Today’s Scripture Reading (September
22, 2017): Matthew 6
The
seventeenth-century philosopher Emanuel Swedenborg commented that “true charity is the desire to
be useful to others with no thought of recompense.” We act charitably to each
other, giving of what we possess, not because of the reward we will receive,
but rather because it is the right thing to do and the right way to live. To be
active in tearing down the artificial barriers that exist between us is part of
what it means to be truly human and an
active role within the human community.
Too often, we give because of what we might anticipate
that we will receive. In a conversation I had recently with a friend, I came to
understand how real that temptation is. My friend was selflessly giving her time to a cause that had not honored
her in the past, and my concern was that she was being used by the people involved with the cause. It is a hard line
to walk. Almost every week someone comes to tell me about some act of charity
that they have completed. The acts in and of
themselves are positive and beneficial to the community, but in telling me
about the things that they have done or the amount of money that they are
donating to the cause there seems to be an indication that they are giving out
of a need to be recognized – and that recognition is the desired reward.
Our culture is filled
with examples of this kind of charity. People give money to find their name on
pamphlets, or benches, or walls. It is the encouragement that we offer in
exchange for the money that charities need. During a visit to a local Jewish Orthodox
Synagogue, the instructions by the usher revealed that I was free to sit anywhere,
but if there was a name on the pew that I chose and that family came to worship
on that day, I might be asked to move.
The families of the Synagogue had literally bought their own seats in an attempt to raise enough money to update the
sanctuary seating. But the money came with an immediate benefit, a place to sit
for worship and your name immortalized on the back of the pew.
Jesus instruction is the reverse of our natural
inclinations. When you give, don’t think about what it is that you might
receive. Don’t advertise your charity in order gain the praise of the people.
Because if that becomes your motive for every charitable act that you do, then
you have already received your reward – or more precisely, you have received
the payment that you required for you to
give your gift. But real generosity is
done without any regard for benefit. In
fact, true charity is giving the gift and
asking that your name be left off the
wall. No one needs to know what it is that you have done. God knows, and that
is enough because,
in the end, it is the praise of God that we really
want – and not the approval of the
people.
Tomorrow’s Scripture Reading: Matthew
7
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