by Steven Gledhill for FREEdom from MEdom Series
We have likely all heard it. Possibly first from a parent, or a grandparent, or a teacher, or someone. “It is better to give than to receive.” The question is better for who, or whom? What is our motive when we give? Do we give in order to, or in anticipation of, what we will receive? Can you think of a time when you really worked hard to help someone out, but then didn’t get a thank you? How did you feel? Have you given someone a gift that you spent a lot of money on, or put a great deal of time and thought into, and it was obvious it wasn’t appreciated? How did that feel?
Pastor Fran Leeman preached a message recently about the words of Jesus spoken by Paul the Apostle that “It is more blessed to give than receive”. He pointed out something that I didn’t know that I found quite interesting. While it is popular to use the saying that “it is better to give than receive”, even attribute the saying to Jesus, it was never written by any of the Gospel writers. This saying of Jesus is first quoted in the book of Acts by Paul as his parting words before he sets sail to Rome where he knew he was certain to be martyred for teaching the truth about the resurrected Christ.
“And I have been a constant example of how you can help those in need by working hard. You should remember the words of the Lord Jesus: ‘It is more blessed to give than to receive.’” Acts 20:35 (NLT)
I think the focus and emphasis of this saying needs to be on the word “blessed” as we examine the matter of it being “better” to give than to receive. Because again, better for who?… better how? When we consider the story of how Jesus gave, compared to what he received, at least in the immediate sense, we must admit that what he gave, while it turns out much better for us, it was not better for him… Or was it? And if it was better for him, better how? As a man of flesh and blood, Jesus suffered unto the very end of his human life. There were not any rewards for him in this world. Nothing gained for him except torment, suffering, and death. Apparently, Jesus was in pursuit of satisfaction from a supremely higher calling, rather than the pursuit of selfish gratification as a human being. Let’s look at it more closely.
36 Then Jesus went with them to the olive grove called Gethsemane, and he said, “Sit here while I go over there to pray.” 37 He took Peter and Zebedee’s two sons, James and John, and he became anguished and distressed. 38 He told them, “My soul is crushed with grief to the point of death. Stay here and keep watch with me.” 39 He went on a little farther and bowed with his face to the ground, praying, “My Father! If it is possible, let this cup of suffering be taken away from me. Yet I want your will to be done, not mine.” Matthew 26:36-39 (NLT)
28 They stripped him and put a scarlet robe on him. 29 They wove thorn branches into a crown and put it on his head, and they placed a reed stick in his right hand as a scepter. Then they knelt before him in mockery and taunted, “Hail! King of the Jews!” 30 And they spit on him and grabbed the stick and struck him on the head with it. 31 When they were finally tired of mocking him, they took off the robe and put his own clothes on him again. Then they led him away to be crucified.
35 After they had nailed him to the cross, the soldiers gambled for his clothes by throwing dice. 36 Then they sat around and kept guard as he hung there. 37 A sign was fastened to the cross above Jesus’ head, announcing the charge against him. It read: “This is Jesus, the King of the Jews.”
46 At about three o’clock, Jesus called out with a loud voice, “Eli, Eli, lema sabachthani?” which means “My God, my God, why have you abandoned me?” Matthew 27:28-31, 35-36, 46 (NLT)
Wow! What did Jesus get for the trouble of the sacrificial gift he gave for you and me? Not only was he beaten to within an inch of his life, and experienced the psychological torment of knowing what he would have to endure before he would endure it, but he was driven by our sin away from what he coveted most, sweet fellowship in relationship with his Heavenly Father. How was it better for Jesus to give than to receive? How was it more blessed for him when he felt abandoned—rejected by the One that he worshiped and adored as a human being? Well, we’ll get to that.
Pastor Leeman sited the following passage from 1 Corinthians that must be explored to discover some awesome truth about the New Life Experience:
18 The message of the cross is foolish to those who are headed for destruction! But we who are being saved know it is the very power of God. 19 As the Scriptures say, “I will destroy the wisdom of the wise and discard the intelligence of the intelligent.” 20 So where does this leave the philosophers, the scholars, and the world’s brilliant debaters? God has made the wisdom of this world look foolish. 21 Since God in his wisdom saw to it that the world would never know him through human wisdom, he has used our foolish preaching to save those who believe. 22 It is foolish to the Jews, who ask for signs from heaven. And it is foolish to the Greeks, who seek human wisdom.23So when we preach that Christ was crucified, the Jews are offended and the Gentiles say it’s all nonsense. 24 But to those called by God to salvation, both Jews and Gentiles, Christ is the power of God and the wisdom of God.
25This foolish plan of God is wiser than the wisest of human plans, and God’s weakness is stronger than the greatest of human strength. 26 Remember, dear brothers and sisters, that few of you were wise in the world’s eyes or powerful or wealthy when God called you. 27 Instead, God chose things the world considers foolish in order to shame those who think they are wise. And he chose things that are powerless to shame those who are powerful. 28 God chose things despised by the world, things counted as nothing at all, and used them to bring to nothing what the world considers important. 29 As a result, no one can ever boast in the presence of God. 1 Corinthians 1:18-29 (NLT)
The way of the world is selfish, motivated in every way by selfish desires and intentions. When you understand how the brain works—the power of the “go” systems in the brain wanting what it wants when it wants it, you are confronted by the reality that our selfish ambitions and pursuits fuels the insatiable drive for more selfishness. The system we live in each day is corrupt, polluted by self-centeredness at the least, and at the most, self-indulgence. What Jesus taught and modeled in his life was humility and servanthood. His friends were amazed when Jesus came around and washed their dirty soiled feet as perhaps the ultimate act of servanthood. I say soiled because the word also connotes selfish immorality. It was a symbol of how Jesus would sink to the lowest of places to forgive them—to cleanse them. This not how the world thinks. It runs hard against the grain of our selfish sin and human nature to serve. Yet, Jesus Christ, God in the flesh, continually defied his selfish human nature as a man through his commitment to living out the God-given purpose for his life.
So for us, if we are committed to recovery from our mess God’s way, we must we willing to model the example of Jesus in how we live. What did Jesus do? He came from the transcendent place of authority as God, and ultimately descended into the lowliest places in his humanity to serve, to die a torturous death on the cross, and sink into the depths of hell, experiencing condemnation for your sin and mine.
5 You must have the same attitude that Christ Jesus had. 6 Though he was God, he did not think of equality with God as something to cling to. 7 Instead, he gave up his divine privileges; he took the humble position of a slave and was born as a human being. When he appeared in human form, 8 he humbled himself in obedience to God and died a criminal’s death on a cross. Philippians 2:5-8 (NLT)
How was it better for Jesus—more blessed—to give than receive? What did Jesus get out of it? Jesus wasn’t motivated by what he’d get out of it. He was motivated by what you and I get out of it. Of course, what we get out of it is salvation, recovery into a transformed life, one day resurrected into glorious face-to-face fellowship with Christ. So when you give, what are you motivated by?
When emphasizing “more blessed” in the Acts 20:35 passage, it helps to define the word ‘blessed’ or ‘bless’. The dictionary, written by people, tends to approach the matter of blessing as a religious thing regarding reverence to God and such. I suppose that’s alright. Or, the definition of being blessed is approached in the realm of happiness, or prosperity. I suppose that’s fine to, but it seems then to confuse this matter of how we are more blessed when we give. How is it better than receiving?
Once again, think of the time when you gave of yourself, perhaps even sacrificed something; when you did the good and right thing but did not feel all that good about it. My wife and I were having to stand outside on a cold, windy, drizzly day. She was not wearing the proper clothing for the weather conditions. Being the wonderful husband that I am, offered her my coat. She refused, because she new that I would be cold, but I insisted and began to take off my jacket to give to her. She accepted it, and while I suppose it did my heart good to see that she was more comfortable, I became quite cold. While I believe I did the kind and gracious thing, there is no doubt that my wife was more blessed receiving than I was giving.
The Bible defines blessed as the matter of being in, and receiving, God’s favor. Aside from anything else in any are of your life, the place to be is in God’s favor. That is how you and I are more blessed when we give. While it runs contrary to the worldly system of giving to get, we give to give back to God in whatever way we can for all that He has done for us. Because of Christ’s sacrifice we have been reconciled to God, restored into fellowship, with full access to blessing, healing, and providence in relationship with Jesus.
So, what did Jesus, the human being, get from his sacrifice dying on the cross? He gave and we received, so how was he more blessed while on earth?
9 Therefore, God elevated him to the place of highest honor and gave him the name above all other names, 10 that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, 11 and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father. Philippians 2:9-11 (NLT)
The truth of what it means that it is better—more blessed—to give than receive is tied into the bigger picture. While actions of selfless sacrifice might not feel all that blessed at that time or any time, there is a far greater reward that transcends anything we value in our selfish flesh. Jesus was elevated from the lowliest of low, to the highest place in any universe and reality. He experienced resurrection and transformation. Not only healing and transformation in his earthly human body, considering that he lived as a man on the earth for another six weeks or so, but then was resurrected from his mortal humanity and transformed into spiritual immortality into the presence of God.
That was great for Jesus, especially considering that He is more than in the presence of God since He is God, but what about us? How does this same truth of transformation apply to you and me? What do you say we take a look at what Scripture says about it:
22 Just as everyone dies because we all belong to Adam, everyone who belongs to Christ will be given new life. 23 But there is an order to this resurrection: Christ was raised as the first of the harvest; then all who belong to Christ will be raised when he comes back.
35 But someone may ask, “How will the dead be raised? What kind of bodies will they have?” 36 What a foolish question! When you put a seed into the ground, it doesn’t grow into a plant unless it dies first. 37 And what you put in the ground is not the plant that will grow, but only a bare seed of wheat or whatever you are planting. 38 Then God gives it the new body he wants it to have. A different plant grows from each kind of seed.
42 It is the same way with the resurrection of the dead. Our earthly bodies are planted in the ground when we die, but they will be raised to live forever. 43 Our bodies are buried in brokenness, but they will be raised in glory. They are buried in weakness, but they will be raised in strength.
51 But let me reveal to you a wonderful secret. We will not all die, but we will all be transformed! 52 It will happen in a moment, in the blink of an eye, when the last trumpet is blown. For when the trumpet sounds, those who have died will be raised to live forever. And we who are living will also be transformed. 53 For our dying bodies must be transformed into bodies that will never die; our mortal bodies must be transformed into immortal bodies.
54 Then, when our dying bodies have been transformed into bodies that will never die, this Scripture will be fulfilled: “Death is swallowed up in victory. 55 O death, where is your victory? O death, where is your sting?” 1 Corinthians 15:22-23, 35-38, 42-43, 51-55 (NLT)
Please get this truth and let it resonate with you—in you. We may never experience the blessing of our selfless acts of sacrifice and giving in this life according to the standards of self-centered reward and gratiifcation. Something is coming that will render any earthly reward or “blessing” worthless and irrelevant. We will live with Jesus in a place of glory, free from need and discontentment.
How much better does it get than that?
Lesson: Better to Give? Better How? Better for Who?
