[djmcmath]

Jim, I don't have time to look it up right now, but it seems like it's an OT requirement based in Levitical law. I'll see if I can find it later this evening, but the idea was that the Levite tribe didn't do any work except God's work (you know, in the temple), and they were supported by the tithe from the other 11 tribes.

As many have pointed out, Jesus never re-iterates a command for 10%. He never says "If you want into heaven, you need to give X amount." There's no NT scripture discussing the minimum requirement, or what will get you into the "black" in God's "Balance Book." Somehow, people have latched onto 10% as a convenient thumbrule -- maybe it just works well in a base-10 number system. It seems more like Jesus is asking for everything, come to think of it, almost along the lines of what sammyg2 was saying -- it seems like Jesus argues more for a "love people, don't stress over possessions" position.

(shrug) I'm sure someone else can express this better than I can.