Why You Should Not Give Your Tithe to Any Institution
The tithe was a compulsory agricultural tax paid to the Levitical priesthood in ancient Israel. The Temple was destroyed in 70 AD. The priesthood ceased to exist. Jesus never collected a tithe, never asked for one, and never endorsed one. Here is what he actually said about money and giving.
Ma'aser: A Tenth of Agricultural Produce
The Hebrew word for tithe is ma'aser, meaning a tenth. It was a compulsory levy on agricultural produce: grain, wine, oil, and livestock. It was paid to the Levitical priesthood, who had no land allocation in Israel and therefore no means of self-sufficiency. The tithe funded the Temple and provided for those with no land: the Levites, the widows, the orphans, and the resident foreigners. It was a welfare system, not a church offering. The Temple was destroyed by the Romans in 70 AD. The Levitical priesthood ceased to function. The system the tithe funded no longer exists. The Church repurposed the word and the percentage, stripped out the welfare function, and redirected the income to institutional infrastructure.
The Tithe Was a Tax, Not a Gift
In ancient Israel, the tithe was a compulsory levy on agricultural produce, paid to the Levitical priesthood to fund the Temple and support those who had no land: the Levites, the widows, the orphans, and the foreigners living among them. The Temple was destroyed in 70 AD. The Levitical priesthood ceased to exist. The system it funded was finished. No church, ministry, or television network is the heir to that system.
Jesus Redirected Every Penny to People
Not once in the Red Letters does Jesus instruct anyone to give money to a religious institution. He told the rich young ruler to sell everything and give directly to the poor (Mark 10:21). He told Zacchaeus that giving half his wealth to the poor was the mark of salvation arriving (Luke 19:8-9). He commended the widow who gave her last two coins, not because she gave to the Temple, but because she gave everything she had.
Give What You Can, Not What You Are Told
There is no fixed percentage in the Way of Jesus. There is no formula, no minimum, no divine slot machine. Paul wrote that each person should give 'as they have decided in their heart, not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver' (2 Corinthians 9:7). The moment a pastor tells you that you are under a curse for not giving 10%, they have left the Red Letters and entered the business of fear.
The Most Vulnerable Are the Offering Plate
The hungry person on your street. The family who cannot pay rent. The child in your community who goes to school without breakfast. The elderly neighbour who has no one. The refugee family who arrived with nothing. These are the people Jesus described as 'the least of these.' What you give to them, he said, you give to him. No building fund, no pastor's salary, no television ministry can make that claim.
'When you give to the needy, do not let your left hand know what your right hand is doing, so that your giving may be in secret.'
Matthew 6:3-4
'Sell your possessions and give to the poor.'
Luke 12:33
'Truly I tell you, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you did for me.'
Matthew 25:40
'You cannot serve both God and money.'
Matthew 6:24
No institution should be the destination of your generosity. Not this one. Not any. Give what you can. Give what you are led to. Give it directly to the most vulnerable person you can reach.