Should Christians Tithe Today? Series

What Jesus Actually Said About Tithing

Jesus did speak about tithing—but not often, and not in the way many people assume. When we look carefully at the Gospels, we find that Jesus mentions tithing in contexts tied to the Mosaic Law, the Pharisees, and the still-standing temple system. At the same time, His broader teaching about money focuses much more on the heart, treasure, greed, stewardship, and investing in eternity.

Tier 2 — The Biblical Overview

Why This Question Matters

Many Christians assume Jesus gave a clear command for the church to tithe. Others assume Jesus swept tithing away entirely. Neither of those approaches fully reflects what the Gospels actually show.

If we want to understand what Jesus said about tithing, we need to pay attention to who He was speaking to, when He was speaking, and what issue He was actually addressing.

1. Jesus in Matthew 23:23

The clearest passage is Jesus’ rebuke of the scribes and Pharisees:

This verse is important for several reasons.

• Jesus acknowledges that the Pharisees tithed very carefully—even down to tiny garden herbs.
• Jesus does not rebuke them for tithing.
• Jesus rebukes them for being precise in outward religious duty while neglecting the heart of God’s law.

So in this passage, Jesus is not saying, “Tithing is bad.” He is saying, in effect, “You are so focused on the small external details that you are missing the bigger matters of justice, mercy, and faithfulness.”

2. Jesus in Luke 18:9–14

Jesus mentions tithing again in the parable of the Pharisee and the tax collector.

Here again, the problem is not tithing itself. The problem is self-righteousness. The Pharisee uses his religious performance—including fasting and tithing—as evidence that he is righteous before God.

Jesus contrasts him with the tax collector, who simply cries out for mercy. The point of the parable is not, “Do not tithe.” The point is: religious acts cannot justify a sinner before God.

3. Why the Timing Matters

One of the most important things to remember is that Jesus’ earthly ministry took place before the cross and resurrection, while the temple was still standing and the Mosaic system was still functioning in Jewish life.

That means when Jesus spoke to the Pharisees about tithing, He was addressing people living under the Old Covenant structure.

In other words, Jesus’ statements about tithing in the Gospels should first be read in their original covenant setting. That does not make them irrelevant for Christians, but it does mean we should be careful not to rip them out of context and treat them as if Jesus were directly addressing a New Covenant church budget conversation.

Tier 3 — The Deeper Study

Jesus Mentioned Tithing Very Little

This alone is revealing. Jesus talks a great deal about money, possessions, greed, generosity, treasure, and stewardship—but He only mentions tithing directly in a very small number of places, and both of those are in conversations involving Pharisees.

That matters because it suggests Jesus’ larger concern was not merely whether people were meeting a percentage standard. His concern was whether money revealed a heart that truly loved God.

What Jesus Emphasized More Than Tithing

When Jesus taught about money, He usually focused on issues like these:

• Treasure: “Where your treasure is, there your heart will be also” (Matthew 6:19–21).
• Mastery: “You cannot serve both God and money” (Matthew 6:24).
• Greed: “Be on your guard against all greed” (Luke 12:13–21).
• Sacrificial generosity: the widow’s offering mattered not because of its size, but because of her sacrifice (Mark 12:41–44).
• Radical surrender: the rich young ruler’s problem was not that he failed to tithe, but that he would not release his wealth to follow Christ (Mark 10:17–27).

In other words, Jesus consistently pressed beyond external compliance to reveal the deeper issue: what does your money say about your heart?

How This Fits the New Covenant Transition

This also helps explain why the New Testament letters, written after the resurrection, do not re-emphasize Jesus’ tithing statements as the primary framework for Christian giving.

Instead, the apostles teach believers to give:

• regularly (1 Corinthians 16:1–2)
• proportionately (1 Corinthians 16:1–2)
• cheerfully (2 Corinthians 9:6–7)
• generously and sacrificially (2 Corinthians 8:1–9)

That does not mean Jesus and Paul disagree. It means that Jesus spoke about tithing inside an Old Covenant setting, while the apostles later unpacked giving for the life of the church under the New Covenant.

Why Matthew 23:23 Still Matters

Even if Matthew 23:23 is not a direct New Covenant command for the church to tithe, it still teaches something powerful. God does care about faithful obedience in practical matters. But He never wants outward religious precision divorced from inward righteousness.

That is why Jesus places the spotlight on:

• justice
• mercy
• faithfulness

Those are not “extras.” They are weightier matters. And if a person gives money faithfully while living without justice, mercy, and faithfulness, Jesus says something essential is missing.

Why This Matters for the Tithing Debate Today

If someone wants to argue that Jesus clearly commanded Christians to tithe, the Gospels do not provide as simple a case as many assume. Jesus did affirm tithing in its Jewish covenant setting, but He did so while confronting Pharisaic hypocrisy, not while laying out church finance instructions.

On the other hand, if someone wants to say Jesus had no concern for giving, that is also false. Jesus cared deeply about how His followers handled money.

The point is this: Jesus’ teaching about money consistently pushes us beyond technical compliance to the deeper issues of worship, surrender, and investing in eternity.

Next in This Series

If Jesus spoke about tithing within the setting of the Mosaic Law, then the next question is crucial:

In the next article, we will look at Acts, Paul, and the New Testament letters to see how Christian giving is framed after the resurrection, after Pentecost, and within the life of the church.

Back to top ↑