Meaning:
The spiritual benefits of unselfishness outweigh material possessions
Background:
Although the concept is clearly at the heart of much of Jesus's teaching, he is
not recorded as having used this expression in any of the four gospels in the
New Testament (nor, to the best of our knowledge, in any of the other surviving
contemporaneous gospels that were not accepted into the biblical canon.) In the
Sermon on the Mount, Jesus lists a number of people who are considered
unfortunate and names them blessed (the meek, the merciful and the peacemakers,
to name three) but he does not address those who give.
The earliest known reference is in The Acts of the Apostles, when Paul ends his
address to the Ephesian elders saying, "In everything I did, I showed you that
by this kind of hard work we must help the weak, remembering the words the Lord
Jesus himself said: 'It is more blessed to give than to receive.'" (Acts 20:35
NIV).
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One more point. The giver and receiver, for the sake of the transaction at
least, have to act equal. The moment when the giver appears stuck-up in any way,
for example, whatever spiritual benefits are lost.
It's the undying art of human interaction where imposing heirarchy simply
doesn't work. In the context of Christianity, Jesus addressed this human itch
several times. For example, he said "whatever you did for one of the least of
these brothers and sisters of mine, you did for me." If there was a hierarchy,
He chose to be at the bottom. Acting higher than God is hubris.
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