples were hungry and so they were eating the grain as they walked. The Pharisees were not impressed and to defend his disciples Jesus gave them an interesting talk. He said you have heard what David did and the others with them when they were hungry how they went into the house of God and eat of the bread that was only for the priests. I.e. The human need of David and his men took priority over the religious law. Jesus goes on “I am Lord of the Sabbath.  The Sabbath was made for man not man for the Sabbath.”   My men are plucking grain on the Sabbath and while you think it is contrary to the law, they have a human need. Sometimes in life, we meet people who are genuinely poor without the resources to meet their basic human needs. The son of man never came to uphold a system of duty but to free the souls of men.  Human need takes priority over religious law.  Think of the Good Samaritan story. If your neighbour is in trouble on Sunday morning, then helping him is more important than going to church.   God loves men more than He loves the Sabbath and He loves his people more than their tithes.   I believe in the principle of tithes and offerings but let’s not become Pharisees who seem to think that God cares more for religious rituals or even principles, than He does for people. The Pharisees think that the poor person whose weekly income is 160  dollars and whose rent is 130 dollars a week should give their tithe of 16 dollars and try to live on 14 dollars a week! Because the Pharisee who earns $800 a week religiously gives his tithes his $80 leaving him $720 to live on! Tithing was made for man not man for tithing. Man’s hunger being satisfied is more important to God than tithing.  David didn’t say to his men “Learn faith by staying hungry, learn to suffer for righteousness sake by going without food and water.  Jesus never said to His disciples “harden up and learn faith by not eating on Sabbath and certainly not to eat that which is Holy and belonging to the priests.”

Friend, Jesus is more merciful and understanding than you think.