Possession is One Tenth

In Matthew, Chapter 22 verses 15-22 (and Mark 12:13-17, and Luke 20:20-26), there is the story about the Pharisees' attempt to entrap Jesus regarding the payment of taxes. Jesus answers by requesting to see the coin used to pay the tax, which would have been the Roman state currency, complete with a stamp of the Emperor on the face side. After viewing it, he states "Give therefore to the emperor the things that are the emperor's and to God the things that are God's." The savvy scriptural scholar will note that throughout the Torah, the Prophets, and the Psalms runs the affirmation that the earth and all in it belongs to God, therefore Jesus' words to the Pharisees are somewhat misleading. The meat of the story is the realization that everything belongs to God; we merely borrow the world for a time. We are temporary caretakers of everything in the earth; it does not matter if we stamp our face on a coin, a name on a building. Ultimately, in the words of David, "all this abundance that we have provided for building you a house for your holy name comes from your hand and is all your own." (1 Chronicles 29:16)

What is the point of generosity, then, if everything is God's anyway?

What is the most demoralizing part about repaying a loan, whether it is a loan on your house, car, or never-ending student debt whether the loans are yours or your children's? The interest. Loans generate a lot of interest, and the longer you are paying it back, the more money the bank makes off you. Render unto the banks, indeed... I suspect they also frown on using Jesus' answer regarding taxes as a reason to not repay a loan. 

But when God grants us loan of the earth, the "interest" is the natural increase of generosity and goodwill that enhances life lived together in community with one another. When we are generous in pooling resources - time, talents, and yes, money - we can enhance the lives of God's people at home and abroad.

~Rev. Andrea Joy Holroyd