Tithes of Tithes

Num 18:25-19:4         11/29/2017

Although the Levites received the tithes of the Israelites as their pay, they were also required to tithe a tenth of their income. This “tithe of the tithe” went to the priests as their income.

The Priests had this exalted position. They did the important work of temple sacrifice. Yet they received as their income the tithe of the Levites, who received their income from the tithe of the Israelites.

So…the priests got paid last.

In ancient Israel, the priests performed the work that kept the community tied together. They mediated the relationship between God and the tribes. Without this, the tribes would divide, fall apart, and the people would lose their identity as a part of the Chosen People.

Jesus once told a parable about a man who hired workers to work in his field. He hired some at the beginning of the day and some later in the morning, and some at noon, and some late in the afternoon. At the end of the day he paid them all the same wage – causing those who had worked longest to complain.

That’s still how it is. Scientists have shown that if you give two well fed chimps a different reward for performing the same task while they are together – one will refuse what they perceive to be the less valuable reward.

Envy is in the animals – it doesn’t come to us from the highest human capacity. It is not part of the spirit.

The reward of building up the Authentic Community is my participation in the Authentic Community. But if I think it’s something else, I’ll consider the most important possibility of my life to be of little consequence.

“‘Are you envious because I am generous?’ Thus, the last will be first, and the first will be last.” Matt 20:15-16