The objective of this lesson: to illustrate the importance of the motive behind the act by using Jesus' statement on alms.
Concepts change as the times change! In the four years I lived in West Africa, I met only one white haired man. It was traditional for men to dye "salt and pepper" hair to black. Thus, only if a man lived long enough to have completely white hair would any change in color be evident. Since the average life expectancy at that time in that area was only forty years, white haired men were rare!
The West African experience was my first experience in understanding that culture and the reality of circumstances had/have a powerful impact on one's view of the world and perspective on life.
This man's life span included an enormous transition. It went from seeing the first white man in his area to a full awareness of the men who visited the moon! As I considered all he was exposed to in his lifetime, I was astounded!
In any culture, including the American culture, rapid, radical change creates distinct challenges to personal adjustment.
If that seems an incredible situation to you, use the area of benevolence to consider our social changes in the past one hundred years. There was the great depression triggered by events in l929, the war on poverty that began in 1964, and the years of prosperity and improving lifestyles in the past three or four decades.
The changes in the Ameican society's/culture's view of benevolence is a relevant illustration of how we are impacted by social transition.
Most of you have no personal memory of the great depression. Many of you have little or no memory of the beginning of the war on poverty. All of you have a personal awareness [created by personal experience] of prosperity and improving lifestyles. All the experiences of these transitions in our society radically affected the role and concept of benevolence in this nation.
While few of us have personal experiences in the great depression era, we all are impacted in our lives [in some way] by that era. While many of us were born after 1964, we still are directly impacted socially and economically by the perspectives of the war on poverty. No where is that view more evident than in this society's perspective on receiving benevolent aid--be it tuition for college or assistance in survival needs.
With roots in the great depression experience, many adults of that era preferred to endure the harsh expressions of severe poverty rather than to accept "charity" from anyone. To persons of such convictions/perspectives, offers of benevolent help were considered personally demeaning. To many who were struggling under the inescapable chains of poverty, the "honorable" safety nets created by a determination to destroy poverty in America seemed wonderful. Many who benefited early from this effort had little or no concept of the future realities of entitlement programs. In all these events, receiving benevolence took major steps forward toward an improved image. The end result: it was not longer demeaning to receive benevolent help.
There is a radical shift from the perspective that receiving benevolence is demeaning to the perspective that receiving benevolence is honorable.
One result of the improved lifestyle and entitlement programs of past decades is the conviction by many who receive benevolence that they should receive the best. Today, there is little hesitation by many to benefit from benevolent thrusts. In fact, we now have some who have the heritage of a lifestyle based on more than a generation who benefit from benevolent programs.
When early expressions of the war on poverty utilized entitlement programs, it was assumed there would be a constantly expanding population to fund such programs. As a society we have traveled from "help me" to "society owes me." Society may "owe" me because of the taxes I paid, or because I am trapped in some way by poverty.
In one century in this society we went from, "I can take care of myself, thank you! All I want is opportunity, a job, not a handout!" to "I will take anything you give me--as long as it is the best!" Our society went from insulting people by offering benevolence to insulting people by not offering quality in benevolence.
The transition in this society concerning receiving benevolent help is astounding.
There is a radical difference in basic concepts toward benevolent acts in eastern societies and western societies. In eastern traditions, this basic view of benevolent acts is commonly accepted: "Those with significant disabilities should do something to aid their families in the quest for survival. For individuals in such circumstances, begging is an honorable activity. If all a person can do is beg, he/she should beg. Such people actually provide the healthy and blessed with an opportunity to honor God."
The contrast in attitudes toward begging in poverty societies influenced by eastern traditions and progressive societies influenced by western traditions is striking. [This is NOT the suggestion that all eastern societies are poor and all western societies are progressive. That is not true. Into such a discussion, other factors must be considered: factors such as opportunity, the roles of extended families in the society, and the existence of widespread poverty.]
In societies influenced by eastern concepts, there was/is a strong bond between a benevolent act and honoring God.
The concept of honoring God by giving to those in need is a fundamental understanding in societies influenced by eastern traditions.
Ancient Judaism is a good illustration of the concept. Read Leviticus 19:9, 10; 23:22; Deuteronomy 24:19-22; and Deuteronomy 15:1-18. Note these were commandments from God that honored the God of Israel's deliverance. Because they appreciated what God did for them in redeeming them from Egyptian slavery, they were to express their appreciation in their treatment /care of the poor.
The Bible's values in assisting the poor and the disadvantaged are an excellent illustration of the bond between honoring God and assisting those in need.
In yielding to God's commands, it is easy to create check lists. "Do not harvest the field's corners? Check, did that. Do not harvest my field twice? Check, did that. Do not harvest my vineyard twice? Check, did that. Do not beat my olive tree branches twice [to dislodge ripe olives]? Check, did that. Do not pick up ripened fruit on the ground? Check, did that."
It is much easier to create checklists that focus on acts than it is to create attitudes that prompt the acts.
Note all the commands to Israel concerning their harvest and the poor among them were based on an attitude as well as an act. It is easy to focus on the act and forget the attitude. It is easy to conclude that the act makes the effort 100% acceptable to God if wrong attitudes or no attitudes exist. It is easy to conclude that caring for the poor is all God considers important-- regardless of the reason the poor receive care. However, (1) Israel was to care for her poor because her ancestors existed in slavery's poverty. (2) Israel was to care for her poor because she appreciated God's redemption when she could do nothing to release herself.
The core reason for Israel following God's commands was God's deliverance of Israel from Egyptian bondage. This reason is repeatedly cited. For a starting point for this attitude, see Exodus 12:14 in regard to the Passover as well as Deuteronomy 6:10-15 and 26:1-11.
Jesus said motives were as important to God as were correct acts. Was one's objective in helping the poor (1) glorification of God or (2) calling attention to self? "When you help the poor, do not call attention to yourself by tooting your own horn! Know God sees and responds to secret acts! People do not have to see and praise you for God to see and appreciate you."
To God, "whys" were always an important part of "whats." The motive prompting the act was an important part of the act. Leviticus and Deuteronomy made significant distinctions between acts of knowing rebellion, acts of ignorant disobedience, and acts of accident. See Leviticus 4:2 and Deuteronomy 4:41, 42.
There is no conflict between Matthew 5:16 and 6:2-4. Matthew 5:16 seeks to glorify God. Matthew 6:2-4 seeks to glorify self. If the motive is to glorify self by receiving honor from people, there will be no additional blessing from God. You got what you wanted!
Stress that being an influence in elevating God is good, but being an influence religiously in an effort to advance self is evil.
Today, Christians need personally to be as concerned about their "whys" as their "whats."
There is a real need in Christian perspective to emphasize motive as an essential part of obedience.
For Thought and Discussion
"I do not want 'charity,' I want opportunity, a job! I can take care of myself!"
It was viewed as "honorable" to receive help in the efforts to destroy poverty. Some things not included in the text of this lesson: (1) Many of the poor were destitute elderly people who had worked all their lives; (2) The War on Poverty focused on creating opportunities to exit a poverty status; (3) The realities of existing poverty were creating some harsh circumstances that were difficult to prepare for or to escape. As the American society grew increasingly prosperous, the existence of poverty within our society became less and less defensible.
One result is the conviction on the part of those in need that those who receive benevolence should receive the best.
Our society progressed from the attitude that benevolence is demeaning to the attitude that benevolence is good if it offers the best.
The difference is in the view of begging when done, particularly, by the physically disadvantaged. Eastern societies' common view: Begging is good because (1) it allows the disabled to contribute to the family's economic survival and (2) it allows the healthy, physically able people to honor God by assisting people in need.
Basically, each community of Israelites was to create survival opportunities during harvest for the poor Israelite and the poor non-Israelite in the community.
It is easy to create a checklist of acts to do and acts to avoid.
God's commands include the attitude as well as the act.
They need to be concerned about their "whys" as well a their "whats"--their motives for their acts as well as their acts.
Link to Student Guide
Lesson 3