To Those Who Cannot Repay You

One of the general principles of hospitality generally recognized in American society could easily be referred to as the “return the favor” giving model. In other words, we are encouraged to be generous to those who one day may do the same to us—“you scratch my back, I’ll scratch yours.” Jesus’ teaching on giving flatly contradicts this idea. “When you give a dinner or a banquet, do not invite your friends or your brothers or your relatives or rich neighbors, lest they also invite you in return and you be repaid. But when you give a feast, invite the poor, the crippled, the lame, the blind, and you will be blessed, because they cannot repay you. For you will be repaid at the resurrection of the just.” (Luke 14:12-14 [ESV]). When you throw a bash, he exhorts, invite the kind of people who cannot repay you; God will repay your kindness in the Day of reckoning to come.  

I am convinced that this radical hospitality and extravagant generosity should inform everything we do in the Lord’s name, from the way we decide on which opportunities to take up, to the ways we give our time, talent, and treasure to others. World Impact historically has committed its resources and efforts to communities and neighborhoods where those who live cannot repay us. Their historical situation and contemporary conditions rarely allow them to be able to “return the favor” of the care we offer. While we don’t give to encourage dependency, we are keenly aware that many of our neighbors will never be able to repay us for the good we do with and alongside them. We do what we do out of love for Christ, and our solidarity with those who live life “on the bottom.” We are unashamed of our commitment to stand with those who are voiceless, broken, and largely forgotten. We seek to empower, not to create dependence.  

World Impact has never wanted to either patronize or shame Spirit-anointed leaders who also happen to be poor. Our conviction is that every God-called man or woman deserves the finest care and empowerment possible, period. You shouldn’t have to know somebody rich in order to be touched and equipped to serve in God’s Kingdom. God does not select people for ministry dependent on their background or checkbook balance; he looks on the heart, not the appearance (1 Sam. 16:7). I wonder how many more astounding acts of generosity, hospitality, and care would occur if we were to obey Jesus’ extreme mandate of “dinner etiquette?” What if we targeted our giving not merely on friends and relatives or rich neighbors, but rather on the lame, the poor, the blind, and the crippled—those dear folk who absolutely cannot repay any care we offer them? I can only imagine how things would change and what kind of transformations would take place, both within us and all around us.

Let’s refuse the temptation to embrace a “return the favor” model of giving; rather, let’s opt for a “those who cannot repay you” model of sharing and justice approach to care. Let’s target those communities and causes that are highly unlikely to return any favors, or repay any kindnesses. In doing so, I am convinced that we will not only obey our Lord, but we will also plant seeds for an entirely new kind of lived ethic, one that reveals the glory of the Kingdom in a terribly selfish, “return the favor” kind of world.

Click below to read more from our giving and thankfulness series:

Giving and Receiving by Lisa Entz

Strong and Courageous by Daren Busenitz

A Theology of Enough by Dr. Alvin Sanders