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The Rich Man, the Camel and the Needle

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I am sure you are familiar with Jesus’ statement, “It is easier for a camel to pass through the eye of a needle than it is for a rich man to enter the kingdom of God.” It is an interesting statement to be sure. Jesus’ encounter with the rich man is recorded in Matthew 19:16-26, Mark 10: 17-27 and Luke 18: 18-27. Here is the story in Mark:

As Jesus started on his way, a man ran up to him and fell on his knees before him. “Good teacher,” he asked. “What must I do to inherit eternal life?”

“Why do you call me good,” Jesus asked. “No one is good except God alone. You know the commandments: You shall not murder, you shall not commit adultery, you shall not steal, you shall not give false testimony, you shall not defraud, honor your father and mother.”

“Teacher,” he declared, “all these I have kept since I was a boy.”

Jesus looked at him and loved him. “One thing you lack,” he said. “Go, sell everything you have and give to the poor. Then you will have treasure in Heaven. Then come, follow me.”

At this the man’s face fell. He went away sad, because he had great wealth.

Jesus looked around and said to his disciples, “how hard it is for the rich to enter the kingdom of God!

The disciples were amazed at his words. But Jesus said again, “Children, how hard it is to enter the kingdom of God! It is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter the kingdom of God.”

The disciples were even more amazed, and said to each other, “who then can be saved?”

Jesus looked at them and said, “with man this is impossible, but not with God; with God, all things are possible with God.”

Peter said to him, “We have left all we had to follow you!”

“I tell you the truth,” Jesus said to them, “no one who has left home or wife or brothers or parents or children for the sake of the kingdom of God will fail to receive many times as much in this age and, in the age to come, eternal life.”

The man was familiar with the Jewish terminology regarding inheritance, which is used throughout the Bible and, in the spiritual sense, has to do with the gifting of God’s promises and blessings. In the story above, Jesus directed the man’s attention to God’s goodness and then listed six of the ten commandments which, not incidentally, have to do with our relations with others. In doing so, Jesus establishes some important basics, and that is to recognize God for his goodness and do well with others. All indications are that the man has done well. However, Jesus wanted more. He wanted the man to completely turn away from his current life and follow him in an act of faith, similar to other instances in the Bible such as Abraham, who is described in Genesis 12:1 as leaving his country, his people and his father’s household to go to a land that God would show him. Abraham is also mentioned in Hebrews 11, which is known as the Heroes of Faith chapter, for his obedience to God in this regard.

The story twice mentions that the disciples were amazed at Jesus’ words, and the primary reason is because Jesus turned away wealth. The first time was after Jesus said, “how hard it is for the rich to enter the kingdom of God.” The second time it says the disciples “were even more amazed”, after Jesus made the comment about the camel and needle, meaning it was impossible for the rich to enter the kingdom. In that day and age, just like here in America, money was the bedrock of their economy. [*] The people worked hard to earn it and relied on it to purchase everything they needed. Survival was difficult without it, so imagine how the disciples must have felt when they saw this extremely wealthy man who, even if he contributed a small portion of his money, could help with their nascent movement. And, after witnessing this interaction with this man who could obtain anything he wanted in this world, it is no wonder the disciples asked the question, “who then can be saved?”

Jesus often illustrated his kingdom lessons using familiar elements from the natural world, and his use of the camel and needle fits in that mold. The people of ancient times (and even now in the modern age) used camel wool to make clothing, tents and many other textiles. Matthew 3:4 states that John the Baptist wore camel hair and many believe that 2 Kings 1:8 reveals that Elijah did also.

Though wool producers, camels were primarily used for transportation. Referred to by some as ships of the desert, they can carry heavy loads over long distances. Their bodies are equipped to allow water storage, and their humps are primarily made of fat, which allows their bodies to have fuel when there is little or no food available. Their nostrils can close to keep the sand out, and their feet are designed to enable them to traverse over desert landscape. Camels produce milk and are used for food. However, the Jews were prohibited from eating them due to their dietary laws (Leviticus 11:4) and they were not typically owned by the poor. As primarily service animals, ownership of camels often indicated economic advantage and  symbolized wealth and status. Jesus’ imagery made an especially poignant and vivid impact on his followers and puts an exclamation point on the fact that wealth has no standing for entering the kingdom of God.

Three pillars of the Christian belief system are represented in this story: faith — the man leaving his current life to follow Jesus, sacrifice — the man giving his possessions to the poor, and service — represented symbolically by the camel. All three were non-starters for the rich man, but why would Jesus put forth an impossible requirement that the man give away all of his possessions? Being rich is not a sin, and turning someone away does seem to contradict Jesus’ ministry. After all, aren’t we all sinners and subject to the same grace? Would Jesus want you and me to give away everything we have? The story also mentions that the disciples gave up everything to follow Jesus, Would Jesus require that of us too?

These issues seem extreme. However, Jesus never asked us to do anything that he would not do himself. Consider Ephesians 5:30 – 32:

For we are members of his body. “For this reason a man will leave his father and mother and be united to his wife, and the two will become one flesh.” This is a profound mystery, but I am talking about Christ and his church.

Paul referenced Genesis 2:1 of the creation story to make this point. It was God’s desire from the beginning that Christ would leave the splendors of heaven to come to earth and die for us, be resurrected from the dead, and give us his Holy Spirit to dwell in our hearts. Now he wants us to be his hands and feet, his smile, his tears, and his hugs as we minister to and serve others. In that regard we should always give him credit when we serve someone for the kingdom — just like Jesus’ example above, where he gave God the credit for being good.

After this encounter, there is no more mention of the rich man, but fortunately there is more to the story, which Jesus alluded to when he said that with God all things are possible. Let’s take a look at a few verses to help shed more light on the idea:

  • Col 3:1 — “If you then be risen with Christ, then seek those things above, where Christ sits at the right hand of God”
  • Col 2:12 — “…having been buried with him in baptism and raised with him through your faith in the power of God, who raised him from the dead.”
  • Eph 2:6 — “And God raised us up with Christ and seated us with him in the heavenly realms in Christ Jesus.

In the above verses Paul used the past tense when he wrote “risen” and “raised” to these people over 2000 years ago. Of course the promised bodily resurrection has not yet occurred, but the idea is that these people had already joined Christ in his victory. And in order for resurrection to occur, there must first be death:

  • Col 3:1-4 “For you died, and your life is now hidden with Christ in God.”
  • 2 Tim 2:11– “If we died with him, we will also live with him.”

Romans 10:9-13 says,

That if you confess with your mouth, ‘Jesus is Lord,’ and believe with your heart that God raised him from the dead, you shall be saved. For it is with your heart that you believe and are justified, and it is with your mouth that you confess and are saved.

This simple act of faith is all it takes to enter the kingdom of God because through Christ’s death and resurrection, the impossible became possible. Titus 2:11 says “For the grace of God has appeared that offers salvation to all people,” which means the rich man would have had the same opportunity as everyone else. Please note, however, that the Christian life does not end there. Paul writes extensively in the New Testament that Christians are to live worthy lives. The following verses encapsulate the simultaneous ideas of grace and works in the Christian life:

  • Eph 2 8-10 “For it is by grace you have been saved through faith — and this not from yourselves. It is the gift of God — not by works, so that no one can boast. For we are God’s workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to do good works
  • 1 Thes 2:12 “…encouraging, comforting and urging you to live lives worthy of God, who calls you into his kingdom and glory.”
  • Phil 2:12-13, “Therefore my dear friends, as you have always obeyed — not only in my presence, but now much more in my absence – continue to work out your own salvation with fear and trembling, for it is God who works in you to will and to act in order to fulfill his good purpose.”
  • Titus 3:4-8 “…he saved us, not because of righteous things we had done, but because of his mercy…so that having been justified by his grace, we might become heirs having the hope of eternal life….And I want you to stress these things, so that those who have trusted in God may be careful to devote themselves to doing good.”
  • Heb 13:15-16 “…let us continually offer to God a sacrifice of praise — the fruit of lips that confess his name. And do not forget to do good and share with others, for with such sacrifices God is pleased.

It is clear that as Christians we not only have salvation, but we also work out our own salvation and look forward to future salvation. We begin our journeys in Christ’s victory, live victorious lives and look forward to victory.

So what about the rich man’s money? Does the requirement to give it all away still apply? As stated earlier, the money stood in the way of the man giving his heart to Jesus. Fortunately, through the cross God provided a way to remove all barriers, and simply by believing and confessing the man is able enter Christ’s kingdom. As far as the money goes, Jesus said in Matthew 6:21, “where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.” Since the cross, I am sure  Jesus would say the same thing but a little differently:, “where your heart is, there your treasure will be also,” because when Jesus gets a heart, he also gets a pocket book. This being said, there are no requirements to pay any particular amount or percentage like many tithing teachers want us to believe. Paul says in Col 2:13: 

God made you alive with Christ. He forgave us all our sins, having cancelled the written code, with its regulations, that was against us and was opposed to us; he took it away, nailing it to the cross.

Paul also said in Galatians 5:1, “It is for freedom that Christ has set us free. Stand firm, then and do not let yourselves be burdened again by a yoke of slavery,” which means the rich man is not under anyone else’s rules or expectations in regards to his money. Rather he is free to follow the Holy Spirit’s leading in this regard.

Jesus wanted the rich man’s heart, and he knew he was not going to get it by simply allowing the man to add eternal life to his accumulation of treasure. Jesus wanted from him what he wants from us, and that is transformed lives in which we follow him in faith, recognize and give credit to God for his goodness, and do well with others in genuine acts of sacrifice and service.

[*] For more regarding the economy of that era, read my post, “Money in the New Testament.”

Money in the New Testament

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I would venture to say that most people who read the New Testament do not pay much attention to the subject of money. However, skipping over this topic can leave us vulnerable to unscrupulous tithe teachers who try to tell us that we should pay at least 10 percent to our churches. I believe that before we allow them to try to control our pocketbooks that we should take a look at this important subject. In this post I intend to show that money was essential and inseparable from the economy, and also provide contextual background that I can make reference to in some of my future articles.

Many passages in the New Testament imply money without using the actual terms, which in the New Testament are coin, silver, gold, copper, drachma, denarius, talent, pennies and minas (terms from the NIV). Passages that explicitly mention money are: Matthew 6:19-24, 10:9, 17:24-27, 18:23-34, 20:1-15, 21:12, 22:17-21, 28:12-15; Mark 12:14-16, 12:41-43, Luke 12:59, 14:28, 15:8-9, 19:11-26, 21:1-2; John 13:29 and Acts 16:19. When considering the other passages where money is implied rather than explicitly stated, the total number of references is much higher. For example, words like possessions and purse would most likely include money, and oftentimes the value of something strongly implies money. All together, specifically stated or implied, I found roughly 140-150 passages that discuss money.[*] Not included in this list are references to tithing, which never consisted of money.

In order to get a sense of the breadth and depth of this topic, it is necessary to not only consider what the NT describes as money, but to also consider the role it played in the social, cultural and economic life of the time. The economy was much larger and robust than just small businesses and farms. It was an advanced, full fledged, market driven system spanning thousands of miles around the Mediterranean Sea, connecting Northern Africa, Asia Minor and Southern Europe.

Trade and commerce flowed freely in this international community that was populated by people in all segments of the social and economic strata – poor, middle income and rich – and money was earned in various ways. There were skilled and unskilled laborers, investors, entrepreneurs and professionals. There were some who were highly educated and some who were not. If we just look at the shipping industry and the cargoes that were transported we get a pretty clear picture of the goods and commodities that existed and the types of jobs that were necessary for their production, acquisition, and disposition. For instance, the Apostle John writes in Rev 18: 11-17:

The merchants of the earth will weep and mourn over her because no one buys their cargoes anymore–cargoes of gold, silver, precious stones and pearls; articles of fine linen, purple, silk and scarlet cloth; every sort of citron wood, and artifacts of every kind made of ivory, costly wood, bronze, iron and marble; cargoes of cinnamon and spice, of incense, myrrh and frankincense, of wine and olive oil, of fine flour and wheat; cattle and sheep; horses and carriages; and human beings sold as slaves. They will say, “The fruit you longed for is gone from you. All your luxury and splendor have vanished, never to be recovered.” The merchants who sold these things and gained their wealth from her will stand far off, terrified at her torment. They will weep and mourn and cry out: “Woe! Woe to you, great city, dressed in fine linen, purple and scarlet, and glittering with gold, precious stones and pearls! In one hour such great wealth has been brought to ruin!” Every sea captain, and all who travel by ship, the sailors, and all who earn their living from the sea, will stand far off.

The above passage mentions gold, silver, precious stones, bronze, iron and marble, which indicate a mining industry. The fine linen, purple, silk and scarlet cloth suggest a strong textile industry. And the fact that the cloth is a commodity that is somewhere between a raw material and a finished product, shows an industry that was divided into specialized components for efficiency and economy of scale. There were most likely traders and other business operators in support of these industries who purchased these items and sold them to the next step in the chain, eventually making their way to end consumers.

In this capitalistic economy, the profit motive required these ships to be fully loaded as they navigated to and from various ports. And these ports would have had ship maintenance experts and large numbers of dock workers to perform loading and unloading. Land based transportation companies were needed to move the goods to and from the docks. Also, as mentioned above and evidenced by Paul’s missionary journeys by ship and overland, there would have been a vibrant travel industry, complete with supporting food and lodging industries. 

In describing the economy of the time, it is important to look at the fundamentals — what the people wore for clothing and what their diet consisted of. The poorest of the poor wore garments made of camel hair, as evidenced by the description of John the Baptist in Matthew 3:4. From there, depending on who could afford them, there were clothes made of fine linen, purple, silk and scarlet cloth as mentioned in the ships cargoes above. The reference to John the Baptist also states that he ate locusts and wild honey, which would not require money to obtain. On the other hand, depending on a person’s income and what they could afford, there was a tremendous variety of very tasty and delightful food. For example, the ship cargoes mentioned above contained cattle, sheep, cinnamon and spice, wine and olive oil, fine flour and wheat. In addition, other passages mention pigs — Matthew 8: 28-34, reptiles and birds — Acts 10: 9-16. bread and fish — Matthew 14: 13-21. mint dill and cumin — Matthew 23:23, salt — Matthew 5:13. Fruit is mentioned several times and, since the population lived in close proximity to the sea, we can also infer that seafood was abundantly available. And, as with most everything else, food was bought and sold — Matthew 14: 13-21.

Undergirding this diverse and well-developed economic ecosystem was a strong financial industry that supported both local economies and also international trade. I am sure you are familiar with Matthew 21:12 and John 2:15 where Jesus entered the temple and overturned the tables of the money changers. Traditional teaching usually focuses on Jesus’ reaction to the money changers, but from a money point of view these people were dealing with international currencies, and the passage clearly shows that the economy of that time was not only local but also international in scope. A large financial industry like this would require educated professionals — skilled in mathematics, accounting and bookkeeping. To show how ingrained money was in the society of that time, Consider John 12:3-5:

Then Mary took about a pint of pure nard, an expensive perfume; she poured it on Jesus’ feet and wiped his feet with her hair. And the house was filled with the fragrance of the perfume. But one of his disciples, Judas Iscariot, who was later to betray him, objected, “Why wasn’t this perfume sold and the money given to the poor? It was worth a year’s wages.’”

Notice there is no discussion about possibilities of exchanging or bartering. It was simply stated that the perfume could be sold for money – the most practical and convenient method of conversion – without giving any thought to anything else. This passage summarizes in one place the idea that money supported the disposition and acquisition of everything from pure luxury items for the well-to-do to basic necessities for the poor.

To further cement the idea that money was essential to the way of life of that place and time, consider Mark 12:41 – 44 about the widow and her two coins:

Jesus sat down opposite the place where the offerings were put and watched the crowd putting their money into the temple treasury. Many rich people threw in large amounts. But a poor widow came and put in two very small copper coins, worth only a few cents. Calling his disciples to him, Jesus said, “Truly I tell you, this poor widow has put more into the treasury than all the others. They all gave out of their wealth, but she, out of her poverty, put in everything — all she had to live on.”

Notice this passage states “all she had to live on.” In other words, in order for this woman to live independently, she needed money — because it was essential in that society.

As as you can see from this brief overview, the robust economy of the New Testament was both local and international in scope. People worked and earned their livings in countless vocational occupations such as general laborers, dock workers, miners, carpenters (Jesus was a carpenter) and stone masons. There were entrepreneurs of all sizes of businesses. There were commodities traders, engineers and builders. There were those who were skilled in the culinary arts, and there were physicians (Luke for example) and professionals skilled in handling money and related aspects of business. At the core of this economy was money, which was more than a common denominator that allowed trade and commerce to thrive, It was essential to the way people lived.

I mentioned earlier that tithing is not included in my list of money passages. But I think it is important to at least touch on the four New Testament passages that mention it in case you are questioning why. Matthew 23:23 and Luke 11:42 describe the same account, while Hebrews chapters 7-8 and Luke 18:9-14 describe separate events. These all mention tithing, but they are somewhat different and warrant separate discussions. Let’s look at the first account as described in Matthew 23:23:

Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for ye pay tithe of mint and anise and cummin, and have omitted the weightier matters of the law, judgment, mercy, and faith: these ought ye to have done, and not to leave the other undone. (KJV)

Notice the description of food items, especially in light of the fact that the NT economy was entirely, or at least almost entirely, money driven. While there may have been isolated instances where someone may have used something like food as a payment instead of money, it would have been extremely rare. This is not one of those cases, however, because notice that Jesus used the plural when he said “you scribes and Pharisees,” which suggests a group of people performing something in a systematic manner, not an isolated case. Also notice that Jesus mentioned, “matters of the law.” The tithing in this passage was required under the Mosaic Law, to which Christians are not obligated, and the Jewish scribes and Pharisees were attempting to fulfill this requirement the best way they knew how by carefully counting out their spices. If tithes had anything to do with money or income, the food would have been sold at the market using common weights and measures and then 10 percent of the money paid. Also, tithing in the Law had an instruction manual, so to speak, which contained many detailed rules regarding not only what it consisted of (only food and produce raised on God’s holy land) but also who paid it, who received it and what the recipients were to do with it, which included animal sacrifices.

Now let’s take a look at Hebrews chapters 7-8, which discuss the account in Genesis 14:20 where Abraham paid tithes to Melchizedek. Abraham was a much revered patriarch to the nation of Israel, and to the Jews there was no one greater except God. In Hebrews 7-8, the writer explains that since Abraham tithed to Melchizedek, that the scriptures are showing that there is someone greater than Abraham, and that someone is Christ. There are no instructions in this passage for anyone to tithe, nor is the writer using this as an example to follow. Also, if you read the account in Genesis you will see that the tithes were spoils of war and not money, it was a one-time event, and there were no instructions from God.

Luke 18:9-14 is a parable:

To some who were confident in their own righteousness and looked down on everyone else, Jesus told this parable: “Two men went up to the temple to pray, one a Pharisee and one a tax collector. The Pharisee stood by himself and prayed, ‘God, thank you that I am not like the other people – robbers, evildoers, adulterers – or even like this tax collector. I fast twice a week and give a tenth of all I get.’ But the tax collector stood at a distance. He would not even look up to heaven, but beat his breast and said, ‘God have mercy on me, a sinner.’ I tell you that this man, rather than the other, went home justified before God. For all those who exalt themselves will be humbled, and all those who humble themselves will be exalted.

The above passage is from the NIV version and uses the word, “tenth.” Many other versions use the word tithe, which I actually prefer because this man was a Pharisee, and this group steadfastly adhered to the Mosaic Law, which required tithes. In any case, note that Jesus did not think much of this type of self righteousness, and this again is not any type of instruction for Christians to follow.

Tithing is a fairly in depth study, and in the interest of staying on the topic of this post, I will stop here and refer you to the Links tab at the top of this page where you can find more information.

Hopefully this post was interesting to you. It certainly was for me. The subject of money in the New Testament opened my eyes a little wider and gave me a broader understanding of life in that day and time. Money was indispensable and inseparable to people’s lives because that is how the economy operated.

[*] New Testament references to money:

Matthew 5:46, 6:1-4, 6:19-24, 9:9-11, 10:9, 10:29, 11:16, 11:19, 13:44-45, 14:15, 16:26, 17:24-27, 18:17, 18:23-34, 19:21-24, 20:1-15, 21:12, 21:31-32, 22:17-21, 25:9, 25:14-30, 26:6-9, 26:14, 27:7, 27:57, 28:12-15

Mark 1:20, 2:14, 2:15-16, 4:19,6:8, 6:36-37,  10:21-24, 11:15-16, 12:14-16, 12:40-43, 14:3-8, 14:10, 15:46,

Luke 3:12-14, 5:27-30, 6:20, 6:24, 6:34-35, 7:25, 7:29, 7:34, 7:41, 8:3, 9:3, 9:13, 10:4, 10:35, 11:21, 12:16, 12:33-34, 12:44, 12:59, 14:13, 14:18-19, 14:14:21, 14:28, 15:1, 15:8-9, 15:11-14, 15:30, 16:1, 16:9-14, 16:19-23, 18:22-25, 19:2, 19:8, 19:13-25, 19:45, 20:9, 20:22-23, 20:46-47, 21:1-4, 22:35-36, 23:2,

John 2:13-16, 6:7, 8:20, 10:12, 12:3-6, 13:29

Acts 2:45, 3:2-4, 4:32-5:11, 8:18, 8:27, 9:36, 10:2, 10:4, 10:30, 11:29-30, 16:14,19:19, 20:32-35, 21:23-27, 22:28

Romans 12:13, 13:6-7, 13:8, 15:23-29, 16:1-2

1 Cor 3:12, 7:30, 9:6, 9:14, 16:1-4

2 Cor 2:17, 8:1-15, 12:14-18

Gal 2:10

Eph 5:3

Phil 4:10-19

1 Thes 2:3-10

2 Thes 3:6-13

1 Tim 5:3-9, 5:16-18, 6:3-10, 6:17-19

Titus 3:13

Philemon 2:18-19

Heb 13:5

James 1:9-11, 9:27, 2:1-7, 2:14-18, 4:13, 5:1-8

1 Peter 1:7, 1:18, 5:2

2 Peter 2:2-3, 2:14

1 John 2:16, 3:17

3 John 1:5-8

Rev 2:9, 3:17-18, 5:12, 17:3-5, 18:3, 18:11-22, 21:11-21

Tithing is False — Overview

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Christians may disagree on many aspects of their faith, such as which spiritual gifts we get, or whether the earth is young or old. And some may say that the issue of tithing, the paying of 10 percent of one’s income, is just another issue on which there is disagreement. In fact, according the National Association of Evangelicals (NAE) article titled, “Evangelical Leaders say Tithing Not Required” dated April 6 2011,  58 percent of evangelical leaders say the Bible does not require a tithe, while 42 percent do. Through my posts I intend to show that this particular topic is more than just a topic for which there is disagreement. I intend to show that the teaching of tithing is potentially very harmful to a lot of people and also to the Christian church in America.

The foundation for my argument is that I believe tithing for Christians is false, as summarized below:

  • Tithing in the Bible never consisted of money, even though the people had money. For example Joseph, in Genesis, was sold for 20 pieces of silver.
  • Many tithe teachers point to Abraham’s tithe of the spoils of war to Melchizedek as instructional for Christians today. However, in the narrative there is no instruction from God for Abraham to do this. There is no record of Abraham paying tithes to anyone before or after this incident. There is no pattern of tithing on an on-going basis, only a one-time tithe on a special event. Also, a fact in this story that is ignored by tithe teachers is that Abraham paid the other 90% of his war gains to Sodom.
  • The only instruction from God for anyone to tithe is in the Old Testament Law, which does not apply to New Covenant Christians. Tithing in the Old Testament Law only consisted of food and produce from God’s holy land, not money. In addition to the rules of what tithing consisted of, there were many rules on who was to pay it, who received it and what they were to do with it. Sadly, Christian tithing of money is taught today as God’s command, but does not meet any of the rules God specified.
  • Tithing is not taught at all in the New Testament (which officially begins after Jesus’ death on the cross). If tithing is so important, then why didn’t Paul, Peter or James mention it?

One argument that tithe proponents use as sort of a trump card, is the story of the widow’s two coins found in Mark Chapter 45 and Luke Chapter 21. They say that Jesus commended the widow because she gave everything she had. However, to say that Jesus commended her is inferring a meaning from the text that is not there. I believe the context in which this story is told shows that Jesus was, in fact, very distressed at the current religious system that was devouring widows’ houses. John MacArthur explains this very well in his video titled, “Abusing the Poor.”

There are several good books and web sites where you can find out more detailed information regarding what the Bible says about tithing. One such site is Should the Church Teach Tithing? by Dr. Russell Kelly.

Tithing Abuse — Malachi Misused

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Note: all scripture passages quoted here are from the New International Version (NIV) of the Bible (bold emphasis mine).

Any discussion about tithing would be incomplete without considering the book of Malachi. This book gives us insight into understanding God’s heart and passion for his people, and it also shows that he wants to be honored, respected and treated like someone of high ranking should be. However, I believe the tithes mentioned in this book are not applicable to New Covenant Christians for two reasons: 1) tithing only consisted of food from the herds, flocks and crops produced on God’s holy land and 2) tithing was integral to the Mosaic Law, to which Christians are not obligated. Consider Chapter 3, verses 10-12, which is a favorite for tithe teachers:

“Will a mere mortal rob God? Yet you rob me. But you ask, how are we robbing you? In tithes and offerings. You are under a curse – your whole nation – because you are robbing me. Bring the whole tithe into the storehouse that there may be food in my house. Test me in this, says the LORD Almighty, and see if I will not throw open the floodgates of heaven and pour out so much blessing that their will not be room enough to store it.”

This passage is often preached without any explanation or historical context. And combined with the culturally pervasive idea that Christians should tithe, church members can easily be misled to believe that they are to pay at least 10 percent of their income. The problem here is that this passage, like any other tithing text in the Bible, is not talking about money. Although the people of the Old Testament had money, God required tithes to consist of only food and produce from his holy land. In addition, Christians are not expected to follow the directives of the Mosaic Law, which contained a myriad of other rules for tithes including who paid it, who received it and how offerings from it were to be made. Let’s go back a little bit to Chapter 1, verses 1-6, which supports the fact that Malachi is talking about food:

“A son honors his father and a slave his master. If I am a father, where is the honor due me? If I am a master, where is the respect due me? Says the LORD Almighty. It is you priests who show contempt for my name. But you ask, how have we shown contempt for your name? By offering defiled food on my alter. But you ask, how have we defiled you? By saying that the Lord’s table is contemptible. When you offer blind animals for sacrifice, is that not wrong? When you sacrifice lame or diseased animals, is that not wrong? Try offering them to your governor! Would he be pleased with you? Would he accept you? Says the LORD Almighty. Now plead with God to be gracious with us. With such offerings from your hands, will he accept you? – Says the LORD Almighty. Oh, that one of you would shut the temple doors, so that you would not light useless fires on my alter!”

And to prove that this book is talking about matters of the Mosaic Law, consider what it says in Chapter 2, verses 7-9:

“For the lips of a priest ought to preserve knowledge, because he is the messenger of the LORD Almighty and people seek instruction from his mouth. But you have turned from the way and by your teaching have caused many to stumble; you have violated the covenant with Levi, says the LORD Almighty. So I have caused you to be despised and humiliated before all the people, because you have not followed my ways but have shown partiality in matters of the law.“

Contrast the above with Galatians 3:25 which says, “now that faith has come, we are no longer under the supervision of the Law.” This verse and many others like it in the New Testament prove that the Bible is very adamant that Christians are under no obligation to obey the Law. Based on this and the descriptions in Malachi, Christians are not required to pay 10 percent of their income to their church. There is simply no Biblical authority given or implied that would allow for the substitution of money.

While it is clear that Christians are not under the Law and its tithing requirement, the Apostle Paul’s frequent discussions about money reveal how important it is to the Christian life. For example, consider Second Corinthians 9:7 where he said, “Each of you should give what you have decided in your heart to give, not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver.” If you are a Christian, I hope you can see that you have the freedom and flexibility to make your own decisions regarding how much to give, and I hope you make room in your family budget to consistently and generously support your local church and its mission.