A Fair Balance

This devotional will be the last one until August 2023 — we are taking a 3 month break. Thank you for your understanding.

2 Corinthians 8:8-15

8 I do not say this as a command, but I am testing the genuineness of your love against the earnestness of others. 9 For you know the generous act[f] of our Lord Jesus Christ, that though he was rich, yet for your sakes he became poor, so that by his poverty you might become rich. 10 And in this matter I am giving my advice: it is appropriate for you who began last year not only to do something but even to desire to do something— 11 now finish doing it, so that your eagerness may be matched by completing it according to your means. 12 For if the eagerness is there, the gift is acceptable according to what one has—not according to what one does not have. 13 I do not mean that there should be relief for others and pressure on you, but it is a question of a fair balance between 14 your present abundance and their need, so that their abundance may be for your need, in order that there may be a fair balance. 15 As it is written,

‘The one who had much did not have too much,
                    and the one who had little did not have too little.’

There was a localized, but severe, food shortage in Jerusalem and Judea, which was driving food prices up significantly. Paul, as he set out on another round of visiting churches in Greece, had been asked to raise the needs of the Christians in Jerusalem and Judea so that the Christians in Greece (including Corinth) might give towards the needs of the Christians in Judea.

Here he is laying out a two-part theological argument for making a contribution towards those who are in need. First, in vs. 9 he reminds them that Jesus who was rich (he lived in heaven) generously became poor (he was born into poverty in this world) so that they (Paul’s readers) and we could become rich in the blessing that God provides to those who follow Jesus. So, Jesus was generous, and Jesus’ followers are to be generous like he was.   

Paul realized that this sounded like he was telling the Corinthian Christians to become poor so that the Christians in Judea could become rich. And so he writes vs. 12 and 13 – first that the call is to give what we can afford to give and send that there would be a balance between the giver and the receiver. That there would be a sharing so that there could be some equality between the two groups.

And then Paul in vs. 14 makes a comment that can be read two ways. The balance may mean that while the Corinthian Christians are being generous now – a time was coming when the Christians in Judea could be generous in return. Another, more challenging, way to read this would be – that yes, the Christians in Judea were poor financially, but in their poverty they were rich in opportunities for others to be generous – and the Christians in Corinth were well-off – but they were poor in not being generous. Thus the abundance of needs met – the material abundance of the Corinthians met the abundance of opportunity for generosity present in Judea. 

On this Friday before our HEARTS Sunday, thinking about the ministry we support in Haiti, maybe the needs of HEARTS meet our need for a place to be generous.

PRAYER:

You have blessed us materially, O Lord. We are in need of opportunities to be generous, so we can learn the blessings of generosity. Show us the places where our need to be generous can match the abundance of opportunities to be generous. In Jesus’ name. Amen.