by Leisa Garcia
(GO TO: Tithing: ARE we Robbing God? Part I)
Did Jesus say we should tithe?
A scripture passage that some use to "prove" that tithing applies to the Body of Christ is Matthew 23:23 and it's parallel passage in Luke 11:42:
"Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for ye pay tithe of mint and anise and cumin, and have omitted the weightier matters of the law, judgment, mercy, and faith: these ought ye to have done, and not to leave the other undone."
"But woe unto you, Pharisees! for ye tithe mint and rue and all manner of herbs, and pass over judgment and the love of God: these ought ye to have done, and not to leave the other undone."
So let's look at these verses point by point:
1. When: This is during Jesus' ministry on Earth, before His crucifixion and resurrection. At this time the Mosaic Law was still in effect. Even Jesus--especially Jesus--followed the Mosaic Law during this time, (Although He didn't follow the man-made regulations that were added to it, which were forbidden by the Law in Deuteronomy 4:2.)
Galatians 4:4,5 "But when the fullness of the time was come, God sent forth his Son, made of a woman, made under the law, to redeem them that were under the law, that we might receive the adoption of sons."
2. Who: Jesus was speaking to the Scribes and Pharisees who were also under the Law at this point. He was not speaking to the body of Christ, which did not exist yet. (See The "Church" in the Wilderness) He was NOT speaking to the disciples.
3. What: What He did say? He said that they tithed of all manner of herbs. As we learned in Part I, they were to tithe the firstfruits of all of their produce and the firstborn of all of their livestock. Herbs would be considered produce. Apparently, the Scribes and Pharisees felt pretty smug that they not only tithed of all of the typical main produce, but also of the seemingly insignificant and small herbs.
What He did NOT say: He did not say that they should give 10 percent of their money. As we know from part I, the tithe NEVER consisted of money, it was always the increase GOD had given them through the produce and livestock, which only God could do. Man could not make produce grow or new animals to be conceived and born.
Then this is the part that is focused on--Jesus said "this ye ought to have done..." They say, see, Jesus said we should tithe! Well we've seen so far, he said this while all of them were under the Law. He did not say this to the disciples or to the Body of Christ which did not exist yet.
He was telling the scribes and Pharisees that yes, they should tithe of the firstfruits of all of their produce and livestock, but they shouldn't have "omitted the weightier parts of THE LAW."
If this applies to the Body of Christ, then He would be saying we should obey ALL of the Mosaic Law, all 613 laws. However, we know that the Body of Christ is NOT under the Law. We are not required to follow the Law.
Although obviously included in the Law--Judgment, Mercy and Faith are not exclusive to the Law, and the Body of Christ is to have right judgment, and to have mercy and faith--not because its demanded in the Law, but because it is part of being a believer in God and is commanded and expected throughout history, not just during the time of the Law. (See: Are You a Dispensationalist?)
There is nothing in this passage that proves the Body of Christ has been commanded by Christ to tithe. And even if you supposed, for the sake of argument, that He did, that would mean we should be tithing as described in the Law, which does not include money.
