Manna, mina and measure: Biblical lessons on generosity

What does Scripture say about giving and generosity? Does it offer rules, focus on need, or make us feel guilty? The answers might surprise and inspire you.

In a recent booklet I wrote, 'On Generosity. Biblical Reflections on God-Centred Giving', I try to inspire and encourage God’s people towards being generous givers. Not by focussing on the needs. Not by haranguing the faithful. Not by proving that the Bible has a generous giving plan waiting to be unlocked… but by seeking to re-envision us with a bigger picture of a generous God.

A simple view of generosity and ‘God with us’

We could start with a stunning parable of generosity that Jesus manages to encapsulate within one sentence - ‘The kingdom of heaven is like treasure hidden in a field, which someone found and hid; then in his joy he goes and sells all that he has and buys that field’. (Matthew 13.44).  How do we hold on to this bracingly simple vision of God’s generosity in the face of life’s complexity?

Perhaps through discovering the roots of generosity in the prophet Haggai’s simple, repeated message. In the face of great need for giving and sacrificial service, as the temple rebuilding project grinds along, God simply says ‘I am with you’. Everything follows from that. Because without God—without the word of God—we are left endlessly striving to make our way through life on our own terms. Our giving, like our lives in general, will only come into focus when we hear God speak, and especially when what we hear is God saying ‘I am with you’ (Haggai 1.13).

Three biblical snapshots that can refine our understanding

1. Manna in the wilderness: A portrait of a generous God

Even at a high point of generosity early in the biblical narrative (Exodus 16), God is attending to inbuilt human capacities for greed or selfishness. In an important sense: this is not a story about the bread, called ‘manna’ (literally ‘what-is-it-bread?’), it’s about the provider. The writer is saying to us: Yes, this is a story with remarkable daily provision of bread but stop asking about the bread—it is the giver you are supposed to be noticing.

2. The parallel parables of the minas and the talents: A call for wise investment

These two parables in Luke 19:1127 and Matthew 25: 14-30 are subtly different: Luke has hard-working civil servants trying to stretch out more modest funds. Matthew imagines three entrepreneurs being given substantial skill-related start-up loans on behalf of their boss. But the logic is the same in each case. The boss goes away. And the protagonists are left to invest wisely. There is more than a lesson in economics here. Something is being said also in these parables about the ways we use the gift of the life that God has given us. But if this is more than a lesson in economics, it is not less than a lesson in economics.

The parables are aimed at people who have money in the first place. Either they have secure jobs working for a nobleman (Luke) or they are very rich (Matthew). If you have nothing, the parables of the minas and the talents are not aimed at you. Biblical perspectives on giving look different for those who have nothing. In Luke, we are talking normal incomes, in Matthew the rich are to invest generously. Generosity works differently, as our final snapshot fully indicates.

3. Tithing – do we need a measurement?

The word ‘tithe’ means a tenth, but when we explore the biblical passages about tithing (e.g. Deuteronomy 14: 22-29) it becomes apparent that there is no simple rule about giving a tenth, and again it depends on who you are. The fundamental point (and you will have to read the Grove booklet itself to see how we get there) is that tithing was about setting aside a tenth in order to use it to eat, drink and be thankful when worshipping God – or in other words, to tithe is to make God the main thing.

You could almost say it is about generosity rather than giving. My own conclusion (and other ways of reading scripture are possible), is that taking the Bible seriously on tithing does not result in Christians straightforwardly being under an obligation to hand over 10% of their income to God, or to the church, or indeed 10% of their wealth – though to be clear, God would probably be more than pleased by many of us moving to such a simple measurement scheme.

But again, expectations vary. Tithing is for those who have crops, land, animals … it is operated on behalf of those who do not, who are not expected to tithe. A more nuanced conclusion is this: For some people, 10% is probably too much. For others, 10% is probably not enough. Give 10%, give less, give more, but whatever you give, give to join in the worship of the one true God, and to share in the joy of being part of God’s work. And it is because giving is about joining in as we worship that it makes sense to understand the tithe as being to the church.

Generosity is ultimately a heart issue

Scripture offers us a persistent witness: God is with us; God provides—more to some and less to others; all that we have is entrusted to us by God to be used in our service to God; in light of which we are to invest in the kingdom of heaven; and tithing is a good start, though not enough for some, and too much for those most in need of help. There are churches where there is not enough to go around. In others, there is not enough getting out.

Generosity starts with recognising God's presence and provision. It’s a heart issue, a way of worship, and ultimately, it’s a call to invest in God’s kingdom.

More on money and the Bible

We have an array of blogs that focus on biblical stewardship and charitable giving, as well as a range of resources to help you think more clearly about money.