The believers in various cities have been taking up a collection for the needy Christians in Judea. You will recall from our study of the book of Acts that while Paul and Barnabas were at Antioch a prophet named Agabus from Jerusalem predicted a severe famine in all the Roman-controlled territories. A decision was made to take up an offering to send to Jerusalem to help the believers of Judea. Today Paul talks about the great generosity he has seen as people willingly give to the collection.
"And now, brothers and sisters, we want you to know about the grace that God has given the Macedonian churches. In the midst of a very severe trial, their overflowing joy and their extreme poverty welled up in rich generosity." (2 Corinthians 8:1-2) The Macedonians had little money but had compassion in their hearts for the people of Judea, so they gave to the offering.
"For I testify that they gave as much as they were able, and even beyond their ability. Entirely on their own, they urgently pleaded with us for the privilege of sharing in this service to the Lord's people." (2 Corinthians 8:3-4) Verses 3 and 4 seem to indicate that Paul did not ask the Macedonians to give to the offering due to their deep poverty. Instead they volunteered to take up money for the needy Jewish Christians.
"And they exceeded our expectations: They gave themselves first of all to the Lord, and then by the will of God also to us." (2 Corinthians 8:5) The believers of Macedonia put the Lord first in their lives, and because they put Him first they loved and respected His apostles. They wanted to be a part of the work the apostles were doing, and this included giving to the offering that was being taken to Jerusalem.
Since the poor of Macedonia were so willing to give, Paul expects the believers of a wealthy city like Corinth to be willing to give. "So we urged Titus, just as he had earlier made a beginning, to bring also to completion this act of grace on your part. But since you excel in everything---in faith, in speech, in knowledge, in complete earnestness and in the love we have kindled in you---see that you also excel in this grace of giving. I am not commanding you, but I want to test the sincerity of your love by comparing it with the earnestness of others. For you know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that though He was rich, yet for your sake He became poor, so that you through His poverty might become rich." (2 Corinthians 8:6-9) Titus has been Paul's messenger to the church at Corinth while Paul ministers in other areas of the Roman Empire. We will learn in a minute that the previous year the people of Corinth promised to give to the collection. Now Paul urges them to keep their promise. This will prove to him that their repentance has been sincere and that they are not holding a grudge against him for the necessary harshness of his first letter.
"And here is my judgment about what is best for you in this matter. Last year you were the first not only to give but also to have the desire to do so. Now finish the work, so that your eager willingness to do it may be matched by your completion of it, according to your means. For if the willingness is there, the gift is acceptable according to what one has, not according to what one does not have." (2 Corinthians 8:10-12) The Lord goes by what is in the heart, not by how much a person gives. A wealthy person may be able to put a lot into the offering plate, but if the giving is not sincere it doesn't count for much in the Lord's eyes. A poor person may not be able to put much in the offering plate, but the Lord esteems the offering highly because He knows it took an act of faith. It's the reason behind the giving that matters to Him, whether the offering is coming from the wealthy or from the poor.
"Our desire is not that others might be relieved while you are hard pressed, but that there might be equality." (2 Corinthians 8:13) Paul is not teaching communist doctrine; he's simply pointing out how unseemly it is that Christians in some areas of the world are thriving financially while Christians in other areas can scarcely put food on the table. The church of Christ is one big family, and we all ought to be concerned about the poverty that is being experienced by our brothers and sisters in Christ. Would we let our biological brother or sister starve to death? Of course not, and we should not allow our spiritual brother or sister to starve either.
Paul doesn't ask anyone to give beyond what is reasonable. He is saying something like, "I don't want you to put yourselves in jeopardy to help those in need. I'm just asking you to give what you are able. If you have more than you need, give out of what is left over." What he wants is for everyone to have enough. He wants every Christian to have food on the table, clothes on their back, and a roof over their heads. "At the present time your plenty will supply what they need, so that in turn their plenty will supply what you need. The goal is equality, as it is written: 'The one who gathered much did not have too much, and the one who gathered little did not have too little.'" (2 Corinthians 8:14-15)
He quotes Exodus 16:18 regarding the manna the Lord sent to feed the children of Israel in the wilderness. They were told to gather what they needed according to how many people were in their family. Those who disobeyed and gathered extra found that the excess rotted. So I think Paul is asking the Corinthians, "Why have so much that you can't even use it all? Why have so much money in the bank that you can never spend and enjoy it? Why have so much food in the house that some of it ends up going bad? Use it for good to help your brothers and sisters who are in need."
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