Jesus answered, “The man with two tunics should share with him who has none, and the one who has food should do the same.” Luke 3:11
In recent years, scientists have clearly defined laws that govern our physical world; actually, laws that have been in operation since creation. Now, those laws are subject neither to the ideas or philosophies of humankind. For example, Sir Isaac Newton articulated the law of gravitation, showing that the gravitational pull of something is inversely proportional to the mass of the attracting object. Got it? The law of gravity, though, has nothing to do with how you feel, or what you think, or whether or not governments should pass laws disallowing the force of gravity. It’s there and its force cannot be legislated or countermanded.
In the realm of the spiritual, there are also certain laws or principles that operate just as certainly, though they may be more difficult to define or illustrate. For example, one day Jesus talked about the law of giving and receiving. Now, this is not what He called it. He didn’t say, “Okay folks, gather around. Because today I am going to explain the law of giving and receiving, which is the key to getting rich.” No. Instead, He spoke in parables or stories. He often demonstrated His truths with incidents from everyday life.
Jesus defined a spiritual law that is totally contrary to human logic, yet what He said can be demonstrated as clearly as the laws of sowing and reaping. If you sow seed, you will reap a harvest. What Jesus talked about, however, has been widely abused, misinterpreted, used for selfish gain. Yet the fact that people have twisted and perverted the truth doesn’t really change it.
Jesus said, “Give, and it will be given to you. A good measure, pressed down, shaken together and running over, will be poured into your lap. For with the measure [that] you use, it will be measured to you” (Luke 6:38).
A paraphrase puts it like this: “For if you give, you will get. Your gift will return to you in full and overflowing measure, pressed down, shaken together to make room for more, and running over. Whatever measure you use to give—large or small—will be used to measure what is given back to you.”
Strange math—the principle that Jesus used. Give away what you have and gain more of the very substance. Now, the interesting thing about this giving-receiving principle is that it isn’t restricted to money. It also includes your time as a volunteer, your willingness to listen to somebody in pain, sharing your ability, many other things too.
I’ll never forget the time I was in a tribal area of the Philippines. After I spoke, the person in charge opened the meeting for questions. It was a long, slow and laborious task. The question was in Ifugao and was translated into Ilocano which was then translated into English so I could understand. Then whatever I said had to be reverse-translated. It was almost midnight when the interpreter said, “See that fellow over there? He’s asking, ‘Why should I who have so little give to God who has so much?'”
I took a closer look at the man. He sat on his haunches, a worn t-shirt on his back, shoeless. I was taken surprise by the question—I hadn’t even mentioned money or giving. Well, the question deserved an answer. I thought for a moment and said, “Three reasons. 1. Giving is a simple response of obedience to what God asks. Then I added, 2. It’s a means of receiving a blessing from God which can come many ways (quoting what Jesus said). Then 3. You can pool what you have, send someone over the mountain into the next valley to share the Gospel with them. That’s what the law of giving is about.
Resource Reading: 2 Kings 4:1-37
