Right-Handed Generosity

"Be careful not to practice your righteousness in front of others to be seen by them. If you do, you will have no reward from your Father in heaven. So when you give to the needy, do not announce it with trumpets, as the hypocrites do in the synagogues and on the streets, to be honored by others. Truly I tell you, they have received their reward in full. But when you give to the needy, do not let your left hand know what your right hand is doing, so that your giving may be in secret. Then your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you." (Matthew 6: 1-4)

The spiritual leaders in the time of Jesus had the tradition of fasting a couple of times a week. The purpose of the fast was supposed to be to save money on food, to give to the poor. But some people made a big show of it, sitting in the street, covered in ashes and dressed in rough clothing, without bathing, so that everyone would be able to tell that they were fasting and know how 'holy' they were.

Jesus denounced this tradition:
"When you fast, do not look somber as the hypocrites do, for they disfigure their faces to show others they are fasting. Truly I tell you, they have received their reward in full. But when you fast, put oil on your head and wash your face, so that it will not be obvious to others that you are fasting, but only to your Father, who is unseen; and your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you." (Matthew 6: 16-18)

The common theme in these two passages is to not flaunt your supposed holiness. Your generosity should not be a show for others. You should not use doing what is right as a way to gain social standing.

And apparently God takes our attitude in giving very, very seriously.

The early church was pretty communist. Several times the Bible tells of how they shared everything, and people were even selling their land and possessions and using it to support the poorer members of the church community.

One couple in the church, Ananias and Sapphira, apparently felt peer pressure to participate in this extreme generosity, but weren't actually willing to part with all they had. So they came up with a clever solution. They would sell their property, but pretend they had sold it for a lower price and only donate part of the money to the church.

I suppose that they forgot that God sees past our lies, and knows our heart. Both Ananias and Sapphira both independently lied about the price of the land, and they were both struck down dead.* (Read the story here.)

You might think, isn't it more important that the hungry get fed, that people get what they need, regardless of the motivations of those who give?

But here's the thing. There's one thing people need more than food, or clothing, or shelter. They need love. All the riches of the world ring hollow if no one genuinely cares about you. And if you're helping others only for yourself, your help is empty and selfish, and without love for anyone but yourself.

"If I speak in the tongues of men or of angels, but do not have love, I am only a resounding gong or a clanging cymbal. If I have the gift of prophecy and can fathom all mysteries and all knowledge, and if I have a faith that can move mountains, but do not have love, I am nothing. If I give all I possess to the poor and give over my body to hardship that I may boast, but do not have love, I gain nothing." (1 Corinthians 13:1-3)

*You're probably thinking that this seems like a very harsh punishment. I agree, and I don't understand why it was so harsh. The explanation I've heard is that, since the church was just beginning, it was important that it begin right, and that people realize the gravity of such actions and how it reflects on the integrity of the church. This explanation still falls flat to me, to be honest. Interestingly, though, I believe Ananias and Sapphira are the last two people to be struck dead by God recorded in the Bible. I wonder what changed after that...