Give to the One Who Asks

Jesus commands in Matthew 5:42 and Luke 6:30 to give to the one who begs from you. These are not suggestions subject to our vetting — they are direct commands from the Son of God.

The command to give to those who ask is often treated by believers as a mere suggestion, subject to our own vetting processes and cultural filters. Jesus says in Matthew 5:42, “Give to the one who begs from you, and do not refuse the one who would borrow from you.” Luke 6:30 echoes this absolute mandate: “Give to everyone who begs from you, and from one who takes away your goods do not demand them back.” These are not parables or hyperbole; they are direct commands from the Son of God. Yet, people spend their lives constructing elaborate, clever arguments to avoid obeying them. They hide behind the “times” and “culture,” arguing that Jesus couldn’t have possibly meant for us to give to someone who might misuse the money. They twist Paul’s instruction in 2 Thessalonians 3:10 as a license to withhold charity from the needy, effectively turning a command meant to encourage diligence into a weapon to justify their own stinginess. They cite “not giving under compulsion” from 2 Corinthians 9:7 as a convenient escape hatch to avoid giving at all. Everything becomes an excuse to judge the recipient rather than examine the heart of the giver. Scripture does not offer a loophole for your skepticism. Jesus gave the command without adding a list of exceptions for the “undeserving.” If you are more concerned with vetting the recipient’s worthiness than you are with obeying your Savior’s command, you are not exercising wisdom — you are exercising control. God is looking at your heart. Does it move with compassion, or does it harden with excuses?

Scriptures Referenced (KJV)

4 key passages from the King James Version (KJV).

“Give to him that asketh thee, and from him that would borrow of thee turn not thou away.”

Matthew 5:42 KJV Read Matthew chapter 5 →

“Give to every man that asketh of thee; and of him that taketh away thy goods ask them not again.”

Luke 6:30 KJV Read Luke chapter 6 →

“For even when we were with you, this we commanded you, that if any would not work, neither should he eat.”

2 Thessalonians 3:10 KJV — Set Your Minds on Things Above Read 2 Thessalonians chapter 3 →

“Every man according as he purposeth in his heart, so let him give; not grudgingly, or of necessity: for God loveth a cheerful giver.”

2 Corinthians 9:7 KJV Read 2 Corinthians chapter 9 →