Shovel Size
“Give, and good measure will be given to you, pressed down and shaken together, and running over, they will pour into your lap. For what ever measure you deal out to others, it will be dealt to you in return.” Luke 6:38
Give – God has a bigger shovel than you have. Most of us are counting on that. We give and then we expect God’s much bigger shovel to heap up rewards on us. There isn’t much doubt that God’s shovel is bigger, but that’s not the point of Yeshua’s statement. The emphasis is not on the consequence. It is on the antecedent – the action that comes first. Give!
Now we know that the point of this verse is the distribution of limited provision for the welfare of others. It isn’t about my wonderfully generous character. It is about the necessity of community shalom, a necessity that outweighs my desire for gain. With this in mind, we can understand the “measure for measure” consequence that follows this community requirement.
Yeshua simply points out the you can expect to be treated in accordance to the way you treat others. Furthermore, there is the implication that God is involved in this measure-for-measure process. What we give demonstrates our reliance on God’s faithfulness and our concrete expression of communal unity.
Think of it like this: If there are twenty families in the community, each family must be cared for in proportion to the available resources of the entire community. Our Greek individualism resists. We think, “Well, everyone has equal opportunity. They can just go work harder if they want more.” But that isn’t the point here. The point is that God supplies the excess for His purposes. What we have is His gift. And while He does not distribute His gifts in equal measure, He does expect that we will demonstrate our gratitude by acting with benevolence toward others. In fact, the only real measure of my gratitude to God is my willingness to give my excess to others within my community. I am responsible for the well-being of my neighbor. God uses me to meet my neighbor’s need because He knows that I need the practice. When I give, I model His behavior and that distributes righteousness in the world (a very good thing).
So, the measure is not about my personal motivation. It is about the size of the excess. If God blesses me with gain, I am given the divine opportunity to pass that blessing on to someone in need. I won’t always have excess, but when I do, I use it for righteousness. And when I don’t have excess, my previous acts will result in others blessing me. Measure for measure (any, maybe, even more).
Have you counted your excess lately?
Topical Index: give, didomi, excess, Luke 6:38
I think it’s difficult, given the amount of Greek-ness we get soaked in, to be on the receiving end of others’ giving, too. At least, it is for me… and lately, that seems to be where I am more often than not. I find it frustrating to have so little (or no) excess from which to give. But, I suppose that it’s a cycle, and there will come a day when there is more left over and we have more to give back.
I’m not saying that in a “look at me” way or “poor me” or for any reason other than this strikes a chord in me. All my life I would never have characterized myself as someone who enjoyed or truly wanted to give… Maybe because I always felt it was mandated by the “church,” and I didn’t usually feel that was where it was needed most. And now that God has set me on this path of discovery, I find myself wanting to give back to Him and those around us, yet having less with which to do it. It’s kind of funny, in a way… kind of something at any rate.
That being said, I think, maybe, that this applies in more ways than monetarily, although I tend to end up focusing on that a lot. I just realized that maybe, even if I don’t have excess of money, I might have excess in other areas from which I can give. Skip said that our gifts from God are like an orange tree – we don’t eat our own oranges, we give them away. Maybe that applies here, too?
This “giving” is not necessarily about “muny”. It’s not about your “millyun dollars!” What about our time, talents, treasure, testimony, teeth and tongues? “Silver and gold have I none, but such as I have give I unto thee”
The best things in life aren’t things. And these are the “things” we may freely give away. We don’t look upon the things that are seen (or do we?), but on the things that are “not seen.”
Oh, but I’m lookin’ at that big ol’ house, or that long shiny car, or that sparkly glistening ring. See how it shines! It’s got bling! That’s right friend- Eve saw the fruit- she looked longingly at it. I see it- I want it. That’s how it goes. At the cafeteria line of life- “the eye is bigger than the stomach.”
We all want “more.” And there’s nothing wrong with wanting more! It’s wonderful!. The question remains though.. More what? And of course there’s always the “motive.” Why do you “want what you want?” (yeah, purpose driven life) You want this __________ because? What is your motive?
G-d is a Lover and G-d is a Giver. Do you want to be “godly?” Then love like He loves. Give like He gives. We’ve got a long way to go, don’t we?
purpose
It is said that the Roman Governor, Turnus Rufus, put a question to Rabbi Akiba: “If, as you maintain, your God loves the poor, why does He not make them rich?” to which R. Akiba replied: “It is in order to give the rich the means of acquiring merit.” Rabbi Akiba figured that a world without poverty would be an uncaring world, a world without compassion.
I was thinking – following through yesterday’s comments – about the Principle of Matter/Mass Conservation… you know, the Greek idea that “…it is impossible for anything to come to be from what is not, and it cannot be brought about, or heard of, that what is should be utterly destroyed.” Christians believe that the world is not a closed-system and that, therefor, this principle does not apply. In other words, that the system is ‘open’ and that God can just add or subtract matter as He wills. The Hebrew belief is that everything is contained within God and that, therefor, the system is not open. Does that mean, then, that matter is not able to be created or destroyed? Well, ‘yes’ and ‘no’. Because energy can be completed obliterated, re-sized or re-constructed if ‘matter’ is reduced to photons. Jews (and quantum physicists) believe that everything we see only exists because God ‘sang’ it into existence… and that it will cease to exist if He stops ‘singing’. A fascinating topic that’s worth some study when you have a few hours to yourself.
Can I suggest some inquiry in Bob Gorelik’s study “Creation” – about 9 CDs worth on some of these topics.
Skip,
Question…Looking a it finacially, what constitutes my “excess”? Is it all the money left over after I pay all my bills? IF yes is that the minimum payments or the “extra” I pay to pay them off quicker? (ie: mortgage, credit cards, loans, etc.) Or is the excess also what is in my savings, my IRA’s and retirment accounts? What exactly is my excess?
What do you need to live? What is required to get you to the point where you are fully capable of doing what He wants – and at the same time – completely dependent on Him? How much gets spent of what isn’t necessary? When you have that in mind, then what do you think He wants you to do with it? Loose Torah. Some things are required. Some are determined in conversation. It’s the same for all of us.
He who says what is mine is mine and what is thine is thine. This is the average type some say it is the character of Sodom.
He who says what is mine is thine and what is thine is mine. He is ignorant.
He who says what is mine is mine and what is thine is mine. He is wicked.
He who says what is thine is thine and what is mine is thine. He is a saint!
(ancient rabbinic saying)