USURY

A Sermon by the Rev. Patrick A. Rose

"If thou shalt lend silver to My people, the needy with thee, thou shalt not be to him as a usurer; ye shall not put usury upon him." (Ex. 22:25)

WE HAVE ALL HAD THE EXPERIENCE of picking up the phone and being asked by someone if we can make a contribution towards some charity.  Perhaps we agree to give something without thinking.  Perhaps we are reluctant, but give because we feel we ought to.  But whatever action we take, it is likely that once in a while we stop and wonder just how we should respond to those forms of benevolence which are commonly referred to as "charities."

The world around us makes a great deal of these good deeds.  There are a multitude of organizations which collect money, and ask for help in other ways, in order that all kinds of needs might be met.  Indeed, many church organizations are themselves deeply involved in such activities.  For some churches it is their fundamental mission.  They see social action as their primary expression of Christianity.

Now the organized New Church, or at least the General Church, has historically taken what some would consider a overly cautious approach to such charities.  We have tended to view benefactions as an individual, rather than as an organizational matter.  And we have done so for good reason.  The Writings, when they speak of charity, mean something quite different from benefactions.  Certainly the Writings describe the church as having a far deeper mission than that of acting merely as a social agency.  On the other hand, to the degree that we do not focus primarily on social concerns and social needs, it can appear that we are somehow uncaring and unconcerned about the urgent needs which exist in the world around us.

Obviously different people will have different views about  what is appropriate for a church organization in such matters.  Whatever our views, though, it is important that we try to be clear in our minds just what the Writings teach about benefactions, or good deeds, and the part that they should play in our lives.

Certainly there is, or should be, no doubt in our minds that the Writings teach the doing of good.  Indeed, one of the best known quotations in the Writings states that:  "All religion is of life, and the life of religion is to do that which is good."  For each one of us our purpose is, or should be, the doing of good to others.  Indeed, this is the very reason we were created  so that we might be of service to our fellow human beings.

We would all agree with this.  But when we stop and ask ourselves how we might best be of service to other people, we soon realize that this is not always an easy question to answer.  If we really love others, if we really care about them, then we see that we must proceed with care if our desire to be of service is to bear actual fruit.  It is just not enough to simply feel like being of help, and then to go out, without bothering to think, and to do whatever comes naturally to us.  The simple fact is, if we do not care enough to take the time to think and reflect, we can end up doing far more harm than good.

To take what is perhaps an extreme example, consider a well meaning but foolish man at the scene of a serious accident.  In his desire to be of help, he might easily do more harm than good if he moves the victims unnecessarily.  A more sensible man, on the other hand, realizes his limitations, and proceeds to summon more competent help as soon as possible.

It is not always easy to decide how best to be of help to others.  One thing, though, is clear:  it requires careful thought and judgment if we are to make the right decisions, decisions which will benefit others rather than hurt them.  And, in trying to reach such decisions we need to be aware of our own limitations.

This is certainly the case with what is the greatest limitation of all.  If it is our intention and desire to do good to others, we must realize one very important and very pertinent fact  that by ourselves we are incapable of doing good.  All good, and all ability to do good, is from the Lord alone.

Therefore, if we would be of use to others, if we would do good that is truly beneficial, we must first of all turn to the Lord.  We must look to Him, with the humble acknowledgment that by ourselves we are selfish and evil.  We must pray to Him, asking him for a love that is truly good, truly unselfish.  If a person doesn't do this, if he believes that he can do good all by himself, without the Lord's help, then he will not be of much use to others in the long run.  And this is the truth that is contained within the internal sense of our text.

The Israelites were commanded by the Lord not to exact usury or interest when they made loans to one another.  It was a law for the ancient Israelites, and it is no longer meant to be applied literally today.  But what this law represented is still very important.  If a friend was in need, and was helped out with a loan, then this represented, in the Israelitish Church, the doing of good to others.  If, on the other hand, a profit was made from this, then this profit, the interest on the loan, represented the doing of good for selfish reasons.

To take undue advantage of someone in need is obviously a repulsive thing.  Even today, there is something distasteful in trying to exact excessive interest, interest far beyond the going rate, from someone who has no choice but to borrow money.  Yet if we reflect upon it, we see that a similar motive lies behind much of the good that people do.  The fact of the matter is that by birth we all have a tendency to be selfish.  We tend to seek our own advantage in the things we do.  Even when we do good, it is often for selfish reasons.  It might appear as if we are trying to help others, but all too often we are only trying to help ourselves.  We do what is right because we are afraid of what people might think.  We help others so that they might repay us later, or so that they might at least compliment us.  We are often much too concerned with our image  with the way we appear to others.  If we look deep within ourselves we realize that all too often the motive behind the good that we do is a selfish one.

Now this might sound very discouraging.  If we tend to be selfish even when we are trying to do what is good, what hope is there for us?  Yet this is hope.  A person, we are taught, can come into true charity, charity, which is defined in the Writings as "the affection of being of service to others without any end of recompense."  But he cannot come into such charity if he insists on looking only to himself.

This is why benefactions, that is, the doing of good deeds and contributing to good causes, are not to be confused with charity itself.  All too often such benefactions are a cover up, a substitute, for true charity.  To help another person in need out of a genuine concern and affection is a worthy thing to do.  Very often, though, such help  does not proceed from genuine concern at all.  Sometimes a person gives help so that others will think him kind and generous.  Sometimes he is simply afraid of being thought mean and stingy.  Sometimes people help others simply to soothe their consciences  to try to make amends for their evils.  At the very least, it is very difficult to come away from helping a needy person or a needy cause without the feeling that we are good, and patting ourselves on the backs for being so generous and kind.  In so doing, we look not to the Lord as the source of good, but to ourselves.

For these reasons, benefactions are not to be regarded as the primary means of performing charity.  The teaching of the Writings on this point is clear.  They state that "the first thing of charity is to put away evils."  And the reason for this is simple.  We cannot do good that is truly good unless our motives are unselfish.  But unselfish love comes only from the Lord, and it cannot flow into us from the Lord until evils are put aside, for evils close our hearts to the Lord.  It is only as we do the work of repentance that we can receive from Him a love of doing good for the sake of good, rather than for selfish reasons.  Then it is that the good that we do can become truly good.

But what is this good that we are to do?  Once again, the Writings make a very plain statement.  "Charity itself," we are taught, "is acting justly and faithfully in the office, business and employment in which a man is engaged, and with those with whom he has any dealings."  There are several reasons why charity itself, the primary expression of charity, is identified with a person's work.  When he does his work faithfully and well, then he is can be of the greatest use.  For one thing, what he does is a regular and daily thing.  It involves doing good not just occasionally, but repeatedly, every day.  Also, because work is something a person does regularly, he can become good at what he does.  As his skill and experience increases, so his usefulness can increase.  There is also the fact that when someone does his job properly, he serves, not just a few people, but the economy and uses of society as a whole.  To do one's job faithfully and well is indeed an exceedingly effective way of being useful.  Furthermore, there is a spiritual advantage in doing one's job well.  It is something that can encourage a person to forget himself, and to act unselfishly.  It is relatively easy to forget oneself in one's work, and to focus primarily on the job at hand, upon performing one's duties.  It is one of the ways by which the Lord can lead us into an unselfish love for others.

We of course do not live in an ideal world.  The kinds of things that people have to do every day are not always as conducive to the development of charity as they might be.  Nevertheless, when all is said and done, a person's job can generally become his most constant regular expression of the life of charity.  It is, after all, where the greater portion of his time and energy is spent for most of his life.  So it is that a person who truly wants to be of use to others should make it a priority to shun evils as sins.  And he should make it a priority to do his work faithfully and to do it well.

It is a question of importance, or emphasis.  Nowhere do the Writings say that we should not be compassionate and help those in need.  What they do, is point out to us where our priorities should lie if we are to be as useful as possible to our fellow human beings.  Indeed, if we wisely choose and focus upon our priorities, then, far from being cold and uncaring, we will in fact receive from the Lord a far greater, and a far more compassionate, love for others.

A selfish man is more interested in the appearance of good than he is in good itself.  Not so somebody who is genuinely compassionate.  He is not that concerned with what others might think of him.  He doesn't do good simply so that he might be seen to be doing good.  His concern is the welfare of others, their genuine welfare.  Because of this, he tries to act with prudence and with judgment in doing good to others, so that what he does might be of genuine benefit. 

He acts with prudence in the sense that he realizes his resources and his time are limited.  To give to all who ask him for money or for his time would mean that he would no longer be able to perform his everyday work effectively.  He would himself become dependent upon the benevolence of others.  And he acts with judgment, realizing that at times the obviously compassionate action is not necessarily the right one.  For example, though it might seem compassionate to help an evil man, it can in fact be hurtful.  By his kind actions he may well be encouraging the man to continue in his evil.  Natural kindness can be a way of inflicting spiritual harm.  And no matter how obvious the natural needs of others might be, of far greater importance are their spiritual needs.

It is in serving the spiritual needs of others that the New Church, and those who belong to the New Church, can be of great service to others.  The letter of the Word talks many times of giving to the poor.  Indeed, we can all see that for someone who is well off to give money to someone in need can be an act of kindness, if it is done prudently.  But what about a man who is spiritually wealthy helping a man who is spiritually needy?  This is what the Word is primarily talking about when it speaks of helping the poor and needy.

When it comes to the poor and needy, there is just as much and indeed more poverty on the spiritual plane as there is on the natural.  And these spiritual needs so often go unmet.  Despite the efforts of many charitable organizations in fulfilling people's natural and social needs, there seems no end to the misery in the world.  People, many people, are unhappy, despairing and lost, seeing no real purpose in life.  If they are married, they often have trouble holding their marriages together.  They don't even understand that marriage is holy.  If they should lose loved ones, they find death impossible to understand and deal with.  When they see others around them cheating and lying, they are tempted to abandon any attempt to do what is right and to resist what is wrong.  Beneath the surface of so many lives, and often not below the surface at all, there is a great deal of misery.

Spiritual truths, and spiritual values, are needed.  They are needed desperately.  This is the primary purpose of the church.  And here the New Church has something unique to offer.  There are many organizations devoted to serving natural needs.  The New Church, though, has something special, something from the Lord Himself.  The Heavenly Doctrines have been given by the Lord to give light to people's spiritual lives, and to fill the emptiness in their hearts and minds.

Human beings need to do what they can to reach out and to help meet the needs of one another.  When an individual cares about others, he will want to help meet the natural needs of others in whatever ways he believes to be prudent and wise.  But we need always to remember that there is more to helping others than by giving money, and so on.  The insights we have been given into the purpose of life, the wonderful spiritual truths given to us by the Lord, make us truly rich.  We can, and we should, use this spiritual wealth to help those in need.  And we can do this in many ways.  When we speak out for what is right in discussions with those we know, when we uphold what is right by setting an example, when we make it clear that we have trust and confidence in the Lord and in His Word, then we lend strength and hope to those around us, to those who, despite their spiritual confusion, still care about what is good and true.  We who are spiritually rich can benefit those who are poor in very real ways.

When a New Churchman refuses to use profane language, it is noticed.  When a New Churchman refuses to cheat, it is noticed.  We have spiritual truth, spiritual wealth.  We should, therefore, give to the poor, give them of our spiritual wealth, not for our own advantage, for that would be spiritual usury, but so that they, in some small way, might move closer to the one and only source of spiritual happiness, closer to the the Lord Himself.  "Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father, who is in heaven."

Amen.

Lessons:        Exod.22:20-31

Matt.5:11-20 

Life 1, 2 [pt]

 Exodus 22:20-31 20“He who sacrifices to any god, except to the LORD only, he shall be utterly destroyed.

21“You shall neither mistreat a stranger nor oppress him, for you were strangers in the land of Egypt.

22“You shall not afflict any widow or fatherless child. 23If you afflict them in any way, and they cry at all to Me, I will surely hear their cry; 24and My wrath will become hot, and I will kill you with the sword; your wives shall be widows, and your children fatherless.

25“If you lend money to any of My people who are poor among you, you shall not be like a moneylender to him; you shall not charge him interest. 26If you ever take your neighbor’s garment as a pledge, you shall return it to him before the sun goes down. 27For that is his only covering, it is his garment for his skin. What will he sleep in? And it will be that when he cries to Me, I will hear, for I am gracious.

28“You shall not revile God, nor curse a ruler of your people.

29“You shall not delay to offer the first of your ripe produce and your juices. The firstborn of your sons you shall give to Me. 30Likewise you shall do with your oxen and your sheep. It shall be with its mother seven days; on the eighth day you shall give it to Me.

31“And you shall be holy men to Me: you shall not eat meat torn by beasts in the field; you shall throw it to the dogs.

Matthew 5:11-20 11“Blessed are you when they revile and persecute you, and say all kinds of evil against you falsely for My sake. 12Rejoice and be exceedingly glad, for great is your reward in heaven, for so they persecuted the prophets who were before you.

13“You are the salt of the earth; but if the salt loses its flavor, how shall it be seasoned? It is then good for nothing but to be thrown out and trampled underfoot by men.

14“You are the light of the world. A city that is set on a hill cannot be hidden. 15Nor do they light a lamp and put it under a basket, but on a lampstand, and it gives light to all who are in the house. 16Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works and glorify your Father in heaven.

17“Do not think that I came to destroy the Law or the Prophets. I did not come to destroy but to fulfill. 18For assuredly, I say to you, till heaven and earth pass away, one jot or one tittle will by no means pass from the law till all is fulfilled. 19Whoever therefore breaks one of the least of these commandments, and teaches men so, shall be called least in the kingdom of heaven; but whoever does and teaches them, he shall be called great in the kingdom of heaven. 20For I say to you, that unless your righteousness exceeds the righteousness of the scribes and Pharisees, you will by no means enter the kingdom of heaven.

LIFE 1.  ALL RELIGION HAS RELATION TO LIFE, AND THE LIFE OF RELIGION IS TO DO GOOD 

 Every one who has any religion knows and acknowledges that he who lives well will be saved, and that he who lives wickedly will be condemned; for he knows and acknowledges that he who lives well thinks well, not only concerning God but also concerning the neighbour; but not so he who lives wickedly. The life of man is his love; and what a man loves he not only does willingly but also thinks willingly. The reason, therefore, why it is said that the life [of religion] is to do good is, because the doing of good unites with the thinking of good; and unless they act in unison in a man, they do not form part of his life. But these things will be demonstrated in what follows. 

LIFE 2.

2. Every one who reads the Word perceives that religion has relation to life, and that the life of religion is to do good; and while he reads he acknowledges this. In the Word are the following passages: 

Whosoever ... shall break the least of these commandments, and shall teach men so, he shall be called the least in the kingdom of heaven: but whosoever doeth and teacheth them, the same shall be called great in the kingdom of heaven. 

I say unto you, except your righteousness shall exceed the righteousness of the Scribes and Pharisees, ye shall not enter the kingdom of heaven. Matt. v 19, 20. 

Every tree that bringeth not forth good fruit is hewn down, and cast into the fire. Wherefore by their fruits ye shall know them. Matt. vii 19, 20. 

Not every one that saith unto me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven; but he that doeth the will of my Father which is in heaven. Matt. vii 21. 

Many will say to me in that day, Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in thy name? . . . and in thy name done many wonderful works? 

But then will I profess unto them, I never knew you depart from me, ye that work iniquity.... Matt. vii 22, 23. 

Whosoever heareth these sayings of mine, and doeth them, I will liken him unto a wise man, who built his house upon a rock.... 

But every one that heareth these sayings of mine, and doeth them not, shall be likened unto a foolish man, who built his house upon the sand. Matt. vii 24, 26. 

Sermon Date: February 15, 2004