Is tithing in the New Covenant required or expected? Did Jesus mention tithing to His disciples? Was tithing encouraged or discouraged by Jesus in the Gospels?
Tithing in the New Covenant is not Biblically required. Jesus mentioned tithing three times. Some Pastors are persuaded that He encouraged tithing for New Testament Christians. Did He, though?
Tithing In The New Covenant — Matthew 23:23
Matthew 23:23 Woe to you, teachers of the law and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You give a tenth of your spices—mint, dill, and cumin. But you have neglected the more important matters of the law—justice, mercy, and faithfulness. You should have practiced the latter, without neglecting the former.
Robert Morris, the pastor of Gateway Church, believes that Matthew 23:23 confirms that Jesus supported tithing in the New Testament. His quote was, “Jesus, Himself said that you ought to tithe. I don’t know about you but that’s enough for me.”
Did Jesus say that Christians ought to tithe? Or is Robert Morris incorrectly interpreting Matthew 23:23? I believe that his interpretation is wrong. He simply is repeating the same old trope and teaching theology by folklore.
Tithing In Context
Scripture should be taken in its proper context. Read the entire chapter to get the proper meaning of the text. Jesus pronounced woes on the scribes and Pharisees — seven of them. In one of the woes, he juxtaposed microscopic tithing with justice, mercy, and faithfulness.
Additionally, He identified all of these things (tithing, justice, mercy, and faithfulness) as “Matters of the Law.” Why would He consider them matters of the law? Jesus and His disciples were born under the law (Galatians 4:4). They lived under the law.
Jesus as a teacher of the law was required to teach the exacting standards of the law.
Christians are unable to perfectly keep the law. The entire thing was a setup. Jesus hinted at it being even more difficult during the Sermon on the Mount.
Jesus fulfilled the law — perfectly. We put our trust in His completed work, submit wholly to Him, repent for our sins, and go to Him constantly as depicted in I John 1:9. When we attempt to be justified by the law we become alienated from Christ and fall from grace (Galatians 5:4). If we insist on being good enough by works we can’t fail in one area (James 2:10).
Furthermore, Moses made it clear to the children of Israel that tithing was solely for them and no one else.
Leviticus 27:34 These are the commands the Lord gave Moses at Mount Sinai for the Israelites.
They are not for the church. Here’s a link to an article about tithing before the Law.
Tithing In The New Covenant — Luke 11:42
Luke 11:42 Woe to you Pharisees, because you give God a tenth of your mint, rue, and all other kinds of garden herbs, but you neglect justice and the love of God. You should have practiced the latter without leaving the former undone.
Luke added a slight nuance to what Matthew wrote in 23:23. What was that nuance? He specifically called the Pharisaical tithe “garden herbs.” Why is that important? It gets to the spirit of what Jesus was addressing in this text.
Old Testament tithing always consisted of food items. The only time it was not food was when the tithe was redeemed. When it was redeemed, a 20% penalty was added.
Jesus was poking the Pharisees. Tithes were often large quantities of grain, fruit, or animals. The Pharisees, who probably were not farmers, wanted to “prove” their spirituality by cutting a few twigs from their mint plant to give to the Levites! I can imagine the disdain from the Levites when Jedediah the Pharisee showed up to present his tithe.
The law was in effect even for the Pharisees. So, if they had a garden a tithe could have been demanded. Their actions prove the atomic view of their legalism. The tithe was the Levitical inheritance and the Pharisees were making a mockery of it.
Jesus called them out on it.
He is not memorializing the tithe for the New Covenant.
Hebrews 8:13 In speaking of a new covenant, he makes the first one obsolete. And what is becoming obsolete and growing old is ready to vanish away.
I believe that the Old Covenant was made obsolete with the sacking of Jerusalem in 70 AD. There is no temple, no Levites, and no Aaronic priests.
Tithing In The New Covenant — Pharisee & Tax Collector
Luke 18: 11-14 The Pharisee stood by himself and prayed: ‘God, I thank you that I am not like other people—robbers, evildoers, adulterers—or even like this tax collector. I fast twice a week and give a tenth of all I get. “But the tax collector stood at a distance. He would not even look up to heaven, but beat his breast and said, ‘God, have mercy on me, a sinner.’ “I tell you that this man, rather than the other, went home justified before God. For all those who exalt themselves will be humbled, and those who humble themselves will be exalted.”
This is the third time that Jesus uttered the word “tithe” while on earth. It’s hardly a glowing recommendation for tithing, though.
I’ve heard Christians proclaim some nutty things all in the name of tithing. It’s almost as if they believe that God owes them because they’ve paid their due to Don Corleone. Tithing has been mentioned as the silver bullet to all of life’s ills.
Tithers believe that they get unrestricted access to heaven, an uncontainable blessing, satan rebuked, no miscarriages (yes, I’ve heard it), and global favor.
Jesus, however, indicates that the “tither” was not justified but humiliated.
Grace Giving Is Superior
The New Covenant is superior in every way. Grace giving is better than the temple tax and the redemption of the firstborn. The tithe, without Levites, Aaronic priests, and a temple, is unnecessary and obsolete.
Pastors can now own land. Believers are allowed to serve in the church. Giving is no longer compulsory but voluntary. Christians can give as much as they desire.
Jesus invites us to give His resources lavishly to whomever we desire. Paul provokes us to imitate Jesus and excel in the grace of giving (2 Corinthians 8:7-9).
Resist the urge to be like the Galatians and return to a false gospel of works (Galatians 1:6-9). We are saved by grace through faith — enjoy His gift.
Here’s a link to the Ultimate Guide to Tithing. It answers many tithing objections.
Francis Chan, John MacArthur, and Others on Tithing
Tim manages a $ billion+ loan portfolio. He loves to write and teach about biblical stewardship. He has authored three stewardship books, including The Profit Dare. His fourth book, Savvy Stewardship, will be released in May 2024. He hosts The Profit Dare and Sola Melodica YouTube Channels.
He has an MBA from Cornerstone University and a Certificate in Behavioral Finance from Duke University.
Tim is a former church planter, youth pastor, and short-term missionary.
